Orania, Northern Cape

The quest for self determination has been a common thread throughout Afrikaner history. From casting off the British colonial yoke with abandonement of their homes in the Cape Colony and undertaking the Great Trek in 1837, then again refusing[25] to live under English rule and the abandonment of the Natalia Republic, establishment of the various other Boer Republics, the First Boer War and the Second Boer War against the British, the relentless fight of the Bittereinder, the 1914 Maritz rebellion and the policy of Separate Development, all indicate a strong drive for self determination.

The idea that Afrikaners should concentrate in a limited region of South Africa was first circulated by the South African Bureau for Racial Affairs (SABRA) in 1966.[26][27] By the 1970s, SABRA advocated the idea of transforming South Africa into a commonwealth, where different population groups would develop parallel to each other.[27] At the time, mainstream Afrikaners supported the bantustan policy, which allocated 174,307 sq km (a little bit larger than the US state of Florida) for the 15 million black Africans [28] living in South Africa at the time. Also see, different black Ethnic groups in South Africa.[29]

Bantustans in South Africa

May 1984 saw the establishment of the Afrikaner Volkswag, an organisation founded by Carel Boshoff, a right-wing academic, to put the ideas of the SABRA into practice.[27] Boshoff regarded contemporary plans of the National Party government to retain control through limited reforms as doomed to fail.[30] Believing that black-majority rule could not be avoided, he supported the creation of a separate, smaller state for the Afrikaner nation instead.[30]

In 1988 Boshoff founded the Afrikaner-Vryheidstigting (Afrikaner Freedom Foundation) or Avstig.[27] The founding principles of the Avstig were based on the belief that since black majority rule was unavoidable, and European minority rule morally unjustifiable, Afrikaners would have to form their own nation, or volkstaat, in a smaller part of South Africa.[31] Orania was intended to be the basis of the volkstaat, which would come into existence once a large number of Afrikaners moved to Orania and other such 'growth points',[31] and would eventually include the towns of Prieska, Britstown, Carnarvon, Williston and Calvinia, reaching the west coast.[32]

Volkstaat model pursued by Avstig and Freedom Front[33]

Boshoff's plans excluded the area of traditional Boer republics in the Transvaal and the Free State, which encompass the economic heartland of South Africa and much of its natural resources, instead focusing on an economically underdeveloped and semi-desert area in the north-western Cape.[34][31] This desert state, Orandeë, because of its very inhospitableness would not be feared or coveted by the South African government.[35]

Proponents of the idea conceded that this model would demand significant economic sacrifices from Afrikaners who moved to the volkstaat.[31] The model is based on the principle of 'own labour', requiring that all work in the volkstaat be performed by its citizens, including ploughing fields, collecting garbage and tending gardens, which is traditionally performed by blacks in the rest of South Africa.[20][36]

The town's original objective was to create an Afrikaner majority in the northwestern Cape, by encouraging the construction of other such towns, with the eventual goal of an Afrikaner majority in the area and an independent Afrikaner state between Orania and the west coast. [34] Boshoff had originally envisaged a population of 60,000 after 15 years.[37] While he conceded that most Afrikaners might decide not to move to the volkstaat, he thought that it was essential Afrikaners have this option, since it would make them feel more secure, thereby reducing tensions in the rest of South Africa.[31]

A policy shift was announced in 2014. Acknowledging that early growth expectations had not been met, the town's chief executive argued that Orania should employ its limited resources to grow into a 'city' of around 50,000 inhabitants. Urbanisation was deemed necessary to strengthen cultural institutions, deliver services and make possible an adequate standard of living for residents.[38] However, the ultimate objective remains self-determination,[38] similar to the countries of Lesotho and Eswatini, which are also situated inside South Africa.

