GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General
22 May 2025
Afriforum hasn’t made a peep about drastic new cleaning tariffs contained in the City of Cape Town proposed budget, but it is threatening to take the City of Tshwane to court over a similar – much lower – cleaning tariff proposal. Why is Afriforum being so hypocritical? Because Cape Town is led by the DA, with which Afriforum is in a close relationship, while the DA in Tshwane is still licking its wounds after losing power in the capital city.
In Cape Town, the City used a combination of PR and concealment-of-the-detail to “sell” ratepayers the idea that they were set to greatly benefit from a revised set of tariffs, headlined by a 2% electricity tariff hike. In fact, by shifting tariffs around, including creating a new cleaning tariff, the poorest households will be paying nearly 10% more on their monthly municipal bills – while the City proposes collecting an extra 22,6% through its billing this year. Cape Town ratepayers already pay a cleaning tariff, per bin, as part of their rates bill (refuse charge). Afriforum has said nothing about this.
In Tshwane, on the other hand, Afriforum has threatened to take the City to court if its objections to the proposed new cleaning tariff are not addressed.
According to Afriforum, the implementation of the proposed levy in Tshwane would contradict Section 74(2) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, which requires that tariffs reflect the actual use of services and be applied fairly. A non-revenue-generating service, such as a cleansing levy was traditionally financed by property rates; adding a cleaning levy would amount to double taxation… in Tshwane, but not in Cape Town.
The relationship between Afriforum and the DA is troubling, given that the one has been responsible for trashing South Africa’s integrity in the US, while the other is part of the Government of National Unity. The leader of the DA, in his capacity as Agriculture Minister, was part of the President’s delegation to meet President Trump. An important part of the President’s mission will be to refute Afriforum’s disinformation about land grabs and genocide.
Afriforum and the City of Tshwane signed a Memorandum of Agreement last year, before the DA was booted from power. If Afriforum and the DA are “one”, South Africans should know about it. Afriforum projects itself as a non-profit civil rights organisation promoting Afrikaner rights.
Identity politics, be they rooted in Tshwane, Nkandla or anywhere else, won’t serve the values of non-racialism and equal rights in the constitutional democracy well.
Councillors in Cape Town and Tshwane must vote for or against their budgets on the basis of their fairness and integrity, not on the basis of what Afriforum tells them.