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 demands more information about Johannesburg Metro’s plans to lease or sell sports and heritage sites

Soundbite: Alana Bailey

Soundbite: Marais de Vaal

In response to media reports about the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality’s intention to lease or sell certain sports and heritage sites, AfriForum has asked the Johannesburg Property Company and the Metro’s Parks Department for more clarity on the plans. At this stage, it is not clear exactly which sites are being targeted, nor whether leasing or sales to developers are planned. Apparently, long-term lease agreements are already in place for some of the sites, which makes the new plans even more inexplicable.

AfriForum has long been deeply concerned about the Metro’s handling of the heritage treasures in its possession, the maintenance of sports facilities and green spaces in the city, as well as the infrastructure that must provide residents with essential services. This latest plan sounds like a desperate effort to supplement budgets at the expense of the well-being of and service delivery to residents.

According to Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs, green spaces provide numerous social and ecological benefits that support the well-being of both the public and the environment. “It is not a luxury, but a determining factor for the quality of life in urban areas. The limited number of remaining green spaces in Johannesburg must therefore be protected at all costs. To offer the development of these precious spaces as a quick fix to fill the Metro’s coffers is not development, it is desperation. The economic gains are temporary, but the loss of these green spaces is permanent.”

Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, feels just as strongly about the future of heritage landmarks in the city. “When it comes to marketing, Johannesburg likes to boast about its art collection, historic buildings and parks, but in practice they are neglected to the point of being dangerously close to destruction. That the sale of these assets is now being considered, making their future uncertain, simply to try to cover up the failures of the current administration, is unacceptable. The assets were created and nurtured over decades to serve residents, not to bail out administrations. AfriForum would like to remind all metros and other local authorities that they are only temporary custodians of these assets, endowed with the responsibility to preserve them as best they can and pass them on to future generations.”

AfriForum demands to know exactly which properties are being considered, what is proposed and how public consultation will be rolled out in this regard. Answers will determine this organisation’s further steps to ensure that the interests of all residents will be served.