Carel Boshoff IV rejected the word volkstaat, arguing that repeated use with no grounding in reality had led it to become an abstract term.[39] While regarding an Afrikaner nation as desirable, he felt the word carried too much baggage, connected to unrealistic and anachronistic expectations.[39] The vision of an Afrikanerstad was seen as a more effective way to achieve prosperity and decision-making power.[40] The shift met with some resistance, as the Orania Movement was seen as straying away from its original goal.[41] The movement since then promotes Orania as the "Home of the Afrikaner" (Afrikanertuiste)[42]

SABC News crew interviewing Carel Boshoff, President of the Orania Movement

The community receives numerous visits from local and international media organisations,[43] and Oranians are constantly in contact with journalists.[44] The existence of Orania as a homogeneously Afrikaner town is controversial, with most progressive [45] reporters hostile to the idea of Monoculturalism;[46][47] and thus portray Orania as a culturally backward, racially intolerant,[48] and separatist place.[49]

In 1991 the New York Times said that Orania was a "ghost town where white supremacists dream of carving out an idyllic homeland".[50] In 1994 the Los Angeles Times described it as a "Zealots’ Dream" and "a bastion of intolerance".[51] A year later the Chicago Tribune saw it as "the last pathetic holdout of the former ruling class of South Africa", continuing that "the Afrikaners who once forced blacks to live apart from the rest of society are now living in their own prison".[52] Bill Keller dubbed Orania "the racist Camelot".[53] A Mail & Guardian article describes it as a "widely ridiculed town" and a "media byword for racism and irredentism".[54] An article in The Independent similarly writes that residents of Orania "have a reputation for being racists, and that the town attracts plenty of negative press".[55] Benjamin Pogrund described Orania as a "curious hangover from the vanished terrible past".[56] Vadim Nikitin from The National News, noted that Orania was South Africa's last bastion of apartheid, and a "pathetic outpost of embittered racists", refusing to live in equality with black South Africans, and also a 1950s-style fantasy shielding locals from declining white privilege.[57]

Orania was deemed to lack privilege, however, as residents have no domestic workers and few material luxuries; white suburbs in the rest of South Africa, with their high levels of segregation and heavy use of domestic labour, were felt to more closely resemble the apartheid era than Orania did.[57] Along similar lines, Orania was also seen as "one of the few places in South Africa... where class is not determined by skin colour".[58] Eve Fairbanks, former staff writer for The New Republic, sees Orania as an attempt to show that Afrikaner culture can be redeemed from its traditional exploitation of black labour.[59] Another journalist found comparisons of Orania to the apartheid system inappropriate, as town authorities do not seek to exploit or subjugate blacks, but simply demand separation.[60] In its obituary of Orania's founder Carel Boshoff, Foreign Policy magazine agreed with Boshoff's proposition that the position of European South Africans as a privileged class dependent on black labour is untenable.[61] The executive director of the South African Free Market Foundation, Leon Louw, has also written an article questioning the perception that the town is a refuge for racial bigots.[62]

Orania is mentioned in one of the leaked American diplomatic cables, relating details of a 2004 visit to the town, where it is described as a "sleepy country town with few signs of growth or vitality".[63] A sentiment shared by Gavin Haynes from Vice News who said that, "If you're a certain way inclined, Orania is probably a nice place to live. It's very neighbourly. It's also one of the dullest, most achingly pointless places in Christendom".[64]

Professor Kwandiwe Kondlo, a professor in Political Economy at the University of Johannesburg, said that Orania served as an important safety valve for Afrikaners in transition, and that “The Afrikaners are very forward-thinking people. Orania was established as a tactical strategic exit for the Afrikaner, should the new South Africa run into serious crisis. They will then have a place to preserve themselves,”.[65]

Rebecca Davis of the Daily Maverick feels that, "What makes Orania different is that it makes no secret of its discrimination. Because of this, the town has come to occupy a place in the public imagination vastly out of proportion to its size".[66]

Andrew Kenny, of the The Citizen newspaper, wrote that, "Orania was a revelation to me. I was enormously impressed by its success, decency, safety, modesty, friendliness, cleanliness, by its spirit of goodwill, by its egalitarian attitudes and, above all, by its prevailing philosophy of freedom".[67]

Production of a documentary about Orania

Most Afrikaners did not support the establishment of an Afrikaner state,[60] as they saw it as nothing more than an impractical pipe dream.[68] Shortly after the first residents moved in in 1991, many Afrikaners derided the project as unrealistic,[69] with even right-wingers rejecting it for its location in barren territory, far from traditional Afrikaner states.[70] Two decades later, a survey of Beeld readers (in 2010), found that 56% of respondents would consider moving to a volkstaat.[71]

