Jantoené Oosthuizen

Owner of Meraki Rame

“People who book accommodation in the town often want to know in advance what time they should be in Orania before the gates close! And they are quite shocked when I answer, ‘Anytime; there are no gates here. I just leave the house open with the key in the door,’” laughs Jantoené, a former student of Volkskool Orania who has lived in the town all her life.

“Many people have doors that can’t lock, or they don’t know where the key is… one feels unbelievably safe because incidences of crime are minimal and offenders are caught immediately.”

“Like almost all the working residents in Orania, Jantoené has various income streams to keep the pot boiling. In 2018, she purchased the business Meraki Rame, where she frames artworks, photos, certificates, embroidery and sentimental heirlooms. She also hosts guests and manages the cleaners at Oranje-Sig’s four self-catering wooden chalets and Die Karoo Patriot (where Platteland stayed).

“In Orania, everyone works and helps from a young age. When I was in Grade 7, my sister, Corianca, and I started washing dishes at Die Oewer restaurant, and we later worked our way up to the kitchen. I was also an au pair for four children for a while, worked at the Senbel call centre for a few months and at Stokkiesdraai restaurant, made masks, and helped a friend with his leather products. But after Covid-19, the framing business started picking up again.”

Things have changed dramatically in the 27 years she’s been living here.

“I sometimes wish that the town would stop growing so quickly, because it was a much more tightly knit community. Now there are so many new people that it’s been a long time since I’ve known everyone,” says Jantoené, who is studying psychology through Arden University. “But then again, I’m not the biggest people’s person… let me put it like this: I feel so at home here, that I even try to spend my holidays here.”

Contact merakirame.co.za

Meraki Rame