Orania, Northern Cape

Orania
Aerial view of the town of Orania
Orania Show map of Northern Cape Orania Show map of South Africa Orania Show map of Africa  Orania shown within Northern Cape
Coordinates: 29°49′S 24°24′E / 29.817°S 24.400°E / -29.817; 24.400Coordinates: 29°49′S 24°24′E / 29.817°S 24.400°E / -29.817; 24.400
Country	South Africa
Province	Northern Cape
District	Pixley ka Seme
Municipality	Thembelihle
Established	1963
Named for	Orange River
Government
• Type	Representative council
• Chairman of the Orania Representative Council (Mayor)	Carel Boshoff IV
• Chairman of Vluytjeskraal Share Block (VAB)	Harry Theron
• President of the Orania Movement	Carel Boshoff IV
Area
• Total	8.95 km2 (3.46 sq mi)
Elevation	1,180 m (3,870 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	892
• Estimate (2015)	1,297
• Density	100/km2 (260/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	0%
• Coloured	0%
• White	100%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	98.4%
• English	1.6%
Postal code (street)	8752
PO box	8752
Area code	053
Website	http://www.orania.co.za/

Orania is an Afrikaner-only South African town located along the Orange River in the arid Karoo region of 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 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 that they are motivated by the desire to preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage and protect themselves from high crime levels, and that 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 aspirations of the community, the government has recognised them as legitimate.

The small community has a radio station and its own currency, the Ora. The population was 1,297 at the time of a local census in December 2015, and is growing steadily at about 10% per year.News24 reported on 7 June 2016 that there were by that time 1,300 Afrikaners in Orania. 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 by Afrikaners only; non-Afrikaner workers are not permitted unless they have skills no resident has. "We do not want to be governed by people who are not Afrikaners", said Potgieter, the previous chairman. "Our culture is being oppressed and our children are being brainwashed to speak English".