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.

Corona (Covid-19 ) | Media statements

AfriForum demands Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s resignation

By 05/06/202003/11/2020

The civil rights organisation AfriForum demands that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, resigns from her post. This follows after the Minister and her Department have been embarrassed in court time and again over the past couple of weeks due to the irrational and unjustifiable manner in which the lockdown is being handled.

The North Gauteng High Court this week among other things found that government’s regulations with regard to the lockdown are paternalistic, irrational and constitutionally unjustifiable. Furthermore, the nature of the regulations that have been promulgated under Dlamini-Zuma’s supervision has created a big legitimacy crisis for government. The way in which the South African government is regulating the lockdown is furthermore being mocked in and outside of the country.

Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum, says that Dlamini-Zuma is not the only guilty party in government, but that the regulations promulgated by her department are particularly reckless.

“The Minister’s pococurante attitude towards the regulations and objections that they are irrational, is part of the problem,” says Roets.

Roets also refers to allegations about Dlamini-Zuma’s connections to the underworld where tobacco is being smuggled unlawfully, as well as the fact that various respected scientists have described the regulations as nonsensical and unscientific. “Government simply does not heed the advice of the relevant experts, and continue with even further irrational regulations.

Roets further refers to research that has been done by some of the country’s most respected economists that the lockdown would lead to more loss of life due to poverty and malnutrition than the amount of lives that would be spared in the process.

“It however seems that government – and Dlamini-Zuma particularly – simply do not heed scientific advice and are plodding along with irrational and inconsequent behaviour, at the cost of society as a whole.”