Orania is an Afrikaner town in South Africa located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road and lies halfway between Cape Town and Pretoria.
The aim of the town is t…
Orania is an Afrikaner town in South Africa located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road and lies halfway between Cape Town and Pretoria.
The aim of the town is to create a stronghold for Afrikaans and the Afrikaner identity by keeping their language and culture alive. Anyone who defines themselves as an Afrikaner and identifies with Afrikaner ethnicity is welcome to live in Orania.
Critics accuse the town authorities of rejecting the Rainbow Nation concept, and trying to recreate pre-democratic South Africa within an enclave, while residents contend the desire to preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage, and protect themselves from high crime levels is their motivation, and they are seeking the right to self-determination as provided by the Constitution of South Africa. The town's relations with the South African government are non-confrontational, and although opposed to the aspirations of the community, it has recognised them as legitimate.
The small community has a radio station and its own currency, the Ora. The Seattle Times reported a population of 1,600 in July 2018. More than 100 businesses are located in Orania as of 2013. Due to its unusual nature, the town is often visited by journalists and documentary-makers.
According to its founders, the purpose of Orania is to create a town where the preservation of Afrikanerdom's cultural heritage is strictly observed and Afrikaner selfwerksaamheid ("self reliance") is an actual practice, not just an idea. All jobs, from management to manual labour, are filled only by Afrikaners; non-Afrikaner workers are not permitted to work unless they have skills no resident has.
Newcomers often say their desire to escape the violent crime prevalent in the rest of the country motivated their decision to move to Orania, and many had been victims of crimes before, while Orania residents claim the town is a secure environment and they have no need to lock their doors.
A local census carried out in 2014 found 1,085 inhabitants in 386 households — an average of 3.5 people per household. Children made up a quarter of the population in 2007. According to town authorities, the population had grown by 10% annually over the three years to 2015, this trend has continued and even slightly increased to around 11% annually in the years prior to the 2018 local census, much higher than the South African average of 1.9% on average per year. Male residents outnumbered females 60% to 40% in 2011, and the lack of young women is a cause of complaints among local men.
