Assignment 5: Orania
For my second assignment, I decided to visit a town in the Northern Cape, called Orania.
The town was purchased from the Department of Water Affairs, who originally created the small town to house workers and staff responsible for the construction of the nearby Vanderkloof damn, in 1990 at a cost of R1,5 million. Orania was officially opened on the 11th April 1991. Orania’s founders created the town with a vision of ensuring the Afrikanerdom heritage and way of life is not only strictly observed, but also an actual practice. At the heart of this heritage is selfwerksaamheid (‘self reliance’).
All jobs in Orania are filled by Afrikaners only; non-Afrikaner workers are not permitted.
Instead of relying on black people to perform menial tasks, as is the norm within South African households, residents perform most of the work themselves, or use fellow Afrikaners.Orania is like many other towns and cities in South Africa, there are the poorer areas and the more affluent areas.
The main difference with Orania is that you will often only see white people, Orania does not have any black, Indian or coloured residents.
That doesn’t mean black people aren’t allowed, on the contrary. During my period in Orania, I saw a handful of black people entering the town, purchasing goods from the local shop and also filling up with petrol at the local petrol station. Recently, outspoken ANC Youth League leader, Julius Malema visited the town and asked to erect ANC election posters, the request being granted by the Orania leaders.
ANC members wandered around the town, without any hostilities from the residents.I spent the Easter weekend, an important religious weekend for Christians, in Orania with the objective of obtaining a deeper understanding about their way of life.Driving through the Karoo scrubland that neighbours Orania, you are greeted with vast stretches of land, countless land.
Overlooking the town is a bust of the former president of South Africa, H. F. Verwoerd, often referred to as the architect of Apartheid. Inside the town, a small museum has been created to showcase the life of Verwoerd, with personal possessions on show.
Initial impressions are that this is a town where no black people are allowed. Previous media reports have been quick to anchor this as their main story lines, but spending time in the town and speaking to various people, this is anything but the truth.
Under the South African constitution, it is illegal to discriminate based on a colour of a person.
Orania is not breaking the law, there is no discrimination, they choose to do all the work themselves and not rely on the cheap labor force, as fellow South Africans are quick to do.Self sufficiency is a big part of Orania life. The town has a large Pecan nut plantation and also has its own currency, the Ora, which can only be used in the town.
The crime levels are low, it has two schools where an emphasis is placed on Afrikaner history and Christian religion.It has a group of shops, including an OK supermarket, a petrol station, Internet cfe and a swimming pool. Contrary to recent media reports, Orania is not fading away, but is growing in size and strength with those Afrikaners wanting a return to a more traditional way of life.
TF1 has produced a video about Orania and it can be viewed, in French:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/10/belgium-immigration-integration-religion
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Decade_of_Freedom/0,,2-7-1598_1515558,00.html
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again, how very interesting.
an approach like that feels uncomfortable to me, as a British liberal with the typical British liberal hang-ups about race and discrimination and political correctness.
Such a town would cause an uproar here, with the Daily Mail and its ilk rushing to their defence while at the same time stirring the pot…the ugly face of the BNP would no doubt get involved. I’d love to see all races and cultures mingle happily but it doesn’t look like it’s ever likely to happen…at least places like Orania are doing it more softly than in the bad old days of Apartheid, and doing their own dirty work rather than rely on the blacks to do it
Ciara,
You say that such a town might cause an uproar like that in the UK, but there are towns that operate the same way.
The Orthodox Jewish community in North London, the Muslim community in East London and Birmingham, all keep to a strict community only way of living.
I don’t think, as human beings, we will ever completely mix. It’s a political dream to expect it, but the harsh reality is that it’s not in our nature.
I visited Orania over Christmas and its distinctiveness from the rest of South Africa is obvious. They have chosen to live a different lifestyle to the one the liberal elite wants them to live. I live in London and certainly, Orania is a big contrast to our smug, multiculturalism-worshipping city.
Everyone I met was welcoming of me. I received 3 invitations to Christmas dinner. Some people might question if people might have reacted differently on account of differing circumstances, such as the fact that I am white, the fact that I’m very interested in the Afrikaans culture and the fact that I had learned Afrikaans to fluency before my visit.
