‘Whitest place on Earth’: UK journalist’s ‘extremist adventure’ in Orania

Residents of the controversial town of Orania are up in arms about various “debatable” statements made by British journalist Ade Adepitan in his one-off Channel 4 documentary, Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure.

For starters, the former Paralympian dubbed Orania the “whitest place on Earth” in the 48-minute documentary which was aired on 18 March.

The Northern Cape town along the Orange River has its own flag and money and is protected by Article 235 of South Africa’s Constitution, which guarantees the right of self-determination.

Why did Ade Adepitan visit Orania?

Adepitan kicks off by stating that his reason for paying Orania a visit is because the “rise of rightwing politics. is taking hold around the world”.

“In South Africa, they take it a step further and have built a village only for white people. After months of negotiations, I’ll be the first black man to live in Orania for a week,” he continues.

“To me, they [the Oranians] look like racists, but I’ll put aside my preconceived notions to see if separatism can ever be justified.”

Orania Beweging CEO claps back at statements made in doccie

Joost Strydom, CEO of the Orania Beweging, told City Press that many of Adepitan’s statements are debatable.

“I can’t give exact dates and names, but there have been black journalists who’ve been entertained here for longer,” Strydom was quoted as saying in the publication.

He also believes that the travel journalist visited the town with the “deliberate intention of creating a distorted image” of it.

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False impression?

According to Strydom, the town’s management were under the impression that the documentary would focus on the town’s policy of self-determination.

“In the two rounds of negotiations and in Adepitan’s 10-day visit to the town, they communicated that their focus was on service delivery in Orania, compared with towns in the area and elsewhere in the country,” he said.

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‘Sensational’ attack no surprise

Strydom concluded by saying that this “sensational” attack comes as no surprise.

“I didn’t expect anything else from a British mainstream media channel. In Europe, there are many preconceived ideas about Orania, and journalists who arrive here are often friendly (during their visit), but completely distort the narrative afterwards.”

‘Bouncers at church here in Orania’

In Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure, Adepitan can be seen thrown out of a church meeting after he tries to speak with a member of the congregation. 

We just got kicked out of church. It’s not very neighbourly or godly. I thought this was all about friendliness and community. 

“We just wanted to meet the pastor. But yeah, they have bouncers at church here in Orania,” he comments in the documentary.

The Paralympian then adds that the Channel 4 team were told he was thrown out of the church because they had allegedly broken their filming agreement – a claim they disagreed with. 

Why is Orania called a ‘whites only’ town?

Orania is currently home to around 3 000 residents, but the eventual plan for the town is that it will accommodate 30 000 and expand into an area the size of England, according to Mail Online. 

It was established in 1991 by Carel Boshoff, the son-in-law of former prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd, who is often described as the “architect of apartheid”.

The town has been accused by many of attempting to revive apartheid, something the community has vehemently denied in the past.

Residents argue that they wish to preserve their Afrikaner cultural heritage and protect themselves from rampant crime in South Africa.

— Additional reporting by AFP

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