Kleinfontein

Kleinfontein is a whites only settlement near Pretoria, South Africa that was founded by Afrikaners in 1992. Members of the African National Congress and Democratic Alliance have denounced the settlement and the continued existence of whites only settlements in post-apartheid South Africa.[2][3]

Kleinfontein
Kleinfontein
Kleinfontein
Kleinfontein
Coordinates: 25.832°S 28.501°E / -25.832; 28.501
CountrySouth Africa
ProvinceGauteng
MunicipalityCity of Tshwane
Established1992
Government
  MayorRandall Williams (DA)
Area
  Total8.6 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
Population
  Total650
  Density76/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (SAST)
Websitehttp://www.kleinfontein.net/

History

The entrance to the town displays a bust of Hendrik Verwoerd,[4] the "father of apartheid"; the community obtained the bust from a neighbouring town which no longer wanted it.[5]

As of 2013, the population of Kleinfontein was about 900 Afrikaners during the day, of which about 650 were residents and about 400 were shareholders. Kleinfontein's area has grown from the original 500 hectares to the current 860 hectares, and stretches just off the N4 highway beyond the Boschkop road.[1] As of November 2013, the Gauteng legislature recognised Kleinfontein as a cultural community.[6][7] The City of Pretoria still refused to declare it a separate development or a formal township. Efforts to be recognized as a separate legal entity have not been successful. Following the legislature's investigation into Kleinfontein, there were 450 shareholders and 1,000 residents, living in around 300 homes.[6] Article 185 of the South African Constitution allows citizens of a similar cultural, linguistic, or religious group to associate with each other.

The settlement consists of a single, undivided property. The ownership of individual residents is by internal agreement alone, as no legal arrangements have been made.[8] Van Wyk (2014) reports that two categories of inhabitants can be distinguished: older, retired people and younger middle-class professionals.[8]

Criticism

Kleinfontein has been criticised for its policy of barring all non ethnically Dutch, non-Afrikaans speakers from settling in the community. Protests were held in May 2013 when the community denied the application of a black man to buy a home in the community.[4][9][10] The community has also been criticised by the South African government for engaging in practices that once led to a "divided South Africa."[11] Residents of the community defend their practice by saying that they are defending their own separate cultural identity.[12][13]

Some residents of the community have also objected to the "restricted" nature of the community which prevents them from selling their home to the buyer of their choice.[14]

Geography

The town is located roughly halfway between Pretoria and Bronkhorstspruit. It lies just south of the N4, just west of the R515, a few kilometers south of Rayton, on the Magaliesberg mountain range at the historical terrain where the Battle of Diamond Hill (Afrikaans: die slag van Donkerhoek) took place during the Second Boer War.

See also

References

  1. Ontstaan en Geskiedenis Archived 2010-12-30 at the Wayback Machine, Official site
  2. "Kleinfontein segregation not about race". News24. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  3. "Welcome to Kleinfontein, lingering outpost of apartheid South Africa". TheGuardian.com. 30 July 2013.
  4. Bruton, F. Brinley (20 June 2013). "All-white town fights to preserve segregation in Mandela's 'Rainbow Nation'". World News NBC. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  5. Raghavan, Sudarsan (30 July 2013). "Welcome to Kleinfontein, lingering outpost of apartheid South Africa". Guardian Weekly. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  6. Archived 2013-11-25 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Kleinfontein settlement recognised as cultural community - FF+ - POLITICS | Politicsweb". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
  8. Van Wyk, Johannes Stephanus (2014). "Buying into Kleinfontein: the Financial Implications of Afrikaner Self-Determination" (PDF). University of Pretoria. p. iv. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  9. Protest over reported Kleinfontein racism | News24 Archived 2013-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Ntuli, Mbali (22 May 2013). "DA Youth to protest Kleinfontein racism". Democratic Alliance. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  11. Government shocked by racist Kleinfontein - Politics | IOL News | IOL.co.za Archived 2013-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  12. Kleinfontein: Pretoria’s own Orania - Gauteng | IOL News | IOL.co.za Archived 2013-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Kleinfontein segregation not about race | News24 Archived 2013-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  14. This is Kleinfontein - White couple not Afrikaner enough for racist settlement near Pretoria - SundayWorld Archived 2013-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
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