The largest right-wing party in apartheid-era South Africa, the Conservative Party, did not support the volkstaat concept until 1993, shortly before converging with other right-wing organisations into the Afrikaner Volksfront.[72] Even then, their plan involved separating parts of Transvaal Province, including Pretoria, to form a state where the many black residents would have only limited voting rights.[72] Negotiations to this end were conducted with the African National Congress, but were inconclusive.[73]

Orania and its leadership are poorly regarded by the Afrikaner far-right, as their official stance of opposing racism is said to be seen as excessively liberal.[74]

In 2010 Marida Fitzpatrick, journalist for the Afrikaans newspaper Die Burger, praised the town for its safety and environmentally friendly approaches to living, but also wrote that overt racist ideas and ideology still underpinned the views of many residents.[75] Members of the AfriForum group who visited Orania in February 2015 came back with mostly positive impressions of the town, comparing it to a Clarens or Dullstroom of the Karoo.[76] Afrikaans singer Steyn Fourie is a supporter of Orania,[77] and wrote a song about the town.[78]

In 2018, Afrikaans trade union, Solidariteit, and AfriForum named Orania as one of their 30 “anchor towns”[79] to which Afrikaner migration should be encouraged.[80] With the aim of becoming the majority population in these areas, making self determination possible. Frustrated by Corruption in South Africa,[81][82][83] government's underperformance [84] and perceived racism[85][86] of the ANC government, Solidariteit launched its, "Ons Sal Self" (We will do it ourselves) campaign in October 2020. Supposedly the largest Afrikaner mobilization effort in 118 years.[87] The aim being to circumvent government and provide education, training and social services for Afrikaans communities.[88] Solidarity has been accused of trying to create a parallel state in South Africa.[89]

By 2020, as the perception grew that South Africa was approaching failed state status,[90][91][92][93][94] the idea of Afrikaner self determination was again gaining popularity. In October 2020, the Freedom Front held a series of conferences[95] on Afrikaner self determination with speakers: Prof. Koos Malan, Flip Buys, Prof. Deon Geldenhuys, Dr. Pieter Mulder, Dawie Roodt, Dr. Corne Mulder as well as speakers from Orania (Carel Boshoff, Dr. Wynand Boshoff and Frans de Klerk). Concluding that the government cannot provide in the needs of Afrikaners, and that different forms of self determination must be pursued.[96]

Orania in the 1960s

The Orania region has been inhabited since about 30,000 years ago when Stone Age hunter-gatherers lived a nomadic lifestyle there.[97] A number of late Stone Age engravings indicate the presence of the San people, who remained the main cultural group until the second half of the 1700s, with the arrival of European hunters, trekkers and the Griqua people.[97] The earliest indication of the presence of Afrikaner people in Orania dates to 1762, and in the early 19th century many farmers moved seasonally back and forth across the Orange River in search of better grazing.[97] An 1842 Rawstone map shows the Vluytjeskraal farm,[97] on which Orania would later be built.[27] The first known inhabitant of what is today Orania was Stephanus Ockert Vermeulen, who purchased the farm in 1882.[98][99]

The Department of Water Affairs established the town as Vluytjeskraal in 1963 to house the workers who were building the irrigation canals connected to the Vanderkloof Dam.[100][101] It was part of a bigger scheme to bring water to the semi-desert central parts of South Africa. Other comparable construction towns like Vanderkloof and Oviston were also established. Its name was changed to Orania, a variation of the Afrikaans word oranje, referring to the adjoining river,[48] after it was chosen in a competition.[102] By 1965 it was home to 56 families.[102] Coloured workers who participated in the construction project lived in a separate area named Grootgewaagd.[103] The first phase of the project was completed in 1976.[103] After the dam was completed most of the workers moved away, and the town fell into disrepair.[101] The department completely abandoned Orania in 1989,[104] though a group of coloured people continued to live in Grootgewaagd.[103]

President Mandela, Betsie Verwoerd and Carel Boshoff during Mandela's visit to Orania in 1995

External video
Mandela's visit to Orania

In December 1990, about 40 Afrikaner families, headed by Carel Boshoff, the son-in-law of former South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd, bought the dilapidated town for around R1.5 million (US$585,000),[37][lower-alpha 1] on behalf of the Orania Bestuursdienste (OBD).[105] The first 13 inhabitants moved in in April 1991.[106] During the same month, the people who still lived in Grootgewaagd were evicted,[107] after being provided with newly built homes in nearby towns.[108] The village was renamed Kleingeluk.[109]

