Originally built in 1970 to provide housing for the staff working on the Orange River Project, present-day Orania was intended to be South Africa’s own Afrikaner homeland. A small group of Afrikaners bought the town to establish a separate community in which white Afrikaans-speaking people who chose to live according to what they view as the traditional Afrikaner way of life, could settle. A miniature statue of the late Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, considered by many to the father of Apartheid, guards over the town. Mrs Betsie Verwoerd, his widow, lived here until her death in 2000. Pres Nelson Mandela visited her after he was released from prison on Robben Island. The town is run according to strict rules and also demonstrates people’s unique ability to adapt. The irrigation system supplies water to the only fully organic vineyards in Southern Africa, as well as to several other successful agricultural activities.
History and Architecture
Cultural History Museum: The museum tells the history of the Afrikaner people and its displays include firearms that date back to the 18th century.
