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

AfriForum warns against extreme fire danger conditions; shares safety tips for veldfires

ByAfriForum 17/08/202317/08/2023

AfriForum warns against a high fire danger in the northern part of the country which is now in its dry season. Provinces affected are Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal. This is due to the high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds that are predicted for the coming weeks up to and including the first good rainfall. Due to the high fire danger, wildfires are a common phenomenon that results in losses of thousands of hectares of pasture and economic damage for farmers.

AfriForum has compiled a summarizing guide on how to be ready when your immediate surroundings are ravaged by a veldfire. This includes, among other things, how to take precautions as well as your survival during and after a veldfire.

“Since the fire danger is high and the grass is dry, fires spread very quickly and the veldfire’s heat is very hot. The leading edge of a fire’s progress can exceed 4 km/h and the flame lengths can be between 5 and 15 meters high. This can result in loss of property and even cause the death of people and animals, as veldfires are dangerous and unpredictable. More must therefore be done to make every South African aware of the danger of veldfires,” says Tarien Cooks, Disaster Management Specialist for AfriForum.

According to AfriForum, there are particularly big challenges with veldfires in rural communities. A new trend that is emerging is that of hunters starting a veldfire to lead animals in a certain direction. Dogs are then released to chase these animals in the specific direction, which makes it easier for hunters to hunt the animal. Another cause of veldfires also includes ash pits in which garbage is burned, while other causes can even be malicious.