The National Party government led by F. W. de Klerk opposed the creation of an Afrikaner state, and the existence of Orania, but it took no action, believing it would fail on its own.[110] At that time, the town consisted of 90 houses in Orania and 60 in Kleingeluk, all in a grave state of disrepair.[109] In August 1991 the 2,300-hectare (5,700-acre) farm Vluytjeskraal 272 was added to Orania.[111][112]

The presence of residents with politically extreme views hampered early attempts to gain broader acceptance for the community.[113] Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) members made up a sizable minority of the population.[114] In July 1991, one resident publicly threatened to resort to terrorism unless Orania was granted independence.[115] By 1993, people with similarly militant views had reportedly been removed from the community.[116] Yet, some black people from neighbouring communities feel that they are not welcome to visit the town, to buy in local shops or to use petrol stations.[117]

The town council was established in February 1992.[118] A journalist for the Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant, visiting in 1993, noted that houses had been repaired, but the town lacked any meaningful economic activity.[114] There were few jobs available, and no money for further development.[114] The town relied on neighboring farms for food.[119]

Orania elected its own transitional representative council, a temporary form of local government created after the end of apartheid, in 1995.[120] Construction on an irrigation scheme to cover a 400-hectare (990-acre) area began in 1995 and was completed in October 1996.[121]

President Zuma and Mr Carel Boshoff

In a conciliatory gesture, then-President Nelson Mandela visited the town in 1995 to have tea with Betsie Verwoerd, widow of former Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd.[122] Orania grew to 200 permanent inhabitants in 1996.[106] By 1998 R15 million had been invested in the town for expenses including the upgrading of water and electricity supply, roads and businesses.[123]

On 5 June 1998, Valli Moosa, then Minister of Constitutional Development in the African National Congress (ANC) government, stated in a parliamentary budget debate that "the ideal of some Afrikaners to develop the North Western Cape as a home for the Afrikaner culture and language within the framework of the Constitution and the Charter of Human Rights is viewed by the government as a legitimate ideal".[124][19]

On 14 Sept 2010, the president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma visited Orania. He said that he was "warmly welcomed", that Orania had “interesting ideas”, and, "the Oraniers were prepared to live in South Africa, but wanted a place to exercise their culture".[125][126]

In August of 2018, the Orania movement met with the previous president, Mr Thabo Mbeki, as part of their public relations efforts.[127] Stating that, “If someone is not your friend, he does not necessarily have to be your enemy. Put differently: neutralize enemies wherever you can. Make friends wherever possible. Someone like Mr Mbeki has no power but he has influence”. Mr. Mbeki is also credited with advising the Orania movement to, "Create facts on the ground, and then confront government with a reality which they cannot resist".[128]

Inhabitants of Orania in front of the Northern Cape Division in 2000

In December 2000, the provincial government ordered the dissolution of Orania's town council and its absorption into a new municipality along with neighbouring towns.[129][130][131] Oranians lodged an application with the Northern Cape Division, which found that negotiations between the residents of Orania and the government for a compromise on Orania's municipal status should take place;[132] until such an agreement can be reached, the status quo would remain.[133]

In May 2005, a dispute arose with a faction of residents who claimed the town was being run like a 'mafia', with a number of lawsuits being filed as part of the dispute.[134] A raid on the town's radio station in November 2005 was linked to a tip-off received from internal dissenters;[43] they ultimately left the community.[135]

In November 2005, around 20 coloured families who lived in Kleingeluk before 1991 lodged a land claim with the government for around 483 hectares (1,190 acres) of land within Orania.[136] It was settled in December 2006 when the South African government agreed to pay the claimants R2.9 million in compensation.[137]

Malema visits Orania

In 2016, prior to the 2016 local elections, the Thembelihle branch of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) campaigned on a platform to end the autonomous status of Orania, if elected to govern the municipality. Saying that its autonomy would no longer be tolerated in an EFF run municipality.[138] After a visit to Orania, Thembelihle's EFF mayor, Danny Jonas, said he wanted to retain the status quo while working together with Orania for the benefit of Thembelihle.[139] In 2009 the EFF's leader, Julius Malema visited Orania.[140] In 2019, Mr. Malema indicated that he agreed with the idea of moving landless black people to Orania.[141]

