WHITES ONLY TOWN IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA!

South Africans went to the polls on 29th May - and the results were damning for the ruling African National Congress party, which has led the country since the end of apartheid 30 years ago. For the first time since 1994, its first election, the ANC failed to secure at least 50% of the vote (the threshold needed to form a government).

The drop in ANC support is seen as a verdict on its governance of the nation. Many Black South Africans accuse the government of not doing enough to dismantle apartheid-era socio-economic structures and injustices. Nothing exemplifies this better than the existence of Orania, a Whites-only town in the country's Northern Cape province.

The town has been a source of tension since its establishment in the early ‘90s during the last days of apartheid. The founders and the residents of the town claim its purpose is to preserve the culture and identity of the Afrikaner people, White South Africans of mostly Dutch, French and German descent. However, many people think the town and its policy of not allowing non-White residents is nothing but a racist endeavour to maintain some vestiges of the apartheid system. The residents of the town insist that its existence is protected by Article 235 of the South African constitution, which guarantees self-determination. However, many have argued that the cited part of the constitution does not in fact permit people of a particular religious or cultural group to live in a secluded place away from other South Africans. In 2000, the Northern Cape High Court adjourned ‘sine die’ (without a further hearing date) after Orania’s proponents challenged attempts by the government to incorporate the town into the nearby municipal authority. In 2019, Zamani Saul, the elected leader of the Northern Cape province, vowed to set up an inquiry to review the legality of Orania - supporters saying that South Africa cannot move on from apartheid as long as places like Orania are allowed to exist. African Stream was shown around Orania by some of the locals, who shared their opinions about their community with us. We’d love to hear yours as well in the comments