Civil rights organisation AfriForum has met Tshwane to discuss the latter’s review of co-operation agreements with non-profit organisations.
On October 28, 2024 mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya announced that the metro would review its co-operation agreements with non-profit organisations, community improvement projects and civil rights organisations such as AfriForum.
She said the review followed concerns raised in council about the inequality in resource allocation between affluent areas and other parts of the city.
AfriForum spokesperson Llewellyn Hemmens told Rekord that the meetings took place in December and January, and that the outcome will be announced soon.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the mayor and deputy mayor Eugene Modise attended.
“The meeting was extensive and productive,” said Mashigo.
At the second meeting in late January, the AfriForum proposal for a waste management model was discussed.
AfriForum suggested that residents choose whether they want to use metro services or private service providers.
“This approach will remove pressure from the municipality and improve waste management overall. Even during labour disputes the metro will not be buried under waste, because other service providers will be able to sort and remove waste,” said Dewet Ungerer, AfriForum head of security in the northern region.
The organisation has already expanded its recycling project in Groenkloof and plans to extend it to other areas in the Moot.
AfriForum neighbourhood teams in Pretoria removed an estimated 15 517 bags of waste and recycled 43 560kg of waste.
He said the metro is currently considering the proposal and that another meeting is being envisaged.
Meanwhile, the municipal court in Wonderboom withdrew the charges against AfriForum Groter Moot neighbourhood team foreman Henk Niemann on January 28.
On August 29, 2024, metro police fined Niemann allegedly because AfriForum illegally dumped waste in a spruit in the Moot and confiscated a bakkie and trailer used.
AfriForum calimed the team was in fact removing building rubble from the spruit on the corner of 14th Avenue and Louis Trichardt Street.
The R5 000 fine and charges have since been rescinded and the vehicles were returned.
AfriForum spokesperson Andries Opperman said they found “the incident absurd that the city council, which was itself supposed to provide the service but failed to do so, prosecuted the community”.
Opperman believes it is an embarrassment for the metro that taxpayers now have to raise the money to provide private services.
“What makes it worse, is that not one by-law was breached by the community. The evidence was that the neighbourhood team was not busy dumping waste illegally, but was cleaning the illegal landfill.”
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