Hennie Pelser

Town tour guide at the Orania Movement

Hennie Pelser turns the air-conditioner of the minibus to maximum and wipes the perspiration from his brow. “When I became a member of the Orania Movement 19 years ago, I didn’t really think that my wife, Susan, and I would move to Orania. Not that we have ever regretted moving here 17 years ago. We don’t battle with crime or unemployment and the average age of residents is 37,” says Hennie, who worked in the banking sector in Johannesburg for a long time. “Although most people here earn significantly less than in the city, you can’t really put a price on the peace of mind and quality of life you enjoy here.”

The town feels like a large construction site. At one of the numerous developments where new paved roads are being laid, a red dust cloud swirls over the road. “Make no mistake, Orania was nothing more than a big dust bowl when the first families settled here in April 1991,” says Hennie, “but as you can see, at least 35 000 trees have since been planted. If you remove a tree today, you try to plant two new ones. And, of course, there are all the new houses! I drove through town this morning, trying to count how many new houses are currently under construction, but I lost count around 28, 29.”

Hennie points out the monuments and businesses, the retirement home with its modern sick bay, the new medical centre, the OSK co-operative bank, the Orasol solar farm.

“And then Orania naturally has good water. The water in the town is tested twice daily, and there are two water points on each property: purified water for household use and unpurified water for the garden,” says Hennie.

At another construction site where three neatly dressed young men are digging a trench in the blazing sun, he says: “As you can see, we do everything ourselves. Orania is built on three important principles: own land, own labour and own institutions. Everyone who lives here is here to build something greater.” >