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

High time to revive commando system

ByAfriForum 23/11/202223/11/2022

AfriForum Community Safety has invited the Minister of Defence, Thandi Modise, to meet with the organisation. This follows after the minister during a recent debate on cross-border crime, said that certain aspects of the former commando system should be brought back.

The commando system, which was disbanded in 2003, was an extremely effective security system where volunteers worked closely with the defence force in securing rural and border areas. The dissolution of the commandos created a golden opportunity for criminals in rural areas to exploit the gap in law enforcement and its consequences are still plain to see.

AfriForum has 159 neighbourhood watch structures nationwide and around 10 000 trained volunteers who play an active role in keeping their communities safe.

“It is high time that the government realises that civilian safety structures such as neighbourhood watches play an effective and necessary role in the fight against crime, therefore, we welcome the minister’s statement and would like to talk to her about the finer details of the proposal,” says Jacques Broodryk, Spokesperson for Community Safety at AfriForum.

“AfriForum Community Safety have extensive experience in establishing and managing community safety structures within the law. We are willing to share this experience with the minister to ensure that, should such a commando system be reinstated, it will be effective and not just another one of the government’s public relations exercises as we saw with the recent deployment of the so-called Border Management Authority (BMA) guards,” concludes Broodryk.