Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - Obstacles

Volkstaat - Obstacles

A number of obstacles threaten the Volkstaat ideal held by some Afrikaners:

Volkstaat - 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.

Volkstaat - Public opinion

Although an independent Volkstaat just envisages to avoid “racism” under its different forms, be it Apartheid or Black Economic Empowerment, the broader black public in South Africa entertains the perception 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.

Volkstaat - 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.

Volkstaat - Other political parties

The Democratic Alliance, South Africa's current main opposition party, and most other mainstream parties in South Africa, opposes the idea of an Afrikaner Volkstaat.

Volkstaat - Shortage of resources

Settling an undeveloped land, providing basic services and founding businessess 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.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Obstacles", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki