Orania Representative Council

Last updated

Orania Representative Council
Orania Verteenwoordigende Raad
Representative Council
South Africa Northern Cape location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Orania Representative Council
The location of Orania - the seat of the Orania Representative Council - in the Northern Cape
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Orania Representative Council
Orania Representative Council (South Africa)
Coordinates: 29°49′S24°24′E / 29.817°S 24.400°E / -29.817; 24.400
Country South Africa
Province Northern Cape
District Pixley ka Seme
First election1 November 1995
Seat Orania
Government
 • Type Municipal council
 • ChairpersonJoost Strydom
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)
Municipal code304 02013 [1]

The Orania Representative Council ( Afrikaans: Orania Verteenwoordigende Raad) is the local municipal representative council in the Northern Cape province of South Africa that governs the Afrikaner-town of Orania in the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality. During the implementation of a new municipal system in South Africa in 2000, the Orania Representative Council was the only representative council that was not abolished. [2] Therefore, the Orania Representative Council is the only municipal body that still uses the old (pre-2000) municipal structure, based on the Local Government Transition Act of 1993.

Contents

Next to municipal duties, the main task of the Orania Representative Council is to represent the inhabitants of Orania in ongoing negotiations with the Cabinet of South Africa about the (municipal) status of Orania.

History

When Orania was bought by the Afrikaner Vryheidstigting (Afrikaner Freedom Foundation) in 1991, the village received the status of (private) farm village by the government of Province of the Cape of Good Hope. [3] After apartheid, inhabitants of all towns in South Africa, including private towns such as farm and mining towns, got a transitional representative council based on the Local Government Transition Act. So Orania got its own transitional representative council in 1995.

Proposed merger with Hopetown and Strydenburg

In 2000 the South African government created a new form of local government with a municipal system. In general these municipalities are a combination of several towns and villages. In the process of this merger, the South African provincial governments informed local transitional representative councils about the intended merger and held a deliberation process, after which a final decision was made. These decisions - with the intended abolition of the transitional representative councils - were published in the provincial government gazettes.

Carel Boshoff and other inhabitants of Orania in front of the Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley on 4 December 2000 The Orania Beweging in front of the Kimberley High Court to campaign for the town's municipal status.jpg
Carel Boshoff and other inhabitants of Orania in front of the Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley on 4 December 2000

In the case of Orania the provincial government of the Northern Cape did not publish the intended abolition of the Orania Transitional Representative Council, which was a legal obligation for a merger with Hopetown and Strydenburg into one single municipality. [4] Since the provincial government learnt of this mistake, it has published a notice in the provincial gazette announcing its intention to abolish the Orania Transitional Representative Council. There was a possibility to object this announcement till 30 November 2000. Objections were sent in by Orania that day. When the Northern Cape government could not react in time, the Orania Transitional Council went to court. This lawsuit was handled by the Northern Cape High Court on 4 December 2000, one day before the nationwide local elections. [4] In the light of the 1994 Accord on Afrikaner self-determination and the mistake of the South African government to not publish the abolition of the Orania Transitional Representative Council it was very likely that Orania would win the case, with the result that the High Court would cancel the elections scheduled for the next day.

Status of the Orania Representative Council

On 4 December 2000 the case was settled between Orania and the South African government. This agreement was affirmed by the Northern Cape High Court that same day. They agreed that: [5] [6]

  1. The Orania Transitional Representative Council will remain in place indefinitely [7] and will not be dissolved by the South African government by the implementation of the Municipal Structures Act (Act 117 of 1998);
  2. The Orania Representative Council will remain in place with all its powers until there is an agreement between the South African government and the inhabitants of Orania about the status of Orania.;
  3. Orania will lie within the geographical borders of the Thembelihle Local Municipality, but the Thembelihle Local Municipality will not have any power within the area that is governed by the Orania Representative Council. The Thembelihle Local Municipality will not deliver any services in Orania.