In June 2020, Gauteng ANC MEC for education, Panyaza Lesufi,[142][143] said that Orania had to fall as it is neither a symbol of inclusivity nor democracy. “We understand why that institution was established. It has lived its time now. It’s now that that place must be liberated and all South Africans must be allowed to stay wherever they want to stay".[144] He also said, "If you think we will keep quiet you are wrong. This madness must come to an end. It’s a betrayal of our call for a truly non-racial SA”.[145] In response ANC veteran Carl Niehaus said, “Destroy the money, destroy the damn flag. Charge these white, Orania ‘Boere’, for their racism, throw them in jail”.

In January 2021, the Orania Movement made a Facebook post about how Afrikaners should develop their own sport institutions in view of government controlled sports organisations hostile to Afrikaners.[146][147][148][149] Facebook removed[150] this post as hate speech, which is in line with their new policy of "banning praise or support for white separatism" from their platform.[151] In response the Orania movement created a channel on Telegram.

Map of Orania, showing the private entities owning the town's territory

Orania has three residential areas: Kleingeluk ("small happiness"), Grootdorp ("big village") and Orania Wes ("Orania West").[21] Kleingeluk is a separate district about 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from Grootdorp, and is poorer than the main town, although progress has been made in narrowing the gap in living conditions.[157]

Many houses in Orania are built in the Cape Dutch architectural style.[4] Most of the original buildings from the water department era are prefabricated, and while some have been renovated others show signs of deterioration, as they were not designed to last more than 20 years.[158] A City Press reporter wrote in 2013 that "none of the town’s buildings are impressive".[159]

The town's territory originally covered 300 hectares (740 acres), and was expanded through a number of land acquisitions.[160]

In August 1991 the 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres) farm Vluytjeskraal 272 was added to Orania.[112] It was divided into smaller farmsteads, and now grows pecan nuts, olives and fruit.[160]

Kambro Landbou Koöperatief is a legal entity established to buy land on Orania's behalf.[160] In 2004–2005, the purchase of two farms located 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Orania, Nooitgedacht and Biesiebult, added 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) to the town's territory.[161] Biesiebult is a pasture, covering 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres), and is used as grazing land for cattle.[160] Nooitgedacht is a riverfront farm, located between Orania and Vanderkloof. It is used mostly for agriculture, with a smaller built-up area along the river bank.[160] Kambro also own a 380 hectares (940 acres) farm west of Orania.[160] The Masada farmhouse opposite Orania, about 150 hectares (370 acres), was bought and proclaimed as an eco-park.[161]

Farm Vluytjeskraal Noord was bought by a group of Orania residents in 2011.[161] Vygiesvlakte is a 2,600 hectares (6,400 acres) farm on the West Coast, near Groenriviermond. It was purchased around 2012.[160] After the Vluytjeskraal Noord purchase, the town administration decided that developing the infrastructure of existing land should be the priority, though new land acquisitions were not ruled out.[161]

Orania is a deeply religious community, with local churches including the Dutch Reformed Church, Apostoliese Geloofsending, Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk, Evangelies-Gereformeerde Kerk, Gereformeerde Kerk, Hervormde Kerk, Israel Visie and Maranata Kerk;[166][167] all are Protestant except Maranata, which is part of the Charismatic Movement.[168] According to a 2014 local census, the Afrikaans Protestant Church was the most popular denomination, followed by 21.9% of households in Orania, followed by unaffiliated households with 15.6%, the Dutch Reformed Church and the Maranatha Church (both 14.8%), Gereformeerd Church (7.4%). In total, 84.4% of households are affiliated with a religion.[165]

The arrival of Orania residents from various parts of South Africa meant that newcomers brought a relatively large variety of denominations to their new town.[168] In the early years, all denominations shared one church building.[169] On important holidays such as the Day of the Vow interdenominational services are held.[170][168] Work stops on Sundays, except for services that are deemed essential.[171][23]

The Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk was established in 1991,[172] making it the first church to be established in Orania.[173] The congregation counts 145 members.[172] The church is a prefabricated building,[174] the only church in Orania with a steeple.[175]

