EFF Says “We Cannot Allow to Have a Country Within a Country” as Party Demands Legal Review of Orania

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Northern Cape have called for an urgent legal review of the existence of Orania, saying that “we cannot allow to have a country within a country.” Led by Provincial Chairperson Commissar Shadrack Tlhaole, the party staged a powerful march to the offices of the Northern Cape Premier on Tuesday, demanding that the provincial government take immediate action against what they call racial segregation disguised as self-determination.

Orania, a privately-owned town situated in the Karoo, remains reserved exclusively for white Afrikaners more than three decades after South Africa transitioned to democracy. Only individuals who identify as white and Afrikaans-speaking are allowed to live there, a practice that the EFF says is unconstitutional and fundamentally undermines the values of a united South Africa.

EFF Leads the Charge Against Segregation

Reading from a memorandum of demands handed over to government officials, Tlhaole made it clear that the EFF would not rest until Orania was dismantled or legally forced to open its doors to all South Africans.

“Orania must be reviewed now,” Tlhaole said. “We cannot allow to have a country within a country.”

Tlhaole declared that he and the EFF leadership were prepared to personally move into Orania once black people were allowed to live there, as part of the broader fight for inclusivity and non-racialism in South Africa.

“I am going to be a resident of Orania, I am going with my collective, the leadership of the EFF. I am going to fight tooth and nail to be one society, we are going to be inclusive,” he told a cheering crowd of supporters.

The EFF believes that the existence of racially exclusive spaces like Orania and Kleinfontein in Pretoria is not only a betrayal of the country’s democratic principles but also poses a growing threat to racial unity.

Warning of Racial Tensions

Tlhaole warned that if the government continues to tolerate such exclusive communities, it could inflame tensions between black and white South Africans.

“The EFF is focusing on unifying all the people. Orania on itself, if not attended to very soon, there will be tension between black and white in South Africa, so we are fighting that we are going to win,” Tlhaole added.

He stressed that South Africa’s Constitution does not permit the establishment of racially defined territories and that government action was long overdue.

Orania Appeals to the US for Support

Amid growing local criticism, the Orania Movement has turned abroad for assistance. The movement has formally appealed to the United States government, asking for recognition as a distinct ethnic group within South Africa.

Their appeal comes against the backdrop of the recently passed Expropriation Act, which allows for land expropriation without compensation in some circumstances. In response to the Act, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting financial aid to South Africa and instructed his administration to explore refugee status options for Afrikaners.

Joost Strydom, the Head of the Orania Movement, insists that their aim is not to flee South Africa but to establish recognised self-governance within the country.

“Our plea can be summarised in three words: ‘Help us here.’ Not necessarily with US tax dollars, but with the recognition of our legitimate pursuit. That is the pursuit of Afrikaner self-determination,” Strydom said.

He pointed out that the vision for Orania was discussed and acknowledged in the 1990s when the South African government signed what was known as the Afrikaner Accord on Self-Determination.

“The South African government even signed this as the Afrikaner Accord on Self-Determination, which states that Afrikaner self-determination is a legitimate pursuit,” Strydom added.

South Africa’s Legal Framework on the Issue

Section 235 of the Constitution does allow for the right to self-determination by a community sharing a common cultural and language heritage. However, the EFF argues that Orania’s complete exclusion of other racial groups under the guise of culture crosses the constitutional line into unlawful segregation.

Tlhaole said the party would continue to push for a formal legal review of Orania’s status and called on other political organisations and civil society movements to join the campaign.

“We must dismantle apartheid wherever it seeks to hide and fester. Whether in Orania, in Kleinfontein, or anywhere else, we will not rest until all South Africans are treated equally in their own country,” Tlhaole said.

Broader Political Reaction

The EFF’s stance on Orania has once again reignited the national debate about cultural self-determination versus racial exclusion. While supporters of Orania defend their right to preserve Afrikaans culture and identity, critics argue that the town’s practices are a blatant relic of apartheid-era segregation.

Meanwhile, the national government has yet to respond formally to the EFF’s demands or indicate whether a legal review of Orania’s existence will be pursued. However, public pressure continues to mount as organisations like the EFF place issues of racial justice and equality firmly back on the national agenda.

Growing Calls for Inclusive Development

Beyond the legal challenges, the EFF and other progressive voices have called for policies that prioritise inclusive development in rural areas like the Karoo, where many communities—regardless of race—still suffer from poverty, underdevelopment, and neglect.

Tlhaole said that fighting Orania’s exclusivity must be coupled with a commitment to improving the living standards of all South Africans, especially those left behind by the slow pace of economic transformation.

“Our struggle is not just to dismantle racial enclaves. It is to build a South Africa where every child, regardless of race or language, has the same right to dignity, opportunity, and land,” he concluded.

As the battle lines are drawn over the future of Orania, the EFF has made it clear: “We cannot allow to have a country within a country.”