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.

AfriForum branches and neighbourhood watches extinguish several fires in the East Rand

The AfriForum branches in Alberton, Germiston, Edenvale and Springs worked with local fire and security services to extinguish several fires in the East Rand this past week. Thanks to good cooperation between these role players, large-scale damage and tragedies were prevented.

On Tuesday, 26 August, at approximately 13:00, a fire was reported at the Golden City Shooting Range in Alberton. The fire started near piled-up tyres, but AfriForum’s Alberton branch was able to quickly bring it under control. Minimal damage was caused to the premises. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Fox Security, the local GPF and Johannesburg emergency services and fire brigade worked together with the Alberton branch.

AfriForum’s Germiston neighbourhood watch also responded quickly on Tuesday evening when a wildfire broke out in Cruywagen Street in Elsburg. A large tree next to a property caught fire and there was a risk that this fire could spread to a house. Two neighbourhood watch members extinguished the fire, while the rest of the team secured the surrounding area. The neighbourhood watch was on patrol in Tedstoneville when the fire was reported. Legendary Guardians Security assisted the Germiston neighbourhood watch with this fire.

“I am extremely proud of how quickly our neighbourhood watch responded and that the team was able to be there almost immediately to prevent the fire from spreading to the house. Unfortunately, fires are increasingly being started in this area without the perpetrators thinking about the consequences,” says Elzabé Pretorius, chairperson of AfriForum’s Germiston branch.

According to Nadia Olckers, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the East Rand, AfriForum’s Germiston neighbourhood watch also received wildfire training in August. “We couldn’t have chosen a better time to offer the training, it clearly paid off during this incident.”

AfriForum’s Edenvale and Alberton neighbourhood watches also received wildfire training on 2 August.

AfriForum’s Edenvale branch helped extinguish a fire that broke out at the Sheraton complex on Sunday, 24 August. The fire broke out in the attic of one of the apartments at approximately 04:53. An AfriForum neighbourhood watch member, who lives across the street from the complex, was first on the scene and immediately took action to bring residents to safety. Despite heavy smoke, he did his best to bring the fire under control with a garden hose, after which he used two fire extinguishers to extinguish the flames. The fire brigade arrived at 05:12 to extinguish the fire.

Medical services were called for one of the residents who had inhaled smoke. The management of the Sheraton complex expressed their gratitude in a letter to AfriForum’s Edenvale branch.

AfriForum’s Springs neighbourhood watch helped to bring a veldfire in the Strubenvale area under control on Friday, 22 August. The fire was reported at around 14:50 and the fire quickly spread towards the wetlands near Ermelo Road, endangering property. The AfriForum neighbourhood watch worked with the Springs fire services and the local CPF to bring the fire under control while the roads were closed due to the thick smoke. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

According to Petro Kirton, chairperson of AfriForum’s Springs branch, cooperation between various security role players and the community is necessary in cases like this.