Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Government needs a complete change of course, says AfriForum in run-up to SONA

In the past year, the South African government has maintained a destructive trajectory in terms of policy and practice and now needs a complete change of course. The three most controversial and destructive laws of the entire dispensation have all been ratified in the past year and could send South Africa down a path of total decay. The responsibility now rests on President Cyril Ramaphosa to acknowledge in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that current ANC policy is failing and that alternative paths must be taken.

The civil rights organisation refers specifically to the National Health Insurance Act (NHI), the Basic Education Law Amendment Act (BELA) and the Expropriation Act. All three of these pieces of legislation centralise power in the hands of a corrupt government, ignore the constitutional rights of citizens and have the potential to harm the economy. As an absolute minimum requirement, Ramaphosa should outline in his speech the manner in which the destructive elements of these legislations can be undone.

However, according to Louis Boshoff, Campaign Officer at AfriForum, the organisation instead expects another unrealistic and self-aggrandising speech from Ramaphosa. “We will not be at all surprised if Ramaphosa wants to celebrate his weakest moves as successes now. There will probably be a big fuss made about the relative scarcity of load shedding in the past year without thanking households that generate their own power. It is also unlikely that Ramaphosa will acknowledge the full extent of the water crisis. In the past, Ramaphosa was good at pulling some positive indicators out of the hat and then celebrating them as victories out of context.”

Just like the promise of smart cities and high-speed trains in previous SONA speeches, AfriForum also expects some outrageous promises and other castles in the sky from Ramaphosa. The discord between the parties in the government of national unity will probably be concealed. Finally, the organisation also predicts that Ramaphosa will describe the harmful effects of weak ANC policies as “challenges” or “legacy of apartheid” and then propose expanded state power as a solution.

“There is still a chance for Ramaphosa to come to his senses and prioritise civil liberties. Today’s State of the Nation Address may be a good opportunity for this,” concludes Boshoff.