Orania leader Carel Boshoff resigns to explore personal opportunities

Carel Boshoff’s resignation as the president of Orania follows after his corruption allegations and the alleged illegal purchase of a Mercedes Benz made headlines. However, Boshoff claims that he is stepping down for different reasons.

In a letter addressed to the members of the ‘Burgerraad’ of Orania, Boshoff explains that the recent months were not easy and that the focus should shift to the Orania’s ‘Die Pad Vorentoe’ initiative.

He mentions the ‘damaging publicity’ he received in the media and says that any person in the public eye is vulnerable to scrutiny. He adds that the media is aware of this.

He emphasised that his resignation is not linked to the recent “media-terrorism”, and goes on to list three reasons for the stepping down. The first is to take responsibility for the movement’s media interest.

“Dit is vir my ’n duur prys om te betaal, juis omdat dit kan lyk asof ek in mense met slegte bedoelings vir ons Beweging of vir my persoon, se hand speel.” (It’s a hefty price to pay, especially since it may appear as though I’m playing into the hands of people with questionable intentions against me or our movement.)

In addition, Boshoff also wants to “make room for new leaders to take the reins,” not only to strengthen the movement’s corporate connections but also to lead with “new initiative and insight.”

Boshoff will be setting his sights on new ventures. He adds that he will always be linked to the ‘Orania movement’ but needs to reach out to ‘new audiences’ – Afrikaners and “people whose understanding and support could be determinative to Orania’s ultimate success.”

As reported by Citizen, Boshoff also plans to start a foundation to “foster dialogue among communities to inspire them to be self-sufficient.” He confirmed that the foundation won’t carry his name.

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