Latest news with #Section235
IOL News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
FF+ defends Kleinfontein's cultural community amid MKP's controversial visit
Jaco Mulder of the Fredom Front Plus defended Kleinfontein in Pretoria, saying it deserved recognition for its culture. Freedom Front Plus (FF+) stated that the MK Party's visit to Kleinfontein, an area exclusively inhabited by white Afrikaners, highlighted the importance of cultural communities and their right to exist in South Africa. MKP's delegation, led by the parliamentary chief whip, Mzwanele Manyi visited the area in Pretoria on Monday. The purpose of the fact-finding visit was to engage with local leaders and gain a deeper understanding of how Section 235 of the Constitution is interpreted. Manyi believes that settlements like Orania and Kleinfontein, which are predominantly inhabited by white Afrikaners, have distorted the intent of Section 235 to promote exclusionary agendas. In a statement, the FF+ said: 'Unfortunately, the visit took on a racial tone, with Manyi accusing the communities of Kleinfontein and Orania of racism and apartheid'. 'The existence of various cultural communities in a diverse South Africa is a reality and should be recognised in the spirit of the country's motto, !ke e: /xarra //ke (diverse people unite). 'Recognising cultural diversity is precisely what is needed to foster unity within diversity and national pride. 'Cultural communities, including Kleinfontein, Orania, the Zulu cultural community – where 2,8 million hectares in KwaZulu-Natal are regulated by the Ingonyama Trust Act – and many others, reflect South Africa's reality.' Last year, the Gauteng High Court declared that Kleinfontein was functioning illegally because it did not adhere to the Tshwane Municipality's zoning laws. However, the party said that for Kleinfontein to comply with legal requirements within the jurisdiction of the Tshwane Metro, the formalisation process should be fair and realistic. 'In light of the fact that more than 600 illegal informal settlements exist within the Tshwane Metro's jurisdiction and are tolerated without any environmental impact studies, land-use registrations or unreasonable tax increases and fines, the measures imposed on Kleinfontein seem unfair,' the party said. It said Tshwane was not providing any services to the Kleinfontein community, as the community has built and maintains its own roads as well as water and wastewater treatment systems. FF+ said it would continue to advocate, at the highest level, for the recognition of self-respecting communities, subsidiarity in South Africa. [email protected] IOL Politics
IOL News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
MK Party to introduce private legislative bill to clarify section 235 of the Constitution
uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party has promised to introduce a private member's bill that clarified Section 235 of the Constitution what self-determination means, following its fact-finding mission visit to Kleinfontein, an Afrikaner-only settlement in Pretoria. Led by Parliamentary Chief Whip Mzwanele Manyi, the delegation engaged with local leaders to better understand how Section 235 was being applied. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The delegation visited the area on Monday to engage with local leaders regarding the application of Section 235, which affirms the right to self-determination for communities sharing a common cultural and linguistic heritage. It enables communities with a shared cultural and linguistic heritage to attain legal recognition and exercise autonomy in preserving and promoting their culture, language, and traditions. Speaking to the media, Manyi expressed concern over what he described as the misapplication of the constitutional provision. He cited settlements such as Orania and Kleinfontein, asserting that these predominantly white, Afrikaners-only communities have distorted the intent of Section 235 to serve exclusionary agendas. "We hold the view as the MK Party in Parliament that section 235 is vague and it leads to all kinds of interpretations and some of those lend themselves to apartheid kind of situations. 'So we want to make sure that clause is further clarified because we hold that view that as much as we must respect all the cultures but the respect of all the cultures must not in any shape or form remind us of apartheid,' he said. The Gauteng High Court declared last year that Kleinfontein was functioning illegally because it did not adhere to the Tshwane Municipality's zoning laws. Meanwhile, the EFF in the Northern Cape is set to stage a protest march to the office of Premier Zamani Saul on Tuesday, voicing strong opposition to the continued existence of the town of Orania.
The South African
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The South African
The white-only Afrikaner community of Kleinfontein rejects Trump's offer
The white-only Afrikaner community in Kleinfontein has declined Donald Trump's offer to relocate to the United States. In February, US President Trump issued an executive order to cut aid to South Africa after the government signed the Expropriation Bill. In this order, he stated that white Afrikaners would be resettled in America to escape what he described as discrimination by the South African government. On Monday, members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party visited the Kleinfontein community, which consists of approximately 1,500 Afrikaner residents located outside Pretoria. The party's chief whip, Mzwanele Manyi, explained that their visit aimed to ensure the community was not abusing Section 235 of the Constitution. 'We are here basically as a fact-finding mission, just to check what is happening here because we hear all kinds of things about this place, so we want to hear it from the horse's mouth,' he said. Chairperson of the board of directors in Kleinfontein, Rian Genis said some members in the community might be tempted to take Trump's offer but the majority wanted to stay. 'We don't want to be a foreign nation on a foreign soil. We are Africans and so we would want to stay here and that is not an option for us to consider.' 'There are probably a few individuals that would like to take up the offer and if they feel that way, it is up to them but, as a community we don't regard it as an offer for us,' he said as per IOL . Genis said the Afrikaner community in Kleinfontein were 'intrigued by what was happening around the world. 'We are intrigued. The world politics at the moment is intriguing; the tariff wars and everything that is happening internationally. And we take it that the countries are positioning themselves in terms of a new order that will be established and we are too small a player to have a say to become involved in that,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Kleinfontein about 'culture, not race', Afrikaner community says
A small delegation from the MK party led by Mzwanele Manyi visited the Afrikaner enclave. The white Afrikaners-only community in Kleinfontein said, contrary to belief, that Kleinfontein is an apartheid enclave; the area is about culture, not race. This comes after a visit by members of the MK party, led by Mzwanele Manyi, conducted an oversight visit to Kleinfontein, a settlement of 1,500 Afrikaner residents near Pretoria, amid growing concