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.

Media statements | Safety Media statements

AfriForum demands clarity about activities of border guards

ByAfriForum 14/03/202314/03/2023

The civil rights organisation AfriForum has raised its concern about the activities of the so-called border guards deployed by the Border Management Authority (BMA). The organisation has submitted a Public Access to Information Act (PAIA) request to the Department of Home Affairs, requesting details about the guards’ successes to date.

The BMA guards were hastily deployed recently under very questionable circumstances.

Shortly thereafter, AfriForum informed the BMA that the deployment of these guards was unlawful, seeing as the relevant legislation was not yet gazetted.

Despite the fact that this legislation is not yet in place, the BMA guards were deployed to various border areas and were actively stopping and searching vehicles and were also issued with firearms. The legislation was then quietly published in the Government Gazette.

AfriForum also raised concerns about the rushed training these guards received as well as the manner in which the guards were sourced.

In its PAIA application, AfriForum asks for the following information:

– The records indicating the number of arrests of suspects made by the BMA guards at all border ports of entry, including the dates of arrests.

– The records indicating the number of undocumented migrants intercepted by the BMA at all border ports of entry, including the dates of these interceptions.

– The records indicating the quantity of stolen and recovered vehicles, livestock, firearms, and ammunition intercepted by the BMA at all border ports of entry, including the dates of which items were seized.

– The records indicating the number of vetting files referred versus the number vetting files completed of BMA employees since its inception.

– The records indicating the number of BMA guards that have completed firearms competency.

“The lack of border control in South Africa is a large contributing factor to crime nationally and especially border communities are taking the brunt of this lawlessness. It’s a serious issue that needs serious solutions and not some public relations stunt by the BMA by deploying unqualified, poorly trained and unvetted guards,” says Jacques Broodryk, AfriForum’s spokesperson for Community Safety.

“According to our sources, many of these border guards are already participating in corruption and bribery — a situation that could have been avoided had the necessary processes been followed when these guards were sourced and vetted,” concludes Broodryk.