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 offers to help turn Free State around after Department sets sights on it

Soundbite: Deidré Steffens (English)

AfriForum is of the opinion that it is a step in the right direction that Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has finally decided to launch a joint oversight programme to address the systemic failures of various spheres of government. This will place a renewed focus on the ongoing underperformance of municipalities and provincial governments – something that AfriForum’s local branches have extensive experience with and can share valuable insights on.

The first visit will take place tomorrow (24 July) in the Free State and will be undertaken together with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General. AfriForum’s more than 25 branches in this province are also ready to make relevant information, reports and data on the decline in government capabilities available to the committees.

AfriForum argues that a real understanding of communities’ lived experiences is an important component in fully understanding the extent of the mismanagement and service delivery deficiencies. The civil rights organisation has therefore offered its assistance in this regard to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cogta.

“Following municipalities’ poor audit results for the 2023/2024 financial year, it appears that there is finally movement coming from Cogta to hold both provincial governments and municipalities accountable for their ongoing failures and poor financial management,” says Deidre Steffens, Advisor for Local Government Affairs at AfriForum.

“This undertaking is a positive step that can bring about lasting change, but if it is not taken seriously, all the talk will amount to nothing. Year after year, poor audit results are received, but no consequences result. The culture of corruption and maladministration is becoming deeply rooted in municipalities and the only way to reverse this is to hold the guilty accountable.”

The focus of the review meetings is to determine whether provincial governments are providing sufficient support to municipalities and taking the necessary steps to reverse the decline. The Speaker of the Province will be held accountable for the provincial government’s efforts to address poor management practices, internal failures and unreliable financial information. The Speaker will also be required to ensure that the budgets of the 16 municipalities that approved unfunded budgets are reviewed.

“Provincial governments must play a strict oversight role and can place municipalities under administration in accordance with Section 139 of the Constitution. Unfortunately, these interventions are rarely successful, which is why it is promising that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cogta is not only focusing on municipalities, but also on provincial governments, which is to a large extent also to blame for municipal decline,” says Steffens.

Part of the programme requires mayors to report on the steps they have taken to respond to the Auditor-General’s findings – with specific reference to the consequences management applied. Municipalities will be required to submit a detailed action plan following the visit, clearly setting out how they plan to improve on the audit’s outcomes. Provincial governments will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of these plans and must report regularly to their legislative authorities.

AfriForum will continue to monitor this process and provide all necessary support to authorities to ensure that underperforming municipalities and provincial governments are brought to book and reliable service delivery to communities are restored.