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 neighbourhood team travels hundreds of kilometres to repair massive pothole in Kariega

The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro may have ignored the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) community’s pleas to repair a massive pothole in this town for nearly nine months, but neither the 500 km round trip nor the sheer size of the pothole deterred AfriForum’s Knysna neighbourhood team. Consequently, a team of full-time workers undertook the long journey from Knysna to Kariega earlier this month to repair the monster-sized pothole using approximately 3,5 tonnes of tar.

The pothole in Channer Street had plagued residents for months; after numerous calls to the metro went unanswered, AfriForum’s assistance was enlisted. Moreover, the project served as a prime opportunity to train the local AfriForum branch in the finer points of pothole repair. This knowledge can now be passed on to the Uitenhage branch’s own neighbourhood team, which is expected to tackle similar issues within the community.

Marthinus Erasmus, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Southern Cape, maintains that the “Channer Street monster” is symptomatic of the decay plaguing towns and cities across the country on a daily basis. “However, we cannot wait for the government to provide solutions. It is therefore essential for communities to organise themselves and start taking responsibility for their local environment,” he explains. “When the state – whether at local, provincial, or national level – fails to fulfil its responsibilities, ordinary residents are the first to bear the consequences. Problems are often ignored for months or even years. That is why AfriForum is establishing neighbourhood teams nationwide to empower communities to counteract decay and improve their towns themselves.”

According to Erasmus, the collaboration between the Knysna neighbourhood team and AfriForum’s Uitenhage branch is tangible proof that organised communities can and should work together across town and provincial boundaries. “We do not simply wait for someone else to solve the problem. Where we have the capacity to make a difference, we get to work ourselves. This is how strong, self-reliant communities are built,” Erasmus concludes.

Become part of AfriForum

Join the AfriForum team today and foster a culture of self-reliance and community pride in your area. Contact Erasmus (marthinus.erasmus@afriforum.co.za / 081 216 9602) for more information.