Orania remains controversial in its mere existence. But town officials have solely been focusing on themselves, rather than the noise coming from outside its impenetrable gates. Growth is happening at a rapid rate in this part of SA, and the population stats back that up.
Who opposes Orania?
There are a number of politicians who would like to have Orania closed down. The new Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, is one of them. But within their own community, Oranians are building for a long and prosperous future.
Recently, service delivery in the isolated enclave has been ranked amongst the best in the Northern Cape. Orania is starting to enjoy slightly more favourable views from South Africans, too. With crime, load shedding, and unemployment running riot, many of us simply have bigger fish to fry.
Population growth continues in controversial town
A community being left to its own devices, therefore, doesn’t take much notice of its detractors. Since Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul stated that Orania’s status ‘would have to be reviewed’ a few years back, Orania has marched on in defiant fashion.
Their population figures say it all. In the previous calendar year, the number of people living in Orania spiked by 16.5%. Since 2018, the amount of residents has skyrocketed by over 55%. The total population is now nearing 2 500 for the first time – and there are plans to go further.
How many people live in Orania?
As per the town’s CEO, Orania is now gearing up to house over 10 000 people. This would be nothing short of an explosive growth in local citizens, but construction teams, town planners, and civil society are all taking the necessary steps to become a ‘five-figure population’.
Earlier this week, two of Orania’s top officials – Joost Strydom and Gawie Snyman – discussed how exactly they would go about QUADRUPLING their current population. For the likes of Panyaza Lesufi and Zamani Saul, this likely won’t be an easy listen.
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