AfriForum cleans up Naboomspruit while municipal workers strike

AfriForum’s Naboomspruit branch in cooperation with Solidarity Helping Hand on 6 and 7 December 2017 cleaned up the town while municipal workers went on a strike to demand higher wages.

“The workers held a strike that lasted for more than two weeks and the town was covered in rubbish. If the municipality doesn’t deliver services, the community will roll up their sleeves and do it themselves,” says Phillip van Staden, Chairperson of AfriForum’s Naboomspruit branch.

According to Jaco Grobbelaar, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Limpopo, this action is a good example of how a community can make a difference.

“This is a community that will not simply stand by and watch how its town is suffering under municipal decline, but will rather make a positive difference where the municipality fails to perform its duties.”

Grobbelaar added that the branch received threats from municipal officials regarding the clean-up action, but that it didn’t stop them.

“We received threats that the truck used to remove the rubbish will be burnt down, but we won’t allow violent threats from deterring us from doing the right thing. The community of Naboomspruit is entitled to clean, neat surroundings and that is why we will continue to launch similar actions.”

During the clean-up action, various safety organisations held patrols in order to offer assistance if protestors decided to become violent.

Support AfriForum with this initiative: SMS your name to 45340 (R1).