[...] Cosua just informed me that my Orania editorial has just been featured in Issue 5 of Posi+Tive Magazine [...]
Orania is a place of idiots where a couple of people with money run the place i have worked ther for over a year and know where i am talking about in Orania live the people with money and in klein geluk the people who are the workers the work for max R 100,= per day that is 9 euro per day from 06.00Hrs. till 18.00 Hrs slave work
I do like it when people comment on Orania but it is al based on first impression stay there for a litle time and it will open you eyes the believe in ghost en acording the constitution of south afrika the are a farm and not a town en never will the have indepandence. I am a hollander and have being under cuver in orania for the african SAPS (wake up dont believe what you see at first.)
I think with anything like this, the reason why we only comment on what we see is just that, it’s what we see.
Whilst you say R100 a day is slave labour, when compared to the European alternative, in SA it is a decent daily wage and acceptable by many as a good days wage for menial work. You also mention the SAPS was employing you as a undercover operative, if that was truly the case, there would be no chance of any ANC top-level politician visiting the town prior to the election, especially if the town was under investigation.
I guess it leaves me to ask what exactly you were investigating. Was it the minimum day wage paid to farm workers or something else?
That is a silly comparison to be made. You can still work in Finchley or Hampstead if you are not Jewish. You can still live or work in Brick Land if you are not Bangladeshi…
Whatever culture people uphold in their own family homes, that is up to them. Whatever culture people adhere to in their own businesses, that is up to them. But when you start to extend your own political and cultural views into other people’s homes, you extend beyond your boundaries. At that point you are becoming dictatorial and authoritarian.
Many people in life do not choose to mix. That is fine. But many other people do choose to mix. And that is fine also. We are not all the same, and all adults are capable of making their own decisions for themselves. They do not need to be herded like cattle this way or that way.
Why does eberything become a debate? especially when it comes to South Africa. as the son of an afrikaner and an englishwoman i think i can speak for the majority of the white south African polulation. And being born in South Africa i have the right to say anything about my country. what i have to say is that i believe that if everybody stopped arguing about who was wrong or right then things might actually be achieved. i truly believe that orania should be allowed to exist. so long as orania keeps its problenms internal and does not try to put its way of life and thinking on other communities then it will not be a threat. however if it builds in popularity and begins to expand then why should a few individuals argue with that? if the individuals put as much effort helping to build their own communities rather than criticizing others. then something they might actually achieve something.
my personal belief though is that anyone born in South Africa has a right to vote and the right to claim land. i also believe that to punish people now for crimes commited one hundred, two hundred, three hundred years ago. is a shame.
but then again im not sitting around people. get involved in politics if you want to make a point hey?
Its very refreshing to see something written completely objectively, thank you for that. People too often condemn Orania for choosing the way they live, but guess what? It works. There is 0% corruption, complete safety, all in all a great place to live and be raised, a veritable oasis of calm in a troubled land. And if it expands, all the better! Best of luck Orania!
I am so ready to uproot and go and live amongst likeminded people. I am no racist, however being exposed to crime, corruption, and generally bad service-delivery and low IQ people whom act as if they are God’s gift to others make me feel sicker by the day.
We all deserve Gods best and if Orania is it, then I am all for it. My family and I do our own work anyway, as we are sick and tired of replacing things that “workers” break on purpose just to annoy us.
Relocating will only mean “entering the gates of Heaven and living in Peace”
If I only have this one life, then I truely want to enjoy it my way!!
God Bless those who see the Light!!
[...] dealers, Karen National Liberation Army high ranking officials & Burmese migrant workers, a community wishing to live on their own, away from racial integration, Shark hunters and people in and around [...]
I agree 100% with Pieter van Wyk, the longer I have to mingle with this people who pretend to be gifts from up above, the more likely is my chance to go straight to hell!
