Orania land claim settled at last

December 04, 2006, 20:45

The land claim on the Afrikaner enclave Orania has been awarded to a group of coloured people.

The land claims commission has confirmed that the claim has been approved by Lulu Xingwana, the land affairs minister. Virgil Gaborone, the Land Commission Project manager, says the community opted for financial restitution.

Eighty households’ members, who previously resided at Orania, will share R2.9 million. A consortium headed by Carel Boshoff, a professor, bought Orania in 1991 to realise his dream of a Volkstaat for Afrikaners.

Gaborone says the claim was lodged by Roos Viljoen in 1994 on behalf of the community. He says the land claim measures 480 000 hectares. Gaborone says they intend to finalise the claim by the end of next month.

Meanwhile, Orania residents say they are unaware of the latest development. They say they have been waiting for feedback from the land claims commission.

“If the government decides to pay them… we've got no problem with that. As far as claiming the land, that's something quiet different. When we came here in 1991, the place was virtually in ruins, many of the houses were dismantled, there was game wandering around in the town and we bought it for approximately R1.4 million,” said Manie Opperman, the Orania mayor.

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