According to meek_feeds: Northern Cape Premier Dr. Zamani Saul has reignited debate over the status of Orania, declaring that the white Afrikaner enclave is “not a town but a privately owned farm,” and urging that the ongoing contestation over its existence be resolved through political channels rather than legal action.
Source noted that: The Premier shared those details during the provincial engagement in Kimberley.
Saul stated that the notion of Orania operating as a municipality or self-governed town is misleading.
Premier said “Orania is not a municipality. It is a private farm. The idea that it is a town in the constitutional sense is factually and legally incorrect.”
According to publication: Orania, founded in 1991 and known for its exclusively white Afrikaner population, has long presented itself as a self-sufficient and autonomous town, complete with its own local council, currency (the Ora), and development model.
Its existence remains controversial, with critics accusing it of racial exclusion under the guise of cultural preservation.
It is revealed that: The enclave has so far been shielded by its private ownership model and its use of section 235 of the Constitution, which protects the rights of cultural communities to self-determination.
But Premier Saul believes the time has come to confront the matter head-on through constructive political dialogue rather than protracted court battles.
He said “We need to tackle the issue of Orania politically, not in courtrooms. This is not a legal issue—it is a question of what kind of society we are building in a democratic South Africa.”
Orania’s leadership has previously defended its model as a voluntary association based on cultural cohesion, not race.
However, access to the settlement is tightly controlled, and critics argue that the enclave’s practices are incompatible with the principles of a non-racial democracy.
Saul’s comments have already drawn mixed reactions, with some political parties backing his stance on inclusivity and others defending Orania’s constitutional right to exist as a cultural community.
As the country continues to grapple with issues of land ownership, race, and integration, Orania remains a symbolic fault line.
Saul’s remarks may mark a shift in the political approach to addressing the enclave one that challenges its foundation not through courts, but through the heart of South Africa’s democratic discourse.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
