A number of factors have contributed to a feeling of estrangement experienced by some Afrikaners in South Africa; from their perspective these are: Volkstaat - 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 ...

See also:

Volkstaat, Volkstaat - The idea, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Lack of political power, Volkstaat - Culture and heritage, Volkstaat - Crime, Volkstaat - Unemployment, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction, Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities, Volkstaat - Freedom Front, Volkstaat - South African Legislation, Volkstaat - Establishing a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Obstacles, Volkstaat - Afrikaner disarray, Volkstaat - Public opinion, Volkstaat - South African Government, Volkstaat - Other political parties, Volkstaat - Shortage of resources, Volkstaat - Source

Read more here: » Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat

The Transvaal region is known to have been inhabited since the 8th century by Venda and Sotho peoples. In 1817, the region was invaded by tribes pushed from their land by the Zulu king Shaka and his Impis. These forced migrations, known as the Difaqane, made the region very weak, and easy to colonize by the nearby European settlers. In the 1830s and the 1840s, descendents of Dutch and other settlers, collectively known as Boers (farmers) or Voortrekkers (pioneers), left the British Cape Colony, in what was to be called the Great Trek. ...

See also:

South African Republic, South African Republic - Flag, South African Republic - History

Read more here: » South African Republic: Encyclopedia II - South African Republic - History

The Transvaal region is known to have been inhabited since the 8th century by Venda and Sotho peoples. In 1817, the region was invaded by tribes pushed from their land by the Zulu king Shaka and his Impis. These forced migrations, known as the Difaqane, made the region very weak, and easy to colonize by the nearby European settlers. In the 1830s and the 1840s, descendents of Dutch and other settlers, collectively known as Boers (farmers) or Voortrekkers (pioneers), left the British Cape Colony, in what was to be called the Great Trek. ...

See also:

South African Republic, South African Republic - Flag, South African Republic - History, South African Republic - Presidents

Read more here: » South African Republic: Encyclopedia II - South African Republic - History

Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer which came to denote the descendants of the Afrikaans-speaking migrating farmers of the expanding eastern Cape frontier. The Boers are descended mainly from Dutch Calvinist, Frisian Calvinist, French Huguenot, Walloon, Flemish and German Protestant origins dating from the 1650s and into the 1700s. Smaller but significant numbers of Scandinavians, Scots, English, Indians, Malays & Khoi have been absorbed as well. Those Boers who trekked into and inhabited the eastern Cape frontier w ...

Read more here: » Boer: Encyclopedia - Boer

Paul Kruger, a notable Afrikaner Western Cape Province: 0.55 million, North West Province: 0.2 million, Free State Province: 0.2 million (2001 est. 1) Afrikaners are South Africans of predominantly Dutch Calvinist, French Huguenot, German Protestant, Frisian, Flemish, and Walloon descent who speak Afrikaans. Afrikaners are also sometimes referred to as Boers (Afrikaans for farmer) as a significant percentage are descended from cultural Boers, but many Afrikaners now view this ...

Including:

• Afrikaner - History
• Afrikaner - Today
• Afrikaner - Afrikaner versus Boer
• Afrikaner - Notable historic Afrikaners
• Afrikaner - Notable contemporary Afrikaners

Read more here: » Afrikaner: Encyclopedia - Afrikaner

The following are deciding factors for the formation of a Volkstaat: 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 1% by the last National elections in 2004, with the Democratic Alliance obtaining most of the Afrikaner vote. See also:

Volkstaat, Volkstaat - The idea, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Lack of political power, Volkstaat - Culture and heritage, Volkstaat - Crime, Volkstaat - Unemployment, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction, Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities, Volkstaat - Freedom Front, Volkstaat - South African Legislation, Volkstaat - Establishing a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Obstacles, Volkstaat - Afrikaner disarray, Volkstaat - Public opinion, Volkstaat - South African Government, Volkstaat - Other political parties, Volkstaat - Shortage of resources, Volkstaat - Source

Read more here: » Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities

For the Afrikaners who support this 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 that 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. The idea of partitioning South Africa into various states, or into a confederation of states, has not been the exclusive preserve of these Afrikaners. The South African liberal icon of ...

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Volkstaat, Volkstaat - The idea, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Lack of political power, Volkstaat - Culture and heritage, Volkstaat - Crime, Volkstaat - Unemployment, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction, Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities, Volkstaat - Freedom Front, Volkstaat - South African Legislation, Volkstaat - Establishing a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Obstacles, Volkstaat - Afrikaner disarray, Volkstaat - Public opinion, Volkstaat - South African Government, Volkstaat - Other political parties, Volkstaat - Shortage of resources, Volkstaat - Source

Read more here: » Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - The idea

Emigration of citizens, including Afrikaners, from South Africa is at an all time high. Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States 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, herita ...

