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.

Community Affairs Media statements | Media statements

AfriForum launches investigation after electrocution of 9-year-old

ByAfriForum 17/02/202617/02/2026

AfriForum’s Bothaville Branch and Neighbourhood Watch will launch an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the recent death of a 9-year-old boy in Bothaville. The boy was electrocuted to death on Saturday 7 February, after allegedly touching a stay wire on an electric pole in the town.

According to Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s Regional Coordinator for the Mooi River region, this incident is allegedly the second such death in Bothaville. A cow was also reportedly electrocuted to death in the town recently after it touched an anchor pole. However, the Municipality tried to refute these allegations and argued that the animal died after being struck by lightning.

The purpose of stay wires is to support power poles. Although stay wires are not supposed to carry power, various defects in the structure can cause them to become power-bearing and therefore pose serious risks.

“At this stage it appears that this wire was indeed faulty and led to last week’s tragic death. There are clearly serious problems with Bothaville’s power grid, and an urgent investigation into the extent of this must be conducted to help prevent further loss of life. Two people have already paid with their lives for the negligence of the Nala Local Municipality. Such events must not happen again. Therefore, the municipality must now be held accountable,” explains Pretorius.

According to a report of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration’s visit to the Municipality released in October last year, the Nala Municipality is experiencing serious problems with, among others, power supply and infrastructure maintenance. The municipality faces problems with frequent power outages and delays in repairing related faults, which can sometimes take up to six days. Moreover, the extent of the deterioration in the municipality is so serious that the committee stated that it “is of the opinion that the state of service delivery and infrastructure in Nala Local Municipality violates the human rights of the community […] and the strategic objective of local government in relation to the provision of service delivery.”