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 reaches settlement on Wonderfontein development

Soundbite: Jaco Grobbelaar (English)

Soundbite: Jaco Grobbelaar (Afrikaans)

AfriForum reached a settlement in the Bloemfontein High Court yesterday (23 February) regarding the controversial Wonderfontein development near Sasolburg. The settlement includes, among other things, that the compliance requirements, as set out by the Metsimaholo Town Planning Tribunal on 17 October 2019, must be fully implemented within five years before plots may be proclaimed.

The court case was brought against the Metsimaholo Local Municipality, the Free State Department of Human Settlements, and the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, to stop the illegal development of the area and to ensure that the development does not harm the environment and nearby communities.

Some of the requirements as outlined by the Metsimaholo Town Planning Tribunal include:

consolidation of plots as set out by the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013;
renovation of the road network and infrastructure as detailed in the traffic impact study;
appointment of an independent contractor to carry out a complete infrastructure assessment;
design and build a new sewage plant to provide sufficient sewage for the development;
building and designing adequate stormwater systems; and
submission of preliminary design plans of the houses to be built in the town development area (these plans must be submitted within six months of the approval of the development).

“This settlement is now a court order, and we consider it a major victory for the community. It ensures that the right processes are followed and that essential infrastructure is put in place before a large number of residents settle in this area,” says Jaco Grobbelaar, AfriForum’s regional head for the central region.

According to Grobbelaar, this order will also provide protection for the environment and especially for the Vaal River which is already exposed to pollution and inadequate sewage management. “This court order is an important step to ensure that the necessary facilities are in place before development proceeds. However, we remain concerned about the municipality’s inability to provide adequate service delivery, such as refuse removal, to current residents of Sasolburg and Vaalpark and the fact that they plan to have more people settle here.”

The development, which includes extensions 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, and 79, forms part of the Sasolburg town planning scheme, which was approved by the Metsimaholo Town Planning Tribunal on 17 October 2019.

AfriForum will monitor the development closely and will not hesitate to approach the court again if the court order and the tribunal’s conditions are not strictly complied with.