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.

President’s fine talk about solutions to water crisis is just political grandstanding

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s promises to find immediate solutions to the country’s water crisis are a shining example of the government’s fine preaching but is nothing more than a masterclass in the misuse of public discourse, says AfriForum. Ramaphosa made these promises during his keynote address at the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS) Indaba on 27 and 28 March at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Critical challenges facing the water sector were identified during the summit including ageing infrastructure, poor management and maintenance of infrastructure, criminality such as illegal connections, vandalism and extortion by water mafias, uncontrolled expansion of informal settlements, corruption, financial mismanagement and extremely high levels of debt.

“It is ironic that the Water and Sanitation Indaba is now being positioned as a so-called demonstration of the government’s unwavering commitment to overcoming the water sector’s challenges, promoting collaboration across all levels of society and reinforcing the state’s commitment to ensuring that every South African has access to safe, reliable water and sanitation services,” says Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s Advisor for Environmental Affairs. “This while each of the critical challenges identified has its roots in the ANC’s weak governance. It is an admission of guilt and none of the ‘challenges’ can be overcome if the root cause – the ANC government – is not addressed.”

The DWS markets the Indaba as a gathering of various role players from the government’s presidential water task force, water boards and municipalities, as well as the business sector, water experts and civil society organisations. Deputy President Paul Mashatile and former Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, even announced in April last year that the national government was prepared to involve AfriForum and other civil society role players in the government’s water task force. Yet AfriForum was not even invited to participate in the Indaba discussions.

“This has seriously damaged our trust in the government, as a pretence of cooperation is clearly being presented, but it has now been clearly exposed as nothing more than opportunistic and dishonest political theatre,” concludes De Vaal.

AfriForum argues that any plans to resolve the water crisis are doomed to fail unless government officials who neglect their obligations regarding water and sanitation service delivery are held personally accountable. Furthermore, competent people must be appointed to public positions and the private sector and civil society organisations must be allowed to offer practical solutions to communities suffering from government’s poor service delivery.