The Dutch Reformed Church in Orania was established in 1999, when it detached from the Hopetown congregation.[173] The church is part of the ring (presbytery) of Hopetown and the synod of the Northern Cape.[176] In March 2015, the Dutch Reformed Church in Orania voted against changes to the DRC Church Order allowing for the adoption of the Belhar Confession, as did a majority of churches in the Northern Cape Synod.[177]

The town is privately owned by the Vluytjeskraal Aandeleblok company (VAB, Vluytjiekraal Share Block). Ownership of plots and houses is in the form of shares in the company,[106] according to a framework known as 'share block' under South African law, similar to the strata title or condominium in other countries.[183][105] No title deeds are provided, except for agricultural land.[184] Share blocks are linked to portions of the company's real estate property, and the shareholder acquires the right to use property linked to their share block.[185]

A general meeting of shareholders is held every year.[185] The shareholders, numbering about 400 as of 2017, vote for the company's board of directors.[186] The eight people on the board of directors form the village council (Dorpsraad).[187] The board of directors elects a chairperson, who serves as the town's mayor, and an executive officer who is responsible for the daily administration of the town.[187] Other members of the board are given responsibility for community matters such as safety, planning and community services.[187]

Parts of the community are critical of the share block arrangement, as it offers no effective representation to people who rent their house, and thus are not shareholders in the company.[188] Even shareholding residents feel they have only a limited say in the management of Orania.[189]

Vluytjeskraal functions like a municipal administration, being funded by rates and delivering services like water, electricity and waste management.[187][106] Utility companies like Eskom and Telkom provide services to this private entity, which then splits the costs and charges the end users.[138] The budget for the fiscal year 2006/2007 was R2.45 million.[190] Harry Theron is the company chairman as of 2018; Frans de Klerk is the chief executive officer.[191]

Kambrolandskap Koöperatief is a separate legal entity acquiring land on Orania's behalf.[192] It owns land plots in share blocks, just like Vluytjeskraal Aandeleblok.[192]

The Orania Verteenwoordige Raad (OVR, Orania Representative Council) is an elected institution, tasked with handling Orania's political interests in negotiations on the provincial and national levels.[193] It is the last transitional representative council extant in South Africa. The Representative Council is elected by all residents, including those who own no shares in the company.[186]

Orania has its own municipal structure in the form of the Orania Representative Council based on the Local Government Transition Act of 1993, where other municipalities are based on the Municipal Structures Act of 1998. This legal framework was laid down in 2000 when an agreement between the Cabinet of South Africa, the Northern Cape government and the Orania Representative Council was reached about a provisional status for Orania. This agreement was confirmed by a ruling of the Northern Cape High Court.[194]

Orania residents are eligible to vote in the Thembelihle municipal elections, but few choose to do so.[195]

Orania Veiligheidsdienste securing a truck breakdown site

The town has neither a police force nor a prison.[113] Traffic monitoring and minor crimes such as petty theft are handled internally.[183][213] Volunteers carry out neighbourhood watch patrols.[213] In October 2014 Orania Veiligheid (Orania Security) was established, to handle reports of illegal activities such as drug dealing or car theft, but also more trivial matters such as littering and noise complaints.[214] Apprehended suspects are taken to the police station in neighbouring Hopetown.[215] Police are only called in as a last resort.[216] Residents are exhorted to use mediation and arbitration procedures made available by the town council, rather than resorting to South African courts.[106]

South Africa has a high crime rate with: 58 murders, 113 rapes, 587 robberies and 605 house burglaries per day.[217] Between 1994 and 2018 more than 500,000 people were murdered in South Africa.[218] "Crime" is given as the main reason by emigrating South Africans, who are leaving at a pace consistent with the advent of "widespread disease, mass natural disasters or large-scale civil conflict".[219][220] In contrast, Orania's residents perceive it as being crime free, where their children can grow up safe.[4]

New Bo-Karoo Community Safety Sentrum in Orania

In 2017 local media reported on child abuse committed by an elderly Orania resident which went undetected for years.[221]

In 2019 the SAPS's Child Protection Unit visited the Volkskool Orania school to investigate a case of statutory rape against a student teacher. The student teacher was charged before the Hopetown Magistrate's Court.[222][223]

