LOOK: Orania experienced ‘staggering’ population growth last year

Orania is growing at an explosive pace, it seems - and these new population stats could give the town's detractors some food for thought.

Sep 5, 2022 - 11:12
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LOOK: Orania experienced ‘staggering’ population growth last year

The most contentious town in South Africa is looking after its own affairs. Orania, an exclusive enclave for Afrikaners in the Northern Cape, is experiencing a population boom right now – and the once-maligned town is growing at a rate of knots.

Orania experiences a huge population rise

In recent years, there have been calls to ‘shut down’ Orania. It’s existence as a ‘whites-only town’ is seen as an afront to the Rainbow Nation by some of its critics. However, residents and supporters remain proud of their self-sufficiency and reportedly low crime rates.

Orania exists on the edge of a moral compass – but none of the noise from the outside is affecting this community. Last month, we revealed that housing demands have skyrocketed in this remote part of South Africa, and construction teams are racing to increase supply.

Olienhout is a 63-apartment development for the rental market, which will take place in phases. Olienhout aims to be as accessible as possible to people as a cheap development. – Photo: Orania / Facebook

The numbers behind the headlines…

Locals are starting families left, right, and centre – but there’s also been an influx of outsiders applying to live and work in the town. These factors have combined to wholly increase the population of Orania by a significant amount. Indeed, some of the figures are staggering.

  • In 2021, Orania saw its population rise by 15%.
  • This continued in the same vein as 2020’s numbers, where a 16.5% increase was recorded.
  • Since 2018, it is estimated that the number of people in this town has actually soared by 55%.
  • Interestingly enough, the average age for a citizen in Orania is 37 – a relatively young population.
  • These facts and figures were confirmed by Orania Beweging last week, via their social media pages:

“The Town Office has just released the population growth for 2021, as part of a census and business survey. There was a 15% growth in Orania’s population in 2021. That number was 16.5% in 2020. We expect this to continue going forward. The town’s average age is currently 37.” | Orania Beweging