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).]] HISTORICAL CONTEXT Historically, Afrikaners have had a drive for independence which resulted in the establishment of different republics in what is now the modern Republic of South Africa. These Republics were proclaimed by the Voortrekkers , of which the most notable were Natalia Republic , the Orange Free State and the South African Republic . However, British rule after the Second Anglo-Boer War led to the dissolution of the last two remaining Afrikaner states (Orange Free State and South African Republic). THE IDEA The idea of partitioning South Africa into various states, or into a confederation of states, has not been the exclusive preserve of a few Afrikaners. The South African liberal icon of the 1930s and 1940s, Alfred Hoernlé , considered partition as a way of protecting blacks from white oppression and reducing the risk of racial conflict in the country. More recently, German author and observer at the 1987 meeting between the ANC and Afrikaner academics in Dakar ( Senegal ), Klaus Von Der Ropp , has proposed partitioning South Africa to ensure genuine black independence and to provide whites with the security an independent enclave would offer. AFRIKANER ARGUMENTS FOR A VOLKSTAAT For the modern day Afrikaners who support the Volkstaat concept, the basic prerequisite of a nation wishing to secure its survival with its own culture, religion and language, is a geographically defined territory. They argue that a nation which does not have its own territorial base is scaled down to the status of a group—and in the case of Afrikaners, a Minority Group . A number of factors have contributed to a feeling of estrangement experienced by some Afrikaners in South Africa; from their perspective these are: Lack of political power The Afrikaners, who form a small minority group in South Africa (8% of total population 2001 est.), handed over their political power in South Africa during the 1994 democratic elections. The lack of political power that ensued resulted in a strive for self reliance and self governance, due to the limited say that the Afrikaners have, as a collective group, in the basic South African governmental policies that influence their daily lives such as healthcare, education, security, taxes, governmental expenditure, economic models, etc. Culture and heritage In 2002 a number of towns and cities with historic Afrikaans names dating back to Voortrekker times—such as Pietersburg and Potgietersrus —had their names changed, often in the face of popular opposition to the change. In the same year the government decided that state departments had to choose a single language for inter- and intra-departmental communication, effectively compelling public servants to communicate using English with one another. Of the 31 universities in South Africa, five were historically Afrikaans ( Free State , Potchefstroom , Pretoria , Rand Afrikaans University and Stellenbosch ). In mid 2002 the national Minister of Education, Kader Asmal , announced that Afrikaans medium universities must implement parallel teaching in English, despite a proposal by a government appointed commission that two Afrikaans universities should be retained to further Afrikaans as an academic language. According to the government’s language policy for higher education “the notion of Afrikaans universities runs counter to the end goal of a transformed higher education system". Crime The expectation which many Afrikaners had in 1994 that crime—especially violent crime—would decrease has not materialised. Consistently high levels of violent crime (and the media coverage of it) have resulted in a significant increase in the public’s feelings of insecurity. Among rural Afrikaners the violent attacks on farmers and their families ( South African Farmer Murders ) have contributed significantly to a hardening of attitudes. Between 1998 and 2001 there were some 3 500 recorded farm attacks in South Africa. The attacks have resulted in the murder of 541 farmers, their families or their workers. On average more than two farm attack related murders are committed every week. Conservative Afrikaners largely interpret farm attacks as a racially inspired campaign to force them off their farms. In mid-2001 the Freedom Front appealed to the United Nations Human Rights Commission to place pressure on the South African government to do something about the murder of Afrikaner farmers, which “had taken on the shape of an ethnic massacre” Freedom Front leader, Pieter Mulder , claimed that most farm attacks seemed orchestrated, and that the motive for the attacks was not only criminal. Mulder further claimed that “a definite anti-Afrikaner climate had taken root in South Africa. People accused of murdering Afrikaners were often applauded by supporters during court appearances”. Unemployment White (of whom the majority is Afrikaners) unemployment is low by South African standards: 10% in 2001, compared to a national average of 37%. White unemployment has, however, experienced the greatest proportional increase between 1995 and 2001: 197% compared to a national average of 27%. In 2001 some 228,000 economically active whites were unemployed. This coincides with the introduction of (and is considered a direct result of) Affirmative Action (also called Employment Equity ), which enforces racial quotas upon all employers. This often makes it very difficult, by law, for white people to be accepted in job vacancies, a side-effect of which is colloquially referred to as the " Brain Drain " (the wholesale emigration of skilled white professionals). AFRIKANER REACTION Emigration of