A group of white Afrikaners from Orania, a separatist enclave in South Africa, is seeking U.S. President Donald Trump’s assistance in establishing an autonomous Afrikaner state. Located in the semi-arid Karoo region, Orania, with a population of around 3,000, has remained an all-white town since its founding in the early 1990s, long after the end of apartheid.
Last week, leaders from the Orania Movement traveled to the United States to garner support for recognition as an independent entity. While South African authorities consider it a town within the country’s borders, Orania’s leaders are pushing for more autonomy. Joost Strydom, head of the Orania Movement, explained to Reuters that the visit aimed to attract attention from American politicians, particularly given the current international focus on South Africa.
“We wanted to gain recognition, with the American focus on South Africa now,” Strydom said, standing amidst statues of historical Afrikaner leaders.
Orania, which covers 8,000 hectares, has recently gained support from right-wing American groups for its Afrikaner nationalist cause. Strydom and other officials met with influencers, think tanks, and Republican politicians in New York and Washington, where they argued that South Africa’s diversity made central governance ineffective.
The leaders were unclear about the specific help they sought from the U.S., emphasizing that they were not asking for direct aid but rather for investment in infrastructure and housing. Orania has experienced significant population growth, and the settlement has made strides toward energy independence with solar power. Strydom did not disclose whether he had engaged directly with the Trump administration, and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
South African authorities, however, have dismissed the notion of Orania becoming an independent state. “(Orania’s) not… a country. They are subject to the laws of South Africa and our constitution,” said Chrispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the South African foreign ministry.
Orania’s efforts have drawn criticism from groups within South Africa, especially the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who accuse the enclave’s leaders of fostering racial division. However, Orania’s leaders defend their vision, comparing their aspirations to the creation of Israel after World War II. Carel Boshoff, former leader of the Orania Movement, spoke of a dream to expand the territory to the West Coast, nearly 1,000 miles away.
Orania’s financial resources come from local taxes and donations. Despite their desire for international support, the delegation’s discussions in the U.S. largely revolved around the possibility of U.S. residency, after Trump’s offer in February to resettle white South African farmers as refugees.
“We can’t be exporting our people,” Boshoff remarked, pointing to a photo of his late grandfather, Hendrick Verwoerd, a key architect of apartheid. “Help us here,” he urged.
Orania’s move has found sympathy from certain U.S. right-wing figures who align with Afrikaners in their opposition to diversity policies. Elon Musk, a South African-born advisor to Trump, has criticized South Africa’s Black empowerment laws, which Afrikaner residents see as discriminatory.
Hanlie Pieters, who moved to Orania after living in Johannesburg for 25 years, spoke out against South Africa’s Black empowerment quotas. “Our children… what opportunities will they have?” she said, highlighting the challenges faced by Afrikaners under the current system.
Meanwhile, in contrast, South Africa continues to battle high unemployment, particularly among Black South Africans. Bongani Zitha, a 49-year-old unemployed man from Soweto, lamented the lack of opportunity in the country. “People in Orania… are doing very well,” he said, contrasting his life in a shantytown with the relative prosperity of Orania’s residents.