The South African Active Civil Society Organisation (SAACSO) is a National multi-sectoral Civil Society Organisation formed in 2007.

VISION:

To create a peaceful, non-racist, non-sexist, democratic Society where all citizens enjoy equal fulfilment of their needs, have equal access to their land and enjoy the wealth of their country equally.

MISSION STATEMENT:

To mobilize and organize individuals and all civil society organizations in South Africa to act together and speak in a unified voice for the betterment of their lives.

ACTIVITIES:

• Membership mobilisation
• Organisational development [OD]
• Resource mobilisation
• Combating housing evictions
• Paralegal services
• Research & advocacy
• Class legal actions
• Consumer rights protection
• Information dissemination
• Human Rights awareness
• Capacity enhancement

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• To act as an independent national umbrella body to house all non- State actors to amplify their voice for socio-economic transformation.
• To create / maintain an enabling climate for civil society, promoting people centred participatory development, influencing national & international policy development and promoting a vibrant democracy.
• To consider, discuss and act on all questions affecting the interests of the most disadvantaged communities and further to encourage communities to identify their wants and needs and work in co-operation to satisfy them.
• To extend, develop, maintain, control and direct the work of the various SAACSO branch offices (both those already established and tt10se which may hereafter be established) in the Republic of South Africa.
• To develop and carry on alone or in co-operation or in conjunction with other similar or relevant organisations the object of the organisation.
• To inculcate, foster, organise, direct, maintain and extend in communities, the principles of self-sufficiency and self determination and to unite and associate the constituents of disadvantaged communities in their efforts and desire to transform their socio-economic material conditions of existence and realise their aspirations in the Republic of South Africa.
• To promote, organise, foster, maintain and direct the moral, mental and physical education and well - being of all communities in the Republic of South Africa and elsewhere.
• To help Civil Society to be aware of its independent identity.
• To enable disadvantaged communities to organise themselves, analyse their own needs and problems, mobilise resources, and develop bottom-up solutions.
• To develop leadership capable of guiding the development of communities.

SAACSO draws its membership from CSOs, NGOs, FBO, CBOs and individual members of the civil society.

What SAACSO is and is not:

SAACSO is a people's centred Civil Society Organisation concerned with day to day issues of community development and governance, problems affecting communities, how to identify, analyse these problems and develop bottom up solutions. It is not aligned or affiliated to any political party. As a matter of principle, SAACSO acknowledges the fact that Civil Society by its very nature is a political sphere and its struggles are of a political nature; however SAACSO plates a distinct dichotomy between party politics and Civil Society politics in the whole politico, socio-economic space. It is SAACSO's held view that Civil Society's politics are the politics of the stomach, the unemployed, the houseless, the landless, and the evicted from their properties, lack of clean water, electricity and toilets, struggles against the high cost of living and the whole spectrum, of problems that make life unbearable to the poor. In essence civil society’s politics in their very nature hold accountable party politics. Civil society politics bridge a gap between intended effects of legal provisions and the real effects in practice. It is important therefore that, Civil society must avoid as much as possible to meddle in party politics, form alliance or maintain partisan political postures in any form with any political party, because that will draw Civil Society into party political battles and stifle its ability to play its fundamental watchdog role over government and mediating role to foster democracy.

Who can Join SAACSO

• All people living in South Africa
• NGOs
• Faith based organisations
• Community Organisations
• Non-Governmental Organisations
• Societies
• Youth and women organisations
• Service delivery Social Struggle movements
• Professionals
• Academics and Students movements
• And Others

Visit our website at www.saacso.org.za
Join SAACSO now and strengthen democracy.        

Corner: Commissioner & Small Street
4th floor Ned bank Building
Johannesburg
2000
P.O. Box 5965
Johannesburg
Tel: 0110796606
Fax to Email: 086 590 1032
Website: www.saacso.org.za