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.

Media statements | National health insurance Media statements

AfriForum calls for a halt to NHI regulations

ByAfriForum 30/04/202530/04/2025

Soundbite: Louis Boshoff (English)

Soundbite: Louis Boshoff (Afrikaans)

The civil rights organisation AfriForum says that the proposed governance regulations for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHI) should not be introduced until court cases against the NHI have been resolved. AfriForum also believes that there are several technical flaws in the proposed regulations that will complicate its implementation.

AfriForum has today submitted extensive comments on these regulations and considers it important that opposition to the destructive NHI system be offered at every step of the constitutional process. The rejection of these draft regulations could be an important step in halting the implementation of the NHI Act. The draft regulations for the governance of the NHI Fund were issued on 6 March this year after which a three-month period for public comment commenced.

Some of the specific shortcomings and errors in the draft regulations include:

The NHI Act requires that regulations be made in consultation with the NHI Board, but no interim board can be appointed. This requires an amendment to the NHI Act.
No estimated budget has yet been published and no funding mechanism has been designated to support implementation.
Some of the regulations contain less detail than the NHI Act itself.
Various regulations and sub-regulations are simply confusing and not worded clearly.

According to Louis Boshoff, Campaign Officer for Health at AfriForum, it is clear that there is currently strong political pressure to cut government spending and that there is no room to increase taxes, so it should be obvious that the implementation of NHI cannot proceed now. “Perhaps it is a good idea if the Minister of Health stops the process now to save himself the embarrassment of a completely failed NHI system.”

Finally, AfriForum emphasises that regulation should rather create space for the private sector to provide more affordable medical services to a larger number of citizens.