Volkstaat

The nation state is a discussed mainly in the 1990s proposal to establish a territory to the territory of the Republic of South Africa, where the Boers, who afrikaanssprechende ethnic group can manage within the white minority of the country itself. A nation state could achieve this state character, and even full independence. This idea was initially supported only by small, mostly right-wing groups. Meanwhile, the concept of a people's state is tracked as an autonomous or independent territory of many members of the Afrikaans minority interest.

History

The Boers (also: Afrikaners ) have a long tradition in terms of the creation of states. In particular, during the Great Trek they founded several (usually short-lived ) Boer republics, including the Orange Free State and Transvaal, but lost at the latest in the Second Boer War their independence.

During apartheid, the culture of the Boers and the English-speaking South Africans was protected by the government, and Afrikaans and English were the only two official languages. The majority of politicians were Afrikaners. Apartheid was used to represent the non-white population inferior to the white (including the Boer ).

In the late 1980s the African Vryheidstigting was ( Afrikaner Freedom Foundation ), short Avstig, founded by Carel Boshoff. It set out to establish a people's government in rural and sparsely populated north of the Cape Province. 1991 Avstig bought a vacant, former working class neighborhood in the Northern Cape and established Orania. It was here that in the following, a people's state in miniature.

Supporters and opponents

In the elections of 1994, the Freedom Front did show, which went with the aim of creating a nation state for votes. They then received 424 555 votes, however, they reached even close in any constituency a majority. Before the parliamentary elections of 1999 found that 26.9 percent of Afrikaners who would like to emigrate, but can not, a people's state advocate.

In two surveys, the whites were asked in 1993 and 1996: " What do you think of reporting a field for Afrikaners and other white South Africans, in which they can manage themselves? Do you support the idea of ​​a nation state? "In 1993, the survey found that 29 percent liked the idea and would draw 18 percent in such a nation state. 34 percent were against this idea. 1996 was the result that only 22 percent found the idea good, while only 9 percent said they would move to a nation state. Meanwhile, already 66 percent of respondents were hostile to the idea.

In the 1996 survey, it was found that "those who reported in 1996 that they could imagine to move to a nation state, mostly Afrikaans -speaking men who are the supporters of the Conservatives or the Freedom Front are, have racist views themselves as Afrikaners call and are not satisfied with the new democratic South Africa. " However, it should be noted that no definition of a " racist view "was made and maybe just the willingness to use the fundamental right of freedom of association was found.

However, recent surveys (2013 ) show a different picture: thus 56 % of the surveyed Buren advocated due to the latent, often racially motivated violence in South Africa for a people's state of, or could imagine to move to a nation state.

Against the democratic state idea note that the Boers in contrast to other stateless nations such as the Kurds or Tamils ​​no other historic home than the Republic of South Africa, in which they also live for the most part today. While there are areas (Gauteng, Cape Town ), in which they live to large numbers, but they provide nowhere the majority of the population.

At a conference on the theme of self-determination, which was held in Orania in October 2005, showed little enthusiasm Afrikaans intellectuals in the question of secession, but made ​​other proposals such as " cyber -Government".

People's State of movements

The Freedom Front is the political driving force behind the idea. The clientele party is represented in the national parliament and in various provincial parliaments. In the parliamentary elections of 2009 they could win 146,000 votes (0.83 percent). This represents about 6 percent of the votes of all Buren ( assuming that the party no voters outside this ethnic group received ). The Freedom Front is based on models such as Spain, where autonomies were created for linguistic minorities. This is the only way to protect the rights of the Boers. For this purpose, a Homeland is to be created on the territory of the North Cape and Western Cape provinces for them.

The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, a far-right grouping, also advocates a people's state.

The Boeremag was a right-wing organization and wanted to earlier achieve similar plans by force. Several of its members were on trial for treason.

Orania and Kleinfontein

More serious attempts to build areas for Afrikaners, Orania make the settlements and Kleinfontein dar. In case Oranias a village was built on private land and residents are advertised. Now live in Orania more than 1,000 inhabitants. Even if the expectations of the founding fathers were not met, this corresponds to a constant increase. Over time, some economic prosperity was established. Kleinfontein located in the area of Pretoria.

Legal basis

Section 235 of the Constitution of South Africa allows a community with a common language and culture, to manage in an area in South Africa itself.

This clause of the Constitution during the negotiations which preceded the transfer of power in 1994, negotiated. Here, the Freedom Front played a significant role. So far, no law for any ethnic group was adopted on the basis of section 235, however.

The right to a nation state could be derived from international law, which all minorities who want independence in the form of independence, the above rights. A minority that is spatially focused and has its own cultural identity, thereafter has the right to independence if they will be subordinated. However, you would need to be clearly deprived of political, linguistic, cultural and religious rights. The creation of a state on South African territory would, however, affect the territorial integrity of the Republic of South Africa, which can be seen as an illegal, aggressive act.

Reaction of the Government

The ANC government made ​​it clear that they would not tolerate a nation state. She explained that she do instead everything in their power to protect the language and culture of the Afrikaners, as if like the other minorities in the country.

2003, the Commission was established for the promotion and protection of the rights of cultural, religious and linguistic groups. She has been asked ( including the Boers ) to deal with the protection of all that regards itself as an ethnic unit groups. The committee heard with J. Landman also a Bure.