Ten facts that most people dont know about Orania

Orania is a town in the northern cape of South Africa known for providing a home only to white people. It has made headlines over the past couple of years.

DID YOU KNOW THE TEN FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT ORANIA?

So let’s look at ten fascinating facts that most people dont know about this all-white town. 

HERE ARE THE TEN FACTS:

1. Orania was established in 1991. The town was created during the last years of apartheid by Afrikaner intellectual Carel Boshoff Snr, the son-in-law of former South African Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd.
2.  Orania was created with the primary intention to preserve Afrikanerdom cultural heritage and Afrikaner selfwerksaamheid (self-reliance).
3. The town has a population of 1,085 (estimate, 2014) and it measures 8.95 km2 (3.46 sq mi). Afrikaans is the main language, spoken by 98.4 percent of the population and English is spoken by 1,6 percent.
4. The town is run by a council, which is the main political institution responsible for running the town’s daily affairs.
5. The economy is dependent on agriculture, and there is a large pecan nut plantation, one of the largest in South Africa, and the town exports some its agricultural products.
6. The community has its own currency, called the Ora, pegged to the South African Rand.
7. The town is not independent but its existence is permitted by the Constitution of South Africa under a clause that allows for the right to self-determination.
8. On a hill above Orania, atop a series of plinths arranged in a semicircle, sit the sculpted heads of former Afrikaner leaders. This is the home for statues with nowhere else to go. 
9. The town boasts of a deeply religious community. There are various local churches, which include the Dutch Reformed Church, Apostoliese Geloofsending, Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk, amongst others.
10. The name Orania is a variation of the Afrikaans word oranje, referring to the adjoining Orange River.

Early this month, it seems that this Northern Cape community is finding friends in unexpected places.

ORANIA OPENS ITS DOORS TO TRADITIONAL LEADERS AND TRIBES

That’s because two senior traditional leaders visited Orania on a diplomatic mission this week. Representatives from the AmaBhele kaJamangile – a Xhosa-speaking community in Maclear that strives for autonomy – were the first to touch base with town officials.

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Then, the King of the Seleka Barolong – a Tswana group from near Bloemfontein who have deep-rooted ties with Afrikaans heritage – also met with leadership in Orania. The purpose of the visit was for both tribes ‘to learn more about self-determination’.

ALSO READ: Is Orania crime-free? Fact-checkers, politicians aren’t so sure…