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South Africa is in a state of collapse. According to recent news coverage, South Africa's months-long electricity grid failures have led to prolonged daily blackouts across the country. The blackouts have been so persistent that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster.
It gets worse. As social cohesion in South Africa breaks down, crime and corruption go up. According to the Identity and Democracy Group, the situation in South Africa is "highly volatile" and the government's ability to maintain law and order is seriously compromised. Rampant crime, including gruesome farm murders, seems to have become even worse. Farmers, who play an important role in feeding South Africans, suffer not only from these criminal attacks, oftentimes executed with military-style tactics and precision, but also from widespread corruption in state institutions. Additionally the deterioration of the South African Rand and the threat of government expropriation of property without compensation are increasingly common issues, according to the group.
Murders across South Africa rose by 22 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, with an average of 67 recorded each day from January to April.
Rising crime in South Africa has led to many citizens seeking to relocate to safer communities.
The future for South Africa looks bleak. However, one small town in South Africa stands above the fray. This town is called Orania, and it's a settlement as controversial as it is successful.
Orania was founded by Afrikaners, for Afrikaners. Afrikaners are the decendents of European (mostly Dutch) settlers in South Africa. For decades, Afrikaners have comprised the bulk of South Africa's agricultural industry. With the increasing pace of social breakdown in the country, many Afrikaners fear for their safety and culture.
The goal of Orania, according to its residents, is to preserve Afrikaner cultural heritage and protect their people from the rising crime, violence and degradation in South Africa.
As the residents' stated goal is cultural preservation, there are strict guidelines in place in order to live in this community. Not just anyone can join.
Prospective residents must go through an application process before being approved to live in Orania. The most important criterion for admission: being an Afrikaner. This means speaking Afrikaans, belonging to the Afrikaner ethnic group, and observing Christian practices.
For years, Orania was dismissed by South Africans and international observers as an experiment that was doomed to fail. But now, with the apparent collapsing of the centralized South African society, Orania is booming.
Joost Strydom, a spokesman for Orania, said, "The town used to be talked about as a bit of a joke, but not any more." From 2018 to 2022, the population of Orania has climbed by 55% to 2,500 residents. A “staggering” flow of applications to join the community comes in each week from families and individuals seeking refuge among like-minded neighbors.
Joost Strydom, chief executive of the Orania Movement.
Orania has its own flag, its own currency and its own calendar of public holidays. It has recently its own sewage processing facility and solar power farm. As the rest of South Africa deals with the national emergency of blackouts, Orania has achieved energy independence.
Gawie Snyman, an Orania administrator, said, "The solar farm is quite a huge game changer for us. It brings energy sustainability to the town. Our big dream is to become an energy exporter."
Unsurprisingly, Orania's existence has generated negative press coverage. Journalists from outlets all over the world have accused the town of racism and being eager to revive South Africa's apartheid past.
In 1994, the New York Times called Orania a "whites-only utopia."
A similar piece from the Los Angeles Times characterized those who believed in Orania's useful existence "Neo-nazis, neo-fascists, and other far-right militants."
The Chicago Tribune called Orania "the last bastion of apartheid."
Even recently, The Guardian said that the reality of Orania is "a disquieting and entirely white town, littered with old apartheid flags and monuments to the architects of segregation."
The criticism is nothing new, Strydom said.
"The difference is that we are transparent about what our community stands for. We are intentional, not exclusive,” he said.
The 1994 New York Times article referenced above featured quotes from some of the earliest residents of Orania. According to the article, the residents are "convinced that impending chaos in South Africa will soon drive hundreds, even thousands, of Afrikaners their way." In preparation, they bought a 5,700 acre farm. Thirty years later, that investment looks like it's paying off.
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