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 pursues further legal action against Wonderfontein development

Jaco Grobbelaar (English)

AfriForum’s legal proceedings against the Wonderfontein development on the outskirts of Sasolburg will continue in the Bloemfontein High Court on 23 February in an attempt to overturn the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development’s decision to allow this development to proceed. AfriForum argues that the Minister’s decision unlawfully exempted the development from the provisions of Section 43(2) of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013.

AfriForum filed its supplementary statement for the second part of the court case in August last year. All other parties, including the Minister and the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, were required to submit their answering statements by October last year, but failed to do so within the prescribed period.

The Municipality only filed its documents on 23 January 2026 – more than 111 calendar days late. AfriForum has received the documents and has already submitted its replying statement, as well as its heads of argument. The Minister indicated last year that he would oppose the case, but to date no documents have been received. The same applies to the Free State Department of Human Settlements, which has also indicated that it will oppose the case.

Jaco Grobbelaar, AfriForum’s Regional Head for the Central Region, says the parties’ slow response to the case raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to the development. “If the project was truly in the community’s interest, the government would take the necessary steps to defend it in court. This pattern of negligence and incompetence is precisely the reason why the Metsimaholo Municipality is unable to deliver basic services.”

In the first part of the case, which was heard on 16 October 2025, AfriForum argued that the development should be stopped immediately as the necessary legal processes and approvals, as required by the municipal tribunal, were not followed. The development could therefore negatively affect the environment and the local community if it continues. AfriForum is still awaiting a ruling on this part of the case. In the meantime, construction work continues, further emphasising the urgency for justice and accountability.

“Millions of rand are being spent on a new town, while the Municipality cannot even properly provide services to the existing community. AfriForum will not sit idly by while ill-considered decisions, illegal processes and poor planning endanger the future of the community and the environment,” concludes Grobbelaar.

AfriForum calls on the community to speak out against the development and sign this petiti o n. The community’s support will help AfriForum put further pressure on authorities to be held accountable.