By Carien Du Plessis
Self-determination and an Afrikaner volkstaat (nation state) were still very much on the agenda of the FF Plus, party leader Pieter Mulder has said.
Mulder said his party had toned down from its original position of wanting a separate country and are now willing to accept whatever model worked, whether on municipal, provincial or national level.
He said the model could start small, like in the 600-strong private town of Orania in the Northern Cape, and grow bigger with time.
"The constitution enables people to create a self-determination model on the ground, and report back to government about its progress," he said.
Mulder said if Orania's population grew bigger, and if the need for it arose, a Constitutional Court case could be brought to try to ensure Afrikaners more self-determination. He said this right was even acknowledged by the United Nations.
Former FF Plus speaker of Cape Town, Dirk Smith, resigned from the party earlier this month, stating that he objected to belonging to a party still striving for a volkstaat ideal. FF Plus flyers at the local shop however make this ideal clear.
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's visit to the town this weekend was considered a precursor to a planned visit by ANC president Jacob Zuma.
Orania Beweging (Movement) president Carel Boshoff said after his meeting with Malema on Saturday that Orania's population and economy had been growing by between 14-20 percent in the past five years. FF Plus Youth deputy leader Francois Slabber, 33, now living in Kimberley, said he was in the process of settling in Orania.
Orania started out with about 10 residents, but now has between 600-700, all of whom were pre-approved by the council running the town.
Malema urged the people of Orania to integrate with the rest of South Africa and share their skills - especially their considerable agricultural skills - and culture with them.