RUF Submit Rastafari Memorandum of Grieviances to RSA constitutional court (Chief Justice)

Rastafari United Front (RUF) is a Rastafari Religious, Cultural, Civil and Faith based Non-profit community based organization involved in National Reconciliation, Social Cohesion, Nation Building and Moral Regeneration Programmes and Projects to align the Rastafari community in South Africa and the Society with our South African National Narrative.

We, the members of the Rastafari United Front (RUF) in South Africa, in order to effect collective governance, collaboration, networking, partnership, to ensure human rights and justice, to maintain the integrity, dignity, fundamental principles, philosophies of Rastafari communities do hereby establish and ordain on the basis of respect to the South Africa constitution.

We hereby submit the memorandum of grievances to the Constitutional Court to allege that our community rights in the Bill of Rights has been infringed or threatened for the past 22 years of RSA democracy.
Rastafari religion and Culture are constantly unfairly discriminated directly and indirectly on several grounds of practising their religion, belief, conscience and culture.
The Memorandum of Grievances is directed to South African Police service, Gr, Department of justice and all State departments mentioned.

Memorandum of Grievances

We the Rastafari United Front on behalf of the Rastafari Community in South Africa submit the following memorandum
1. The Constitution of the Republic of South African recognises and advocates freedom for the practice of all religions and ways of life in the country. Despite this constitutional right, for the past 22 years of democracy in South Africa ,Rastafari religion and culture is constantly infringed. The Memorandum of Greviences is submitted on behalf of the following Rastafari mansions and general Rastafari society in South Africa:
– Nyahbingi order
– 12 Tribes of Israel
– Bobo Shanti
– Melchizedek order
– Bakehase
– Sack Cloth Rasta
– Marcus Garvey orthodox movement
– Amhara House
– Rastafari Healers
– Khoisan Rastafari
– Bakhalipi
– Rub-ah –Dub and reggae festivals/events
– individual Rastafari community
2. The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) which is mandated as per Chapter 9:section 189 (State Institutions supporting Constitutional Democracy ) has done a research and Rastafari united front advocate the report recommendations done in 2011-2012 . Rastafari United Front on behalf of Rastafari religious community and Rastafari culture submit the following infringed rights by state: Bill of rights, Chapter 2. The South African constitution advocates the protection of rights as quoted on, Bill of Rights. Rastafari United front is submitting the following grievances of violation and infringement of Rastafari religion and Rastafari cultural rights by State and its departments. The following Rastafari religious and cultural constitutional rights are violated: Chapter 2, Bill of Rights Section 9, Equality Subsection 1,2,3,4 & 5 ; Section 10, Humanity; Section 15, Freedom of religion, belief and opinion, Subsection 1; Section 16, Freedom of expression  Subsection 1)a,b,c,d; Section 31,Cultural, religious and linguistic communities;Chapter 9, Section 189(2011-2012 CRL Rastafari religion report implementation),

However, Rastafari religious community and Rastafari culture in South Africa feels that they do not have the freedom to practise what they believe. In our situation, the CRL Commission, which is a constitutional body under Chapter 9, Section 185 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, has conducted a research which dealt with infringements of community rights of Rastafari culture and Rastafari religion,

We hereby request protection of our violated constitutional rights from the Constitutional Court to grant Rastafari community appropriate relief, including a declaration of rights as recommended by a report from a Chapter 9 Institution, Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL) which is mandated as per Chapter 9:section 189 of the South African Constitution .

Problem statement and relief:

1) Ganja should be legalised, not as a drug, but as a holy herb for healing and incense during spiritual ceremony.
2) Rasta priests and Rastafari religion practitioners should be allowed to carry on them at least 100 grams of ganja for spiritual purposes, without prosecution.
3) Police prejudices, discrimination, and harassment of the Rastas should end.
4) Police should stop regarding and portraying Rastas as criminals. There should be a moratorium on arrests involving ganja. The 1911 ganja ban in South Africa should be declassified for Rastafari religious community, Rastafari cultural practitioners and Rastafari believers as this ban was implemented by colonisers and oppression laws.
5) Raiding the Rasta houses,business,communities and plantations without search warrants should be discouraged and stopped.
6) Rastafari religion uses ganja/marijuana as part of their religious rituals in sacramental services and spiritual upliftment of our members.
7) Rastafari Religion believes and use ganja/marijuana as indigenous traditional medicine for curing diseases like Asthama, TB,Cancer,flu,relief of HIV and other related diseases.
Rastafari religion and Culture should be permitted to use ganja for medical and medicinal purposes for its community.
8) Rastafari culture uses Marijuana as part of their culture in recreational activities like Reggae festivals, and recreational gatherings. This practice of using ganja for recreational purpose is a global Rasta culture and well known cultural practice in South Africa, we request the Constitutional court to protect our community from the state by allowing the Rastafari culture in South Africa to practice their Bill of rights in culture, belief, religion and conscience.
9) We apply to Constitutional court to implement the 44 CRL report recommendation about infringed Rastafari rights.
10) Industrial Ganja and hemp shoud be exempted as a cash crop for Rastafari community in SA,Ganja and Hemp has many benefits in health, manufacturing and water conservation and is non-polluting to the environment or human body, the Ganja/ hemp plant altogether produces a commodity that can be used in food, fuel, plastics, clothing, building materials, paper, medicine and cosmetics, we hereby request the constitutional court for the legalization of hemp farming for industrial use by Rastafari community.