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 files complaint with PanSALB about Northern Cape SAPS’ “English only” order

AfriForum has filed a complaint of serious violation of language and human rights with the Northern Cape office of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) today. This follows after a letter from the Northern Cape Deputy Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Major General L. Ngubelanga, came to light instructing that all statements may be written in English only with immediate effect and that all other communication of the SAPS in this province may only be in English as well.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, the most ironic part of the letter is that the Deputy Provincial Commissioner quotes from the Constitution to motivate the order. Reference is also made to a similar order of 2016 that was withdrawn in 2017 after Solidarity had taken legal action against it.

“The Deputy Provincial Commissioner is clearly unaware of the settlement reached in the Northern Cape High Court in 2017 and of the meaning of the section of the Constitution that is cited, which actually emphasises the right to use multiple languages,” she says.

During a conference on linguistic human rights hosted by PanSALB on 12 March 2025 at the University of the Witwatersrand, where AfriForum was represented, reference was made to cases where the taking of statements in English by SAPS members whose mother language is not English has led to the distortion of facts and defeating the ends of justice.

“Major General Ngubelanga instructs that SAPS members themselves must perform translation and interpretation, thereby denying that these are specialised functions that should be done by professionally trained persons. Not only is this unfair to the person who has to take the statement or communicate with the public, but especially to the member of the public who may be traumatised, who deserves to be treated with dignity and to have access to a fair investigation. The first prize is for a SAPS member to serve the member of the public in his or her own language, but if there is no one at a station who can do this, to make use of a professional translator or interpreter,” Bailey explains.

In addition to the complaint with PanSALB, AfriForum will also investigate further legal action together with organisations, including Solidarity and the Cape Forum.