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.

IDP: Lower South Coast’s water and sewerage network needs urgent attention, says AfriForum

The AfriForum branch on the Lower South Coast requests the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality and Ugu District Municipality to make Margate and surrounding areas’ unstable water and sewerage networks a priority in the new financial year 2025/2026. The condition of certain streets in various communities on the South Coast is also a sensitive issue that needs urgent attention. The branch submitted these written proposals regarding service delivery to the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality and the Ugu District Municipality’s annual Integrated Development Plan (IDP) on 12 March and 19 March respectively.

This branch has already achieved success in the past with some of its proposals being included in the Municipality’s IDP and completed, including one of Vryheid’s poor roads being rebuilt. “It is therefore important that branches participate in the IDP process to submit proposals that will contribute to development in their communities,” says Eugene van Aswegen, AfriForum’s Provincial Coordinator for KwaZulu-Natal.

Service delivery

The South Coast has been experiencing regular beach closures for the past few years, which has a huge negative impact on tourism. Sewage pollution also has serious implications for the economies of the towns on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. Some businesses have had to close their doors permanently due to the financial implications of the continuous cancellation of holidays. The sewage pollution is due to poor maintenance; therefore, the two municipalities must be held accountable for their inability to look after the water and sewer networks and fully repair them. Regarding the roads, AfriForum proposes that parts of the South Coast streets – Goodlands, Mitchell, Cypress, Stephen and Tucker Streets – be rebuilt.

It is worrying that 35% – equivalent to a value of R130.7 million – of the Ugu District Municipality’s purified water is being lost, according to the Auditor-General’s (AG) report. “This loss can largely be attributed to illegal connections and mainly leaking water infrastructure,” says JP Nel, AfriForum’s branch chairperson for the Lower South Coast.

Expenditure

According to the AG’s report, the total revenue for the Ugu District Municipality was R1.68 billion in the 2022/2023 financial year, of which R572 million was generated by the municipality. The AG’s report also shows that Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality’s total revenue was R1.29 billion, of which R821.70 million was generated by the municipality. The National Treasury website indicates that the property tax revenue for 2023 for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality was R486 million. These funds come from property owners and are for typical non-billable services such as repairing potholes and streetlights, and maintaining sidewalks and parks.

The AG report shows that the two municipalities incurred a total of R555 million in irregular expenditure during the 2022/2023 financial year. This is concerning and AfriForum insists that this must be addressed urgently.

According to the AG’s report, non-competitive and unfair purchases are being made. Furthermore, the Ugu District Municipality only spent 0.1% of its budget on maintenance, while the National Treasury recommends 8%. AfriForum is concerned that the low spending on maintenance of machinery and other equipment is contributing to the current poor service delivery.

Visit www.wordlid.co.za to join your nearest AfriForum branch and make a real difference in your community.