SOUTH AFRICA: White Afrikaner Separatists Urge Trump To Make Orania Own Country
When apartheid was abolished three decades ago, a group of white Afrikaners formed a breakaway enclave in protest of the majority black government.
Orania is the only town in South Africa whose entire population, including menial workers, is white.
The citizens of Orania, a town of 3,000 people in the semi-arid Karoo region, now want US President Donald Trump to assist them in achieving statehood.
Last week, Orania community representatives traveled to the United States to seek recognition as an autonomous entity.
South African authorities recognise it as a town capable of raising local taxes and providing services.
“We wanted to… gain recognition, with the American focus on South Africa now,” Orania Movement leader Joost Strydom told Reuters.
ORANIA'S MESSAGE TO TRUMP
— Joost Strydom (@StrydomJoost) February 10, 2025
Orania Movement wants to get in touch with media and members of the Trump admin.
Help us get recognition for an Afrikaner territory!
joost@orania.co.za pic.twitter.com/hIXpRxmgBr
Strydom was referring to a hill adorned with bronze statues of former Afrikaner leaders, including those during the era of apartheid white minority rule, which was abolished by internal resistance and worldwide indignation.
The 8,000-hectare community is benefiting from an extraordinary surge in right-wing American support for Afrikaner nationalists.
The residents of Orania — a group of white Afrikaners with a population of 3,000 — want US President Donald Trump to help them become a state https://t.co/RobOqURR1P pic.twitter.com/xcOaxLyxhO
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 3, 2025
When apartheid was abolished in 1994 and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first Black president, the white separatists lost power for good.
In New York and Washington, Orania representatives met with influencers, think tanks, and lower-level Republican officials.
“We told them South Africa is such a … diverse country that it’s not a good idea to try and manage it centrally,” said Strydom.
Three senior Orania executives contacted by Reuters were ambiguous about the assistance they sought in the United States.
South African foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Reuters that Orania is not a country. They are subject to South African laws and our constitution.”
Other Afrikaner nationalist parties have also visited the United States to form partnerships with largely white, Republican audiences, sparking complaints at home that such travels exacerbate racial tensions.
The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) accused Orania’s leaders of “destroying the unity of this country” last week, which they denied.
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Afrikaners are descendants of Dutch settlers who first arrived in the 1600s.
They opposed the British Empire in South Africa, but once in power, they reinforced racial segregation through discriminatory legislation.
“There were 17,000 laws on land alone,” foreign ministry spokesperson Phiri said. “We had… to reconstruct South Africa into a country that represents all those who live in it.”
♦️Must Watch♦️
— CIC of All Social Media (@maxuvani) February 9, 2025
The Boers (Whites) would not tolerate equality. Equality to the it was(Is) as insult.
Tell @realDonaldTrump and his son @elonmusk that they can take all the caucasian settlers they don’t belong here anyway.#Afrikaners #America #Trump #Afriforum #Orania #Texas… pic.twitter.com/hAK7YzEcmL
In 1991, as the end of apartheid neared, a group of about 300 Afrikaners acquired Orania, previously an abandoned water project on the muddy Orange River, to create a homeland exclusively for white Afrikaners.
SOUTH AFRICA: White Afrikaner Separatists Urge Trump To Make Orania Own Country