Prospective residents are required to go through an interview process with a committee, which may deny access to people based on criteria such as criminal records.[224][113] Once permission is granted, the new residents become members of the community, either as shareholders if they buy property, or as tenants.[113]

Being an Afrikaner is the most important criterion for admission.[4] Although there are news sources that claim that black or coloured people are not allowed to live in Orania,[21] the town's spokesman insists that there are no rules against admitting them as residents.[202] Though the community is not supportive of same-sex relationships, some gay people do live in Orania.[225] Unmarried couples living together are also frowned upon.[226]

Orientation meeting for new residents

Some people who try to live in Orania leave due to the limited choice of available jobs or the requirement to conform to local social norms.[227][104] According to a 2004 study, 250 people had left Orania since its establishment in 1991, most of them due to "physical and social pressure".[228] The difference in lifestyle compared to an urban environment is another factor that negatively impacts newcomers.[229]

Representatives of the CRL Rights Commission visiting Orania in 2009

Over the years, Orania has been visited by many public figures, including Northern Cape Premier Dipuo Peters (in 2004),[230] Julius Malema (in 2009),[231] Desmond Tutu (in 2010),[232] and former President Jacob Zuma (in 2010).[233]

In June 2007, the Cape Coloured community of Eersterust, outside Pretoria visited the Afrikaner enclave.[234] The groups met to discuss community development and discussed methods of self-governance.[234] On 4 July 2007 the town of Orania and the Northern Cape government agreed that all government levels should discuss the question of Orania's self-government.[235]

Orania and the Xhosa community of Mnyameni signed a cooperation agreement in December 2012,[236] to assist in the development of own institutions and the transfer of knowledge between the communities.[237][238]

Members of the Orania Beweging, including its president Carel Boshoff, went on a European tour in 2013, meeting with MPs from the Partij voor de Vrijheid of the Netherlands, the Vlaams Belang party in Belgium and Südtiroler Volkspartei in Italy's South Tyrol province.[239][240][241]

Boshoff rejected an invitation to the funeral of Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terre'Blanche in April 2010, as he saw him as having chosen a path of confrontation and conflict.[242] Boshoff IV also noted that the Orania concept was at odds with the baasskap system of the apartheid period.[32]

Since 1994, citizens of Orania have voted in the five national elections. Over the last three elections, Orania had an average vote turnout of 65%, based on registered voters. In the South African general elections in 2004,[243] 2009,[207] and 2014,[244] the community voted decisively for the Freedom Front Plus party. The four votes recorded for the Economic Freedom Fighters party in the 2014 election elicited a number of comments from South African media.[209] In the 2019 general elections the EFF took its members from surrounding areas to the voting station in Orania.[245]

 Summary of 2019 South African general election in Orania.

Party		Votes	%	+/−
	Freedom Front Plus	447	79.40	2.42
	Democratic Alliance	62	11.01	4.19
	Economic Freedom Fighters	21[lower-alpha 2]	3.73	0.56
	Front National	12	2.13
	Congress of the People	8	1.41
Total		550
Source: IEC

Notes

Pecan harvest in Orania.

Farming is an important part of Orania's economy, the most prominent project being a massive pecan nut plantation,[265][266] one of the largest in South Africa.[152] The plantation is said to have given Orania a substantial economic boost.[159] Most of the agricultural production is exported to China.[249] Since purchasing the 430-hectare (1,100-acre) town, the community has added 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of agricultural land to it.[267] A pumping station on the Orange River, financed and built by the town's residents, provides water for agricultural use.[230] The station is connected to a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) pipeline.[97]

Pecan nut plantation in Orania, most nuts are exported to China.

A R9 million dairy farm, the Bo-Karoo Suiwel, operated in Orania from 1998 to 2002. Though deemed one of the most modern dairies in South Africa at the time,[104] the increased cost of imported machinery caused by a decline in value of the rand combined with a rise in the price of corn used to feed cattle led to its liquidation.[268][269] Another ambitious project, a mill processing a range of corn products, was completed in 2005,[270] but also proved unsuccessful and was closed down.[271] The Orania management has since mostly eschewed large-scale projects, rather focussing on small- and micro-enterprises to develop the local economy.[271]