See also:

Volkstaat, Volkstaat - The idea, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Lack of political power, Volkstaat - Culture and heritage, Volkstaat - Crime, Volkstaat - Unemployment, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction, Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities, Volkstaat - Freedom Front, Volkstaat - South African Legislation, Volkstaat - Establishing a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Obstacles, Volkstaat - Afrikaner disarray, Volkstaat - Public opinion, Volkstaat - South African Government, Volkstaat - Other political parties, Volkstaat - Shortage of resources, Volkstaat - Source

Read more here: » Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction

Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (November 27, 1798 – 23 July 1853) was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic in present-day South Africa. Originally a Boer farmer from Graaff-Reinet in the Cape Colony, and a descendant from one of the earliest Dutch settlers in South Africa, he left his home and joined the Great Trek. By way of the Orange Free State, he crossed the Drakensberg into Natal, arriving in November 1838, at a ...

Read more here: » Andries Pretorius: Encyclopedia - Andries Pretorius

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 t ...

See also:

Volkstaat, Volkstaat - The idea, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reasons for wanting a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Lack of political power, Volkstaat - Culture and heritage, Volkstaat - Crime, Volkstaat - Unemployment, Volkstaat - Afrikaner reaction, Volkstaat - Volkstaat possibilities, Volkstaat - Freedom Front, Volkstaat - South African Legislation, Volkstaat - Establishing a Volkstaat, Volkstaat - Obstacles, Volkstaat - Afrikaner disarray, Volkstaat - Public opinion, Volkstaat - South African Government, Volkstaat - Other political parties, Volkstaat - Shortage of resources, Volkstaat - Source

Read more here: » Volkstaat: Encyclopedia II - Volkstaat - Obstacles

Although some of these republics were already founded from 1795 onwards during the period of Dutch colonial rule at the Cape, most of these states were established after Britain took over from the Netherlands as the colonial power at the Cape of Good Hope. Subsequently a number of its Dutch-speaking inhabitants trekked inland in 1835 in order to escape their administrative control in a movement that became known as the Great Trek. Several of these states were established after military defeats of the indigenous population by the Voortrekkers/Boers by virtue o ...

See also:

Boer Republics, Boer Republics - History, Boer Republics - List of the Boer and Griqua states

Read more here: » Boer Republics: Encyclopedia II - Boer Republics - History

Afrikaners are mainly descended from northwestern European settlers and religious refugees who lived in the Cape of Good Hope during the period of administration (1652-1795) by the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC) and the subsequent period of British rule. The original colony at the Cape, which was started as a refreshment station for the VOC, was first settled by the Dutch in 1652. The arrival in 1688 of a small group of French Huguenots who were fleeing religious persecution in France infused new b ...

See also:

Afrikaner, Afrikaner - History, Afrikaner - Today, Afrikaner - Afrikaner versus Boer, Afrikaner - Notable historic Afrikaners, Afrikaner - Notable contemporary Afrikaners

Read more here: » Afrikaner: Encyclopedia II - Afrikaner - History

In recent years there has been an movement by some Afrikaners to support the mixed race ("coloured") population of South Africa, most of whom speak Afrikaans as their first language, to consider themselves Afrikaners. The Afrikaans word for the coloured people of South Africa and Namibia is "kleurlinge" but sometimes they are called "bruin afrikaners" or "bruinmense", meaning brown people. This has seen some success despite the history of exclusion during the colonial and apartheid eras. However, many Afrikaans-speaking coloureds feel they have developed a separate identity from white Afrikaans speakers due to the strict racial segregati ...

See also:

Afrikaner, Afrikaner - History, Afrikaner - Today, Afrikaner - Afrikaner versus Boer, Afrikaner - Notable historic Afrikaners, Afrikaner - Notable contemporary Afrikaners

Read more here: » Afrikaner: Encyclopedia II - Afrikaner - Today

Currently, a number of white Afrikaans-speaking people, mainly with "conservative" political views, prefer to be called "Boers", rather than "Afrikaners". They feel that there were many people of Voortrekker descent who were not co-opted or assimilated into what they see as the Cape-based Afrikaner identity which began emerging after the Second Anglo-Boer War and the subsequent establishment of the Union of South Africa. They contend that the Boers of the South African (ZAR) and Orange Free State republics were recognized as a separat ...

See also:

Afrikaner, Afrikaner - History, Afrikaner - Today, Afrikaner - Afrikaner versus Boer, Afrikaner - Notable historic Afrikaners, Afrikaner - Notable contemporary Afrikaners

Read more here: » Afrikaner: Encyclopedia II - Afrikaner - Afrikaner versus Boer