Local actor and TV personality Siv Ngesi is very outspoken about his views on politics, social ills and racism. Recently he was embroiled in a war of words with a certain musician (cough, cough).
Not one to sugarcoat things, Siv visited the whites-only town of Orania. The award-winning star accompanied podcaster Joshua Rubin to Orania last month for the latest episode of his ‘Wide Awake’ podcast.
The white separatist town on the banks of the Orange River in the Northern Cape has long been a bone of contention for South Africans. Created as a settlement for only Afrikaners, residents must be Afrikaner, speak Afrikaans, and be a Calvinist Christian with a clean criminal record.
Siv interviewed Carel Boshoff IV. His great-grandfather was Hendrik Verwoerd, the former prime minister of South Africa. Carel’s father was Carel Boshoff II, who founded Orania.
When Siv asked if Black people are allowed in Orania, Carel said, “There’s no race criteria to access Orania.”
He then clarified his statement and added that while Orania is also a focused Afrikaner community, and there’s a very spontaneous reason why for 30 years Black people haven’t come to live in Orania.
From our doccie about Orania, the whites-only Afrikaner town.I interviewed Carel Boshoff IV
Carel’s great-grandfather was Hendrik Verwoerd, the former prime minister of South Africa. Carel’s father, was Carel Boshoff II, who founded Orania
Siv then cut straight to the chase and asked if Carel and his wife were to adopt a Black child and raise them as an Afrikaner, is that child considered an Afrikaner?
Carel explained, “hypothetically, yes, but we need to address that question when we meet it concretely.”
The comedian was given a full tour of the town, including its schools and hospitals, and admitted that before the visit, he had his misgivings.
At the end, the experience was an eye-opener. “There were many positives, but there was a feeling that wasn’t right…they just lack diversity. It’s like ‘It’s our way or the highway.
“But they have every right to do that, as it is their place”.