Ditch for water pipe to the new waterworks, depth/grade eliminates need for pump

The construction industry is an important element of the local economy. Orania counts 8 construction companies as of 2017.[272] During 2020 the town set out and serviced 100 new stands, and has enough land available for a further 4200 erven, according to Frans De Klerk (head of the Orania Development Company.[273]

In 2010 property prices ranged from R250,000 at the low-end, up to R900,000 for new riverfront property. By 2020, property prices ranged from R420,000 at the low-end, up to R2,900,000 for a detached house.[274][275] Average house prices in Orania have grown by 13.9% a year from 1992 to 2006.[276]

Builders working on new house in Orania

The shortage of affordable housing is a significant problem in Orania.[277] Given the relatively low local wages, even two mid-range salaries might not be enough to buy a house.[277] Outside investors, who can afford to pay more using savings from previous employment outside Orania, inflate housing prices.[277] While buildings from the Water Works era can rely on pre-existing utility connections, new builds face the additional cost of installing infrastructure, raising prices further.[277]

In 2013, the Sonskip / Aardskip earthship living museum construction started in Orania,[278] designed by Christiaan van Zyl, one of South Africa's foremost experts on sustainable architecture.[279] The building is open to the public as a living museum; it is the largest earthbag earthship in the world.[279]

First day of school at CVO Orania

The Orania Koördinerende Onderwysraad supervises all educational activities in Orania.[294] Orania's schools have consistently achieved a 100% matric pass rate since 1991.[295] With the rest of South African students averaging between 60% and 82% matric pass rates between 2008 - 2019.[296]

There are two schools, the CVO Skool Orania (Christelike Volks-Onderwys or Christian People's Education) and Volkskool Orania (Orania People's School).[297] Afrikaans is the language of instruction, while English is taught as a second language.[60] Both schools follow the IEB curriculum;[298] the CVO school offers a more conservative education, while the Volkskool is relatively more progressive.[299]

Students writing exams in Orania

The CVO-school, established in January 1993,[118] is run along conventional lines; enrolment in 2014 was 225 students, with some coming from neighbouring towns.[300] The school is growing with a record amount of 400 students enrolled in January 2021. The CVO School includes Christian tenets as a vital part of the education, and is part of the Beweging vir Christelik Volkseie Onderwys, a network of similarly minded schools across the country.[301] As a Reformed Christian school, its teachings are in accordance with the Canons of Dort.[302] In November 2020, the construction of 12 new classrooms started.

The Volkskool, established in June 1991 with Julian Visser as its first principal,[118] uses a self-driven teaching (selfgedrewe) system which is unorthodox by South African standards.[303] Because the town had few school-aged children when it was established, the school adopted a computer-based learning system that allowed students of different levels to be taught by a single teacher.[304] The Volkskool's e-learning system was seen as innovative and received attention from South African media in the early 2000s.[305][306]

There is a rivalry between the schools, which is generally friendly but can occasionally become quite fierce.[307] Not all local children attend them, as some parents choose homeschooling or boarding schools in cities such as Bloemfontein.[167]

Bo-Karoo Opleiding, a vocational training college, offering courses in technical subjects such as welding, metalworking and engineering, was opened in 2017.[308][309]

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) shut down the first local community radio, Radio Club 100, in November 2005 for broadcasting without a licence and being a "racist-based station".[310] The station's management contended they had repeatedly applied for a licence and were merely carrying out tests, and that they broadcast harmless news about birthdays and social events.[310] ICASA granted a licence to the new Radio Orania in December 2007,[311] and the station began broadcasting on 13 April 2008 on 95.5 MHz.[312] The community station is run by volunteers and counts over 50 contributors.[313] Programmes include readings of Afrikaans literature such as Mikro's Die ruiter in die nag.[314]

Dorpnuus, the town hall's newsletter, was launched in November 2005 and reports on local events and meetings of the town council.[315] Volkstater is an independent local publication that is sent to supporters of the volkstaat idea, mostly non-residents of Orania. and deals with local events and Afrikaner history.[316] Voorgrond, a publication of the Orania Beweging, is aimed primarily at non-residents who support the movement.[317]

The Koeksister Monument in Orania

Geloftedag on 16 December is one of the most important holidays for the community. Locals wear traditional clothing and commemorate the victory in 1838 of 470 Afrikaners over an army of 15,000 Zulu warriors.[318]

A list of cultural holidays in Orania:[319]