How can you be so smart, but so badly mannered? You sit in all the top positions, but you cant even spell! Luckily we as a family grew up working the hard way, we dont wait for someone to lay the table or do the dishes. Orania will be like going home, it will be the one thing Ive always needed:
“rus en vrede vir my siel”…
Pieter en Annemarie ek stem en as ek een cent kon kry vir al die str**t wat hierdie ander praat kon ‘n mens n damn lekker lewe geniet
DANIEL, thank you for your objective report on Orania.
As a young Afrikaner, who had nothing to do with apartheid, I really tried to integrate into the New South Africa. I even learned “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” off by heart! At the same time I maintained my pride as an Afrikaner and tried to live my life as best I could as a member of an ethnic minority ruled by a black majority in South Africa.
After a while I realised that the only way I could fully integrate into the new South African society was if I turned my back on my Afrikaner heritage, culture, language and traditions as there REALLY is no place for these in the new South African society – especially not in business.
As an entrepreneur I found the government’s enforced racial quotas and obession with black empowerment simply unacceptable. There were many other issues also troubling me at that time – such as openly advocated racism against Afrikaners, corruption on all levels (including the police), seriously high levels of violent crime on Afrikaners (especially those living on farms), a system undermining merit etc. but I’m not going to go into all that now as I would like to keep this as short as possible.
Instead of emigrating, as many Afrikaners do, I decided to visited Orania first as I really didn’t want to leave my fatherland. What a revelation it turned out to be! I immediately felt at home and was really impressed with the positive attitude of Oraniërs. I visited Orania a few times during the past year and have now bought land and started my own Orania-based travel company. I want to allow other Afrikaners the opportunity to have the same experience I had when I first discovered Orania. It gives my people sincere hope for the future of the Afrikaners, which is more than I can say about any other inisiative launched by the liberals in this country.
Orania will grow from strength to strength and the Afrikaner will have their own independent state again in the near future. We’ve learned from our forefathers’ mistakes and are now moving on by doing everything ourself.
We’ll do our part for Africa as we are an indigenous volk (people) of Africa. We share in this continent’s pain and pleasure… but we aren’t willing to continue to suffer under a hostile regime that isn’t showing any sign of protecting our best interests.
After all, we have the right to rule ourselves – same as the French, Germans, Japanese, Swazi’s etc. especially seeing that it is in our best interests to do so. By denying us this right, as most liberals seem to do, our human rights are grotesquely undermined and we simply won’t stand for it.
We want peace, which is why we want freedom in our own independent state. Orania is the first step towards obtaining our objective.
[...] Cosua just informed me that my Orania editorial has just been featured in Issue 5 of Posi+Tive Magazine [...]
Daniel. An insightful, well written objective article . Thank you.
As the son of an Afrikaans mother and English father who was brought up in the English culture, I can only admire a people who are prepared to stand up for their culture and language as those in Orania do. And to think that I am part of that culure.There is nothing wrong with it.
Why is it that the present government (or am I allowed to say the present regime) will support a Palestinian state separate from or incorporating parts of Israel, but when it comes to our people people taking the high road and yelling treason.
there is no doubt all of you are white and don’t get me wrong some of my friends are white hence i acquired myself the name coconut. Funny how when a black person complains about whites they are blamed of playing a race card but the same does not go for white counterparts. And as for SA being owned by whites again thats just aiming too high, we blacks are here to rule and we aint backing down. The last time i checked Orania was in South Africa and therefore belonged to the SA government and again we are busy preaching reconciliation yet some people isolate themselves. What exactly are we teaching those who come after us, that white and black will never mix, don’t you guys think we are going backwards instead? yes apartheid is part of us and will always be but i would like to narate it to my children as a thing of the past and not have to point at Orania as an exqample guys. As for black empowerment its only fair, i hate playing the victim but our parents were robbed of a better future and that affected us. I was born in a poor household thanks to apartheid and yes that did have an impact on my future and to break this cycle only things like BEE come in handy, m sure some of you still benefit from apartheid. I am not saying the Orania setup is completely wrong m just saying it shows just how some people are resistant to change and that will have a huge impact on their children’s future. for heaven’s sake can we start seeing beyond colour already
‘for heaven’s sake can we start seeing beyond colour already’ practise what you preach babe
‘things like BEE come in handy’ lol
When I stop being prosecuted for being white we can start looking beyond colour.
