Kleinfontein is a culturally segregated, Afrikaner-only settlement near

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

that was founded in 1992. Members of the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

and Democratic Alliance youth have denounced the settlement and the continued existence of Afrikaner-only settlements in post-

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa.

History

The entrance to the town displays a bust of Paul Kruger, a monument that commemarates the Battle of Blood River, the day Jan van Riebeeck landed in South-Africa, Paardekraal and a bust of

Hendrik Verwoerd Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of '' Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...

, considered by some as the "father of Apartheid"; the community obtained the bust from a cultural group. , 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. As of November 2013, the Gauteng legislature recognised Kleinfontein as a cultural community.
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. Article 185 of the

South African Constitution The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Gover ...

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 a Shareblock Scheme similar to its sister town

Orania Orania () is an Afrikaner separatist town founded by Afrikaners in South Africa. It is located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province. The town is split in two halves by the R369 road, and is from Cape Tow ...

. Van Wyk (2014) reports that two categories of inhabitants can be distinguished: older, retired people and younger middle-class professionals.

Criticism

Kleinfontein has been criticised for its policy of barring all non-Afrikaners from settling in the community. Protests were held in May 2013 when the Democratic Alliance and the ANC competed in local elections. The community has also been criticised by the South African government for engaging in practices that once led to a "divided South Africa." Residents of the community defend their practice by saying that they are defending their own separate cultural identity. 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.This is Kleinfontein - White couple not Afrikaner enough for racist settlement near Pretoria - SundayWorld

Geography

The town is located roughly halfway between

and

Bronkhorstspruit Bronkhorstspruit is a town 50 km east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa along the N4 highway towards Witbank. It also includes three townships called Zithobeni, Rethabiseng and Ekangala. On 18 May 2011, the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipal ...

. It lies just south of the N4, just west of the R515, a few kilometers south of

Rayton Rayton is a town in North-Eastern Gauteng which started out as a tin shack mining town on the farm Elandshoek. During its boom days the town served the needs of thousands of diggers and prospectors working for the Schiller, Montrose and Dunmore mi ...

, on the

Magaliesberg The Magaliesberg (historically also known as ''Macalisberg'' or ''Cashan Mountains'') of northern South Africa, is a modest but well-defined mountain range composed mainly of quartzites. It rises at a point south of the Pilanesberg (and the Pi ...

mountain range at the historical terrain where the Battle of Diamond Hill ( af, die slag van Donkerhoek) took place during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

References

External links

* {{City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality Populated places founded by Afrikaners Populated places in the City of Tshwane Intentional communities in South Africa

History

Criticism

Geography

See also

References

External links