The special status of Orania only exists at the local level. At the district, provincial and national levels Orania is integral part of the South African political system.

Ongoing negotiations

In April 2001 a commission was installed by the Cabinet of South Africa on the question of Orania's municipal status. [8] In 2002 the commission reached agreement and sent a proposal to the Cabinet of South Africa to merge Orania with Vanderkloof to become one municipality. [9] Nothing was done with the proposal.

In 2007, the Orania Representative Council and the Northern Cape government agreed that the (municipal) status of Orania should be discussed at all government levels. [10]

As of 2017 the negotiations about the status of Orania are still not finalized.

Elections

Vote counting after the local election in May 2011 Counting votes after the local election in May 2011, Orania.jpg
Vote counting after the local election in May 2011

Inhabitants of Orania vote for their representative council on the same day as the nationwide local elections. [5] In 1995 the first elections for the Orania Transitional Representative Council were held. In 2000, 2006, 2011 and 2016 inhabitants of Orania voted for both the Orania Representative Council and the council of the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality, but not for the council of the Thembelihle Local Municipality.

1995-96 municipal elections

The elections of 1995-96 were the first local elections in which citizens of all races were allowed to take part.

Orania Transitional Representative Council election, 1 November 1995 [11]
PartyVotesSeats
FF Plus 1783/3

2000 and further

One day after the settlement of the case between Orania and the South African government on 4 December 2000, Orania held its own elections for the Orania Representative Council during the municipal elections of 2000. At the voting station of the Independent Electoral Commission in Orania, where people could vote for the new (Oranje-Karoo) Thembelihle Local Municipality, zero people voted, [12] while the voter turnout at the voting station for the Orania Representative Council was above 90%. [13]

In 2006, 2011 and 2016 citizens of Orania also voted for their own representative council. Elections are held on the same day as the municipal elections in the rest of South Africa. Between 2011 and 2016 the council consisted of eight members. [14] In 2016 inhabitants voted for a twelve-member council. [15]

List of chairpersons

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Cape</span> Province in South Africa

The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and an international park shared with Botswana. It also includes the Augrabies Falls and the diamond mining regions in Kimberley and Alexander Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Front Plus</span> Political party in South Africa

The Freedom Front Plus is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orania</span> Town in Northern Cape, South Africa

Orania is a white separatist South African town founded by Afrikaners. It is located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road, and is 871 kilometres (541 mi) from Cape Town and approximately 680 kilometres (420 mi) from Pretoria. Its climate is semi-arid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witzenberg Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Witzenberg Municipality is a local municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011 it had a population of 115,946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langeberg Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Langeberg Municipality, known before 28 August 2009 as Breede River/Winelands Municipality, is a local municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, it had a population of 97,724. Its municipality code is WC026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oudtshoorn Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Oudtshoorn Municipality is a local municipality within the Garden Route District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, the population was 95,933.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drakenstein Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Drakenstein Municipality is a local municipality located within the Cape Winelands District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, it had a population of 251,262. Its municipality code is WC023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kannaland Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Kannaland Municipality is a local municipality located within the Garden Route District Municipality, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The municipal area is situated in the western part of the Little Karoo and includes the towns of Ladismith, Calitzdorp and Zoar. As of 2011, it has a population of 24,767. Its municipality code is WC041.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laingsburg Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Laingsburg Municipality is a local municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2011, the population is 8,289. Its municipality code is WC051.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swartland Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Western Cape, South Africa

Swartland Municipality is a local municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Malmesbury is the seat of the municipality. As of 2016, it had a population of 133,762. Its municipality code is WC015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volkstaat</span> Proposed state for Afrikaners of South Africa

A Volkstaat, also called a Boerestaat, is a proposed White Afrikaner homeland within the borders of South Africa, most commonly proposed as a fully independent Boer/Afrikaner nation. The proposed state would bar Afrikaans-speaking Coloureds but accept South Africans of English ancestry and other White South Africans, if they accept Afrikaner culture and customs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Cape Town</span> Metropolitan municipality in South Africa

The City of Cape Town is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of Cape Town and surrounding areas. As of the 2016 community survey, it had a population of 4,005,016.

