A young South African Afrikaner boy plays by a painted wall reading 'Welcome in Orania' in Afrikaans on April 17, 2013 in Orania. Orania is a South Africa’s only white town founded in the Northern Cape province in 1991 by Afrikaners, for Afrikaners opposed to the post-apartheid ‘rainbow nation' just after the release of Nelson Mandela. Stephane De Sakutin / AFP
THE ANC has quashed suggestions that its Northern Cape provincial structure has entered into a coalition with the Freedom Front Plus paving way for the recognition of the status of Orania, an Afrikaner town in the province.
This comes after reports surfaced that the two have entered into a coalition government after the ANC obtained 49.3% of the vote in the May elections.
It follows the re-election of Northern Cape Premier Zamani Saul with the support from the Freedom Front Plus last week.
ANC provincial secretary Deshi Ngxanga said the ANC would constitute a provincial government next Tuesday.
“The ANC has not entered into any coalition agreements with the Freedom Front Plus or any other political party,” Ngxanga said.
He, however, said they have a working relationship with the Freedom Front Plus.
“As part of this working relationship the Freedom Front Plus will chair the portfolio committee of co-operative governance, human settlement and traditional affairs.”
Ngxanga also said the Freedom Front Plus submitted a concept document on the state and the future of Orania during their engagements.
"As the ANC, we welcome these engagements, and are impressed with the openness and honesty with which Freedom Front Plus wants us to engage on the matter.
“We currently intensely studying the concept document and took up the matter with the national leadership for guidance,” he added.
His statement came as the Freedom Front Plus announced on Thursday that it signed the statement of intent to become part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in order to be involved to help restore and rebuild South Africa.
The party has maintained that it has entered into agreement with the provincial ANC on the recognition of Orania.
Party leader Pieter Groenewald said his party would use the opportunity to implement and promote the party’s policy and its voters’ mandate to save South Africa from ruin.
“The party will seize this opportunity to contribute to the drafting of better policy directions to get South Africa back on the right track.
“The party will play its part in ensuring stability in the country and considers it its duty to contribute in this way,” Groenewald said.
He added that his party’s participation in the GNU will also be used to ensure accountability to the people through fully restoring Parliament’s role.
“Parliament’s role as institution tasked with effectively overseeing the executive authority and holding it accountable, without favouring any single party, must be restored.
“South Africa must get on the road to economic recovery as soon as possible to promote job creation and improve service delivery,” he said.
In an interview with the SABC, Groenewald said part of the agreement with the ANC was emphasis on development of the Northern Cape as a whole.
“Orania is part of agreement,” he said, adding that the provincial ANC wanted the Afrikaner farmers to avail their expertise in assisting the communal farmers, among other things.
Groenewald added that a task team would be formed to take the process forward.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had discussions with the national level of the ANC. I explicitly asked about the Northern Cape and whether they have the authority to accept or not and it was said to us ‘yes’ they do have the authority to accept or not and they did accept.”
But, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said earlier this week that there was no such agreement on Orania.
“We would not entertain anything of that sort but talking to people and their interests is in the DNA of the ANC without compromising our principles,” Mbalula said.
He also said Orania has existed in the Northern Cape and they have been tolerant to its existence within the democratic state.
Mbalula said that they would give them a hearing the proposal on Orania on the table.
“We don’t close doors to people because they have all these sorts of ideas. If they bring them to us, we will make our position known,” he said.
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