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.

Safety risks at Bloemfontein landfill sites need immediate attention

AfriForum demands that the Mangaung Metropolitan Metro take urgent action to eliminate the safety risks at Bloemfontein landfills. This follows two criminal cases that the organisation already filed against the metro in September 2025 due to their failure to maintain the required standards at the Northern and Southern landfills in Bloemfontein.

In a letter to Sello More, city manager for the Mangaung metro, AfriForum warns that the continued presence of illegal occupants at these landfill sites poses a serious safety risk to surrounding residential communities. Despite several security operations that have already been carried out to remove illegal occupants from the sites, it appears that the situation remains largely unchanged.

AfriForum believes that the metro’s recent media statement – which indicates that recyclers must follow a process to register before they can work on the sites – does not solve the core of the problem. Although administrative regulation of recycling may have certain benefits, it does not solve the problem of illegal occupation of municipal property and the associated criminal activities.

The organisation also disputes the metro’s denial that organised gangs, such as the so-called Born to Kill (BTK) gang, are present at the landfill sites. During various security operations, several illegal occupants were identified who are believed to have ties to organised crime structures.

In addition, several incidents of housebreaking, suspicious persons, and other criminal activity have been reported in surrounding neighborhoods. In several cases where arrests have been made or suspects have been questioned, it has emerged that some of these individuals have ties to the BTK gang.

According to Christo Groenewald, district coordinator for AfriForum in Bloemfontein, municipal infrastructure cannot be allowed to become safe havens for criminal elements.

“The continued presence of illegal occupants at these landfill sites exposes surrounding communities to serious risk and undermines law enforcement efforts. The metro must act urgently to properly secure these sites and end their illegal occupation,” says Groenewald.

AfriForum also points out that the organisation has been auditing landfill sites nationwide annually for a decade, including the Northern and Southern landfill sites in Bloemfontein. Despite the fact that deficiencies in the landfill sites are regularly pointed out in the audits, there has been, according to AfriForum, little to no significant improvement in the safety and management of these sites over the past ten years.

AfriForum has requested the Mangaung Metro to urgently introduce stricter access control and security measures at both landfill sites, remove all illegal occupants and act together with law enforcement authorities against the presence of organized criminal elements.

The organisation also requested that the city manager’s office provide written feedback within ten business days of receipt of the letter on the steps the metro plans to take to resolve the issue.