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 finds landfill sites in Ngwathe Municipality grossly inadequate

It appears from AfriForum’s recent visit to the Ngwathe Local Municipality’s landfill sites, more specifically at Heilbron and Parys, that this Municipality has done little since last year to implement the civil rights organisation’s suggestions in its annual landfill audit. Given the dire state of affairs, it is even more important, according to AfriForum, that the Municipality be placed under administration.

AfriForum annually audits landfill sites nationwide to determine the current condition of municipal and private landfills in South Africa. The conditions at both of the Ngwathe Municipality’s landfill sites are once again in a sorry state. Besides the fact that both of these sites do not have legal licenses or are properly fenced, waste is now polluting nearby water sources and animals are roaming around and eating the garbage.

“It’s alarming that these landfill sites have been so poorly managed for the past six years. It appears as if the conditions at the Municipal landfill sites, as well as at the Municipality’s waterworks and substations, have completely gotten out of hand. The Municipality is seemingly unwilling to address these problems. Municipal decay is at the forefront and the local landfill sites are just one example of this,” says Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Mooi River.

AfriForum is still awaiting a ruling in a court application regarding the poor service delivery in the Municipality. In December last year, the civil rights organisation filed an urgent application with the Bloemfontein High Court requesting intervention in terms of Section 139 of the Constitution. According to this, a provincial executive authority can step in and place the Municipality under administration when it fails to fulfil its duties. AfriForum is requesting, among other things, an overview of the waterworks so that the competence of workers at the plant can be monitored.

While awaiting the ruling, the civil rights organisation has in the meantime written to the Municipality about the dire condition of the two landfill sites. In it, AfriForum requests that the Municipality take steps to improve the conditions as soon as possible. If some of the serious health, safety and environmental issues are not resolved by the end of May, AfriForum reserves the right to intervene to remedy the situation and reclaim all related expenses from the Municipality.

AfriForum’s complete landfill audit report will be released later this year. It outlines the full extent of the current state of municipal and private landfills in South Africa.