Vereniging van Oranjewerkers is a South African white separatist political movement that seeks a homeland for Afrikaners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carel Boshoff</span> South African academic, writer and politician, former proponent of Apartheid, founder of Orania

Carel Willem Hendrik Boshoff was a South African professor of theology and Afrikaner white nationalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thembelihle Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Northern Cape, South Africa

Thembelihle Municipality, formerly known as Oranje-Karoo Municipality, is a local municipality within the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Thembelihle is a Xhosa word meaning "good hope".

A transitional representative council is a local administrative division in South Africa. Between 1994 and 2000 it was the default type of municipal government for small and rural communities. After apartheid these transitional councils were created as a provisional local representation until the formation of a more final municipal structure. Due to the implementation of a municipal system in 2000, all – except one – transitional councils were abolished and their areas were merged into new municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality is a local municipality within the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The municipality was established by merging the Camdeboo, Ikwezi and Baviaans local municipalities. The decision to merge the municipalities was taken by the Municipal Demarcation Board in 2015 but only took effect after municipal elections on 3 August 2016. The new municipality is named after the Afrikaner cleric and anti-apartheid activist Beyers Naudé. Its seat is in Graaff-Reinet. The merger was motivated by political interests because the ruling party, the African National Congress, was losing support in the area. One of the municipalities, Baviaans, was already governed by the opposition Democratic Alliance.

The Accord on Afrikaner self-determination is a South African political accord that recognises the right of the Afrikaner people on self-determination. The accord was signed by the Freedom Front, the African National Congress and the National Party-led South African government on 23 April 1994.

Wynand Johannes Boshoff is a South African academic and politician from the Northern Cape serving as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) since 2019. He has been serving as the Provincial Leader of the FF+ since 2015. He previously served as a municipal councillor of the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality from 2016 to 2019. Boshoff is the grandson of the assassinated apartheid-era Prime Minister of South Africa, Hendrik Verwoerd, who served from 1958 until 1966, and the son of Afrikaner enclave Orania founder, Carel Boshoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carel Boshoff IV</span> South African politician and writer

Carel Willem Hendrik Boshoff, is a South African politician and writer known for being the leader of the Afrikaner-only town Orania.

References

  1. ↑ TLC and TRC code list, Statistics South Africa, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ↑ "Mufamadi meets Orania representatives". News24. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  3. ↑ Dis nou ek, 'n outobiografie, Carel Boshoff, 2011, Lapa Uitgewers, p. 387.
  4. 1 2 "Orania court action looming". News24. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Eie munisipale verkiesing" (in Afrikaans). Orania Beweging. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Orania Transitional Representative Council and the Orania Inhabitants Association vs. The President of the Government of the Republic of South Africa and 47 others, Northern Cape High Court, 1148/2000.
  7. ↑ "Orania retains status quo". News24. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Statement on Cabinet meeting of 4 April 2001". Government Communications (GCIS). Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Orania hands report on independence to Mufamadi, SABC news, 29 April 2002, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Orania and Northern Cape government to discuss future of enclave, Mail & Guardian, 4 July 2007, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  11. ↑ FF LEADER THRILLED BY `VOLKSTAAT' RURAL COUNCIL, South African Press Association , Retrieved 9 June 2017
  12. ↑ Results Report Voting District: 65320017, Independent Electoral Commission, 26 June 2014, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Orania and the Third reinvention of the Afrikaner, Politicsweb, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  14. ↑ Kandidate vir uitwonerverkiesings van Orania Verteenwoordigende Raad Archived 28 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Afrikaans), Orania Blog, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  15. ↑ Video: Orania stem nie in verkiesing (in Afrikaans), Maroela Media, Retrieved 9 June 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.