The Orania movement, say Oranians, is a way for them to preserve the white African ethnic group, the Afrikaners, and to remain true to their culture and language; it is not about racism. Rather, they say, it is an effort not to lose their Afrikaner way of life or to 'melt' into Mandela's 'rainbow nation'.
Orania, Northern Cape, South Africa.
Orania is a town in the northern cape of South Africa. Formally established in 1991, the town was created during the last years of apartheid, where it was meant to be a safe haven for Afrikaners. They are the ethnic group descended from the Europeans who colonized South Africa.
The modern town of Orania had its origins as a temporary settlement named Vluytjeskraal, established by the Department of Water Affairs in 1963, in order to accommodate the workers who were building the irrigation canals linked to the construction of the Vanderkloof Dam upstream of the town. Similar transient settlements were established along the Orange River at Vanderkloof and Oviston linked to the construction of the Vanderkloof and Gariep Dams respectively.
The settlement’s name was later changed to Orania and by 1965 it was home to 56 families. Coloured workers who participated in the construction project lived in a separate area named Grootgewaagd. After the Vanderkloof Dam was completed most of the workers moved away, and the town fell into disrepair. The town was abandoned by 1989 although a group of Coloured people continued to live in Grootgewaagd.
Carel Boshoff IV - President of Orania.
In December 1990, about 40 Afrikaner families, headed by Carel Boshoff, the son-in-law of the former South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, bought the dilapidated town for about R1.5-million on behalf of the Orania Management Services and the first inhabitants moved to Orania in April 1991. They speak their own language, Afrikaans.
Former President Mandela visited Orania in 1995
Nelson Mandela flew by helicopter to the remote Orania settlement in the Northern Cape in 1995 to promote reconciliation with supporters of the old apartheid regime which imprisoned him for 27 years. Orania's supporters are quick to point out that it exists within the parameters of the law. The post-apartheid government allowed for the concept of an Afrikaner state within the new constitution under freedom of self-determination on cultural and linguistic grounds.
Today there are as many as 400 white informal settlements in South Africa, according to charity Helping Hand, something once unthinkable but that doesn't give the complete picture.
President Thabo Mbeki with the President of Orania
Fact-checking website Africa Check analyzed the 2011 census and found that while 7,754 white households lived in informal settlements, 1,868,325 black African families lived in similar circumstances. For some, Orania is a solution, for others a symptom of the failings of post-apartheid South Africa. Its residents are largely conservative and Christian. Between them they're disillusioned and disenfranchised, wary of the government, its political structures, policies and leaders. The system, they say, is not working for them.
The safety net of social welfare for Afrikaners, including jobs and houses, which maintained the image of the "good white," is no more. Affirmative action has shaped a more diverse workforce, proportional with the racial breakdown of South Africa. However some white people with Afrikaans as their first language, who make up about 5% of the population according to the 2011 census, say they feel squeezed out (despite unemployment data suggesting relative stability).
Former President Jacob Zuma visited Orania in 2009
For some, Orania is a solution, for others a symptom of the failings of post-apartheid South Africa. Its residents are largely conservative and Christian. Between them they're disillusioned and disenfranchised, wary of the government, its political structures, policies and leaders. The system, they say, is not working for them.
The safety net of social welfare for Afrikaners, including jobs and houses, which maintained the image of the "good white," is no more. Affirmative action has shaped a more diverse workforce, proportional with the racial breakdown of South Africa. However some white people with Afrikaans as their first language, who make up about 5% of the population according to the 2011 census, say they feel squeezed out (despite unemployment data suggesting relative stability).
Orania, Northern Cape, South Africa.
Orania is a town in the northern cape of South Africa. Formally established in 1991, the town was created during the last years of apartheid, where it was meant to be a safe haven for Afrikaners. They are the ethnic group descended from the Europeans who colonized South Africa.
The modern town of Orania had its origins as a temporary settlement named Vluytjeskraal, established by the Department of Water Affairs in 1963, in order to accommodate the workers who were building the irrigation canals linked to the construction of the Vanderkloof Dam upstream of the town. Similar transient settlements were established along the Orange River at Vanderkloof and Oviston linked to the construction of the Vanderkloof and Gariep Dams respectively.
The settlement’s name was later changed to Orania and by 1965 it was home to 56 families. Coloured workers who participated in the construction project lived in a separate area named Grootgewaagd. After the Vanderkloof Dam was completed most of the workers moved away, and the town fell into disrepair. The town was abandoned by 1989 although a group of Coloured people continued to live in Grootgewaagd.
Carel Boshoff IV - President of Orania.
In December 1990, about 40 Afrikaner families, headed by Carel Boshoff, the son-in-law of the former South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, bought the dilapidated town for about R1.5-million on behalf of the Orania Management Services and the first inhabitants moved to Orania in April 1991. They speak their own language, Afrikaans.
Former President Mandela visited Orania in 1995
Nelson Mandela flew by helicopter to the remote Orania settlement in the Northern Cape in 1995 to promote reconciliation with supporters of the old apartheid regime which imprisoned him for 27 years. Orania's supporters are quick to point out that it exists within the parameters of the law. The post-apartheid government allowed for the concept of an Afrikaner state within the new constitution under freedom of self-determination on cultural and linguistic grounds.
Today there are as many as 400 white informal settlements in South Africa, according to charity Helping Hand, something once unthinkable but that doesn't give the complete picture.
President Thabo Mbeki with the President of Orania
Fact-checking website Africa Check analyzed the 2011 census and found that while 7,754 white households lived in informal settlements, 1,868,325 black African families lived in similar circumstances. For some, Orania is a solution, for others a symptom of the failings of post-apartheid South Africa. Its residents are largely conservative and Christian. Between them they're disillusioned and disenfranchised, wary of the government, its political structures, policies and leaders. The system, they say, is not working for them.
The safety net of social welfare for Afrikaners, including jobs and houses, which maintained the image of the "good white," is no more. Affirmative action has shaped a more diverse workforce, proportional with the racial breakdown of South Africa. However some white people with Afrikaans as their first language, who make up about 5% of the population according to the 2011 census, say they feel squeezed out (despite unemployment data suggesting relative stability).
Former President Jacob Zuma visited Orania in 2009
For some, Orania is a solution, for others a symptom of the failings of post-apartheid South Africa. Its residents are largely conservative and Christian. Between them they're disillusioned and disenfranchised, wary of the government, its political structures, policies and leaders. The system, they say, is not working for them.
The safety net of social welfare for Afrikaners, including jobs and houses, which maintained the image of the "good white," is no more. Affirmative action has shaped a more diverse workforce, proportional with the racial breakdown of South Africa. However some white people with Afrikaans as their first language, who make up about 5% of the population according to the 2011 census, say they feel squeezed out (despite unemployment data suggesting relative stability).