citizens, including Afrikaners, from South Africa is at an all time high. Australia , New Zealand , Great Britain and Canada are favourite destinations. This drain of mostly highly qualified and skilled people is making a large impact on the both South Africa in general and Afrikaner communities in particular. While some advocate a violent solution, specifically an organisation called Die Boeremag (''Boer force/power''), many of the Afrikaner community feel that the best way to safeguard their culture, heritage and people, is through self determination and obtaining minority rights peacefully. They point out that minority rights and Separatism are "hot topics" in current international politics - such as the Palestinian s, the Flemish in Belgium , the French -speaking people of Quebec in Canada , the Kurd s in Iraq , the Tamil s of Sri Lanka and the Basque s in Spain . The majority of Afrikaners still hope that the New South Africa as envisioned by Nelson Mandela , FW De Klerk , Desmond Tutu and Beyers Naudé will come to pass, i.e. a South Africa with racial reconciliation and equal rights. The support that a Volkstaat needs is therefore still largely lacking among Afrikaners, but may grow if the perceived situation persists. VOLKSTAAT POSSIBILITIES The following are deciding factors for the formation of a Volkstaat: Freedom Front The Freedom Front has been the major political driving force for the formation of a Volkstaat. This Afrikaner-focused political party has representation in the national Parliament as well as several Provincial legislatures in South Africa. Support for this party has however dwindled to less than 18% of the Afrikaner vote, being 1% of the total votes cast, by the last National elections in 2004 , with the Democratic Alliance obtaining most of the Afrikaner vote. South African Legislation Section 235 of the South African Constitution allows for the right to self determination of any community, who shares a common culture and language, within a territorial entity within the Republic, or in any other way, as described by national legislation. This section of the constitution was one of the negotiated settlements during the handing over of political power in 1994 by Afrikaners. The Freedom Front, was instrumental in including this section in the constitution. Establishing a Volkstaat One Volkstaat attempt is the small town of Orania in the Northern Cape province. The land on which Orania is built is privately owned, and Afrikaners have been encouraged by promoters of the volkstaat concept to move to Orania, although only a small number has responded. Another attempt is the settlement of Kleinfontein outside Pretoria (in the Tshwane metropolitan area). ARGUMENTS AGAINST A VOLKSTAAT A number of obstacles threaten the Volkstaat ideal held by some Afrikaners: Afrikaner disarray The decision of where the best location for a Volkstaat would be, is still contentious. Some Afrikaners (the Freedom Front in particular) argue that the most feasible location would be the arid and undeveloped Northern Cape where Orania is situated, as there is no other competition for land in this area, due to the sparse population of this vast province. This area also offers access to the ocean and enough space to become entirely self reliant in time. Other Afrikaners, however, wish to establish the Volkstaat around Pretoria , as this area is already highly economically active and a great deal of Afrikaner cultural heritage is situated in this city. The Gauteng province and immediate surroundings of Pretoria is however the home and livelihood of over 7 million non-Afrikaners and an Afrikaner enclave in this limited space would probably not be self reliant. Public opinion Although the stated goal of an independent Volkstaat is to avoid Racism under its different forms, be it Apartheid or Black Economic Empowerment , the some groups in South Africa, including some parts of the black public, have suggested that the Volkstaat idea is born out of racism, and that it is the Afrikaner right wing's last attempt to restore their ideology of supremacy over black Africans. South African Government The current South African government ( African National Congress ) is distrustful of Afrikaner motives for a Volkstaat, due to the South African history of the previous century, when the racially driven Apartheid policy caused much resentment under black Africans towards Whites. The government also wishes to protect the territorial integrity of the country. The government contemplated ending Orania’s potential for Afrikaner self determination, by incorporating it into the neighbouring black African controlled municipality of Hopetown . The Oranians were able to defend their claim to self determination, by obtaining a High Court order to protect their current status for the time being, based on Section 235 of the constitution. The government argues that it is not attacking the Afrikaner culture and heritage, but merely not giving it the high priority that it enjoyed under the Apartheid regime. Other political parties The Democratic Alliance , South Africa's current main opposition party, and most other mainstream parties in South Africa, oppose the idea of an Afrikaner Volkstaat. Shortage of resources Settling an undeveloped land, providing basic services and founding businesses that can provide employment requires great capital investment. The Afrikaners in favour of a Volkstaat have only limited resources available. Obtaining the resources and entrepreneurs to develop the Volkstaat thus remain significant obstacles to the establishment of a Volkstaat. SOURCE
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