There are a lot of people who, when the apartheid era fell, were all willing and open to a country of equality – but over the years that willingness was dashed and abused until it no longer took any form. “Kill the boer”, no? I’ve done quite a lot of research on the issue of racism in SA – to be honest I know a lot of really AWESOME black people, but there is this shadow hanging over everything in this country.
People always need someone to blame when things in their lives go wrong…
I’ve heard people use the excuse used above “I was born into a poor household” and so I must be handed everything on a platter… riiiiight. I was born into a poor household too, but that doesn’t mean I expect everything to be handed to me on a silver platter. I guess that’s part of what makes us different, whereas I take responsibility for my actions, and WORK to succeed in this life most people find it easier to just b*tch and moan about everything that goes wrong and not actually contribute to making things right.
The majority of discussions I’ve read through always ended in a black person saying the whites MUST leave their country and that Africa belongs to the blacks. I’ve even read through a couple of discussions where black people encourage others to kill and torture white people. In all this (and I would like someone to prove me wrong) I have not once found a discussion where white people encourage others to kill and torture black people.
Please prove me wrong on that…
As for the original story, I think the idea behind Orania is a good one. Though it means isolation, the state of things in this country means there is no other way for white people to live. It would be better to live in Orania than to live in a state of constant fear in your own home.
With all the proclamations of “kill the boer” and all the rest of it, all the promises to make white people suffer… I think the idea of a white only town is valid.
Description of me: 24 year old African American woman who searched discussions of Orania after reading an online article on Orania given by Yahoo sports during the World Cup.
After I graduated from high school in 2004, I was fortunate enough to visit South Africa for 2 weeks. Being so young and not knowing much about current world events and history, I was surprised to learn of apartheid and its relative upheaval. In order to comprehend the magnitude of apartheid, I had to compare it to my history of slavery (de jure discrimination) and Jim Crow laws (de facto discrimination).
At the time, I was shocked that the world allowed this regime for so long (later, I learned a bit about politics surrounding it, at least where the US was involved, so I get it, but I feel it was wrong). During those 2 weeks, the message I recieved from the black South Africans were that they were better off, yet that there was still a ways to go for equality.
I learned about the “Rainbow Nation” et cetera. I remember thinking that I hope that they look at history particularly US history and learn how to do this thing right. Looking at this again years later, I believe that it wasn’t done right. Firstly, affirmative action in practice does not work. In theory, it would give candidates who are qualified, but without experience, opportunities (somewhat akin to awarding a position to a recent college/university graduate over someone who was working in the industry for a few years).
In practice, its about quotas, nepotism, and usually ends in revengeful attitudes. Personally, I believe that education is the best way to achieve equality rather than affirmative action. It takes much more time and resources to structure a good education system and even more to wait to see any benefits when the youth graduate and begin working. Affirmative action is at best a Band-Aid covering a hemorrage. I believe that education could close the wound.
And as for Orania, I can see why people would want to isolate themselves from the problem. Truly, I can’t condemn them for wanting safety and self preservation. Historically, isolation and avoiding the problem rarely works over time. Also, I don’t think a government will allow anyone to secede from the country, at least without a civil war. I can see some arguing that this is secession or perhaps the first step to secession.
On the other hand, Orania seems very similar to the Jim Crow laws that ruled the US after the emancipation of the slaves and before the civil rights era of the 60s. These weren’t actual laws, but more of unwritten rules. It was just the way things were. There are no written rules in Orania. It just the way things are, no blacks. In the Yahoo article, someone stated that in order to live in Orania, one must be approved by an administration board. Also that no blacks would want to live there. Although that may be true, would a black person ever be approved to live in Orania? If one could match a white to a black and they nearly identical in many demographical area including age, income, etc.
If the only difference were that one was black and the other was white, and if the white person was approved to live in Orania, would the black person?
All in all, it saddens me to hear that the majority is essentially seeking revenge for all the years that they have been discriminated against. It is human nature, but it still is sad.