Orania is a South Africa's only "purely" white town founded in the Northern Cape province in 1991 by Afrikaners, for Afrikaners opposed to the post-apartheid "rainbow nation," just after the release of Nelson Mandela. One thousand people live in Orania, and they try to be as self-sufficient as possible. They have their own money, as well as their own flag. Orania's population grows at nine per cent a year. It attracts Afrikaners who feel to be left out in the new South Africa, and who are scared of the country's high crime rates. The little town is protected by article 235 of South Africa's constitution, which guarantees the right of self-determination. But residents here are thinking big — their next goal is the creation of an Afrikaner Republic.
Photos taken by Stephane de Sakutin of AFP/Getty Images on April 17, 2013.
A young boy plays by a painted wall reading "Welcome in Orania" in Afrikaans.
Afrikaner pupils attend a lesson with their teacher.
A cashier holds Orania's currency notes.
More photos after the jump.
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