When Good Faith Is Exploited: Why LFN Is Changing How We Take on New Cases

Excerpt: Liberty Fighters Network exists to defend ordinary South Africans against a State and banks with unlimited resources and legal budgets. Across hundreds of open matters, we continue to assist those who cannot afford legal representation — without charging a cent and without discrimination. Over the years, LFN has conservatively invested more than R1 billion worth of legal work back into the public, a figure that continues to grow. While many quietly support this work, others save substantial legal costs and move on without acknowledging the value of what is, or was, done for them. From 2026, LFN will implement a necessary policy change to preserve its ability to assist those who truly have no alternative. This article explains why that line has been drawn, what it costs to fight the State without remuneration, and why sustainability requires honesty, boundaries, and shared responsibility.

If you like our work, why not consider a donation or gift of your choice?

or make Quick donation… MobiPaid

Liberty Fighters Network has never existed for comfort, convenience, or applause. It exists because ordinary people in South Africa are routinely crushed by a State and banks that have unlimited resources, unlimited legal budgets, and very little accountability — and because too many people simply cannot afford to defend themselves when that happens.

LFN remains fully committed to fighting both the State and banks, and standing alongside every person we assist. At present, that commitment spans hundreds of open matters across the country. Most of these cases are opposed, complex, and resource-intensive. Yet our policy has always been simple and unwavering: anyone who knocks on our door for help is assisted, without expectation of payment and without discrimination.

That policy, rooted in good faith and principle, has however increasingly been exploited.

There are many who approach LFN fully aware that we will not turn them away. They receive extensive assistance — drafting, strategy, research, procedural guidance, and litigation support — often saving themselves hundreds of thousands of Rand they would otherwise have had to pay to legal practitioners. Promises of voluntary support are made, but once their immediate crisis passes, those promises are frequently forgotten.

At the same time, there are others — quietly and consistently — who understand the value of what LFN does. They contribute what they can, sometimes as little as R10, not because they are asked to, but because they recognise gratitude as a matter of principle. These supporters are the reason LFN has survived as long as it has.

What many people do not realise is the true economic value of the work LFN performs.

LFN is legally barred from charging fees because we are not registered legal practitioners. Yet the work we do is not informal advice or casual opinion. It is sustained legal research, drafting, litigation strategy, court processes, compliance with procedural rules, and continuous engagement across multiple forums. If this work were performed by private legal practitioners, the costs would be substantial.

In an article published some time ago, we conservatively calculated, and expressly qualified, that LFN had already invested in excess of R1 billion worth of legal work back into the public. That figure was deliberately cautious and has since increased by many further millions of Rand as our work has expanded in scope, volume, and intensity. The State itself, and this is without even accounting for the banking sector in defended foreclosure matters we regularly assist with, routinely incurs legal costs in excess of R1 million per opposed matter in the very cases we litigate against it. Senior Counsel, including well-known advocates such as Wim Trengove SC, who frequently appeared for the State in matters involving LFN, command six-figure fees per engagement. The only material distinction is this: their legal teams are permitted to charge for their work — and we are not.

The value of the work does not diminish simply because no invoice is issued.

The reality is that LFN cannot continue to absorb this burden indefinitely while others save fortunes and contribute minimal or nothing in return. Good intentions alone do not pay filing fees, transport costs, data, equipment, or keep families housed. They do not sustain organisations, and they do not sustain people.

For this reason, from 2026, LFN will implement a necessary policy change.
All new matters will be required to apply for assistance. Where it is determined that an applicant is financially able to afford a legal practitioner at market-related fees, LFN will no longer take on that matter. Our limited capacity must be preserved for those who genuinely have no alternative.

This decision has not been taken lightly. It follows years of sacrifice — most of it unseen.

Behind the scenes, personal crises have repeatedly been set aside to prioritise the needs of others, often at measurable cost to family stability and personal wellbeing. Resources have been steadily depleted, support systems stretched, and even time required to attend to one’s own legal injustices has had to be sacrificed. While LFN continues to fight for the rights of countless families, practical burdens have accumulated — including severe financial strain, outstanding educational obligations for dependent children, and the necessity for extraordinary assistance from others simply to ensure that critically ill family members can access daily life-sustaining medical treatment. In this context, LFN’s own household now faces legal eviction proceedings arising directly from prolonged public-interest work undertaken without remuneration. These realities are not recorded to solicit sympathy, but to demonstrate that the cost of this work is real, ongoing, and cumulative.

LFN does not beg. We do not trade on pity. We do not operate on guilt.
We operate on principle, value, and shared responsibility.

Those who have been assisted by LFN, who have saved substantial legal costs, and who are in a position to do so, are asked — respectfully and without coercion — to consider acknowledging that value. As the festive season approaches and bonuses are spent on gifts, we ask that LFN be considered as one of those gift recipients. Not as charity, but as an investment in justice, accountability, and the continuation of work that directly benefits you and others like you.

LFN will continue to fight.
We will continue to stand against State overreach.
We will continue to assist those who truly need us.

But sustainability requires honesty — and honesty requires boundaries.

Kindly consider supporting our work by giving a donation or gift of your choice.