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.

Local Government Affairs Media statements | Media statements

AfriForum will fight planned enlargement of municipal areas

ByAfriForum 13/04/202313/04/2023

AfriForum, in collaboration with its team of specialists, is preparing comments against the enlargement of certain municipal areas in the country. This follows after the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) announced that it is considering moving several municipal boundaries in the country. The council seeks to enlarge certain municipalities and create new ones.

As part of various changes, the council is planning, among other things, to enlarge the boundaries of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Rustenburg Municipality, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. It also includes the establishment of two new Metropolitan Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape by moving current boundaries.

These changes will result in Dealesville, De Wetsdorp, Soutpan, and Tweespruit forming part of the Mangaung Metro. Rustenburg, Swartruggens, Koster and Derby will form a new municipality.

“AfriForum is concerned about this process launched by the MDB and will oppose the planned changes in many parts of the country. If the council is successful, it will result in a remarkable increase in all the existing Metropolitan Municipalities’ areas of responsibility. This will increase these municipalities’ funding and create increased opportunities for corrupt officials to obtain money illegally,” says Petrus Coetzee, AfriForum’s advisor for Local Government Affairs.

Coetzee further argues that the solution to South Africa’s mismanagement of municipalities and the total collapse of service delivery lies in a federal approach and not in a centralist system that these changes will bring about. “Mangaung is an example of an extremely ineffective Metro, where residents have been suffering for years under dire conditions because of poor service delivery. It makes no sense at all to increase the responsibility of a municipality that has failed. Finally, we are also concerned that these changes will affect other towns in dysfunctional municipalities and thus have a negative impact,” concludes Coetzee.

AfriForum encourages communities to get involved and submit comments. Please visit https://www.demarcation.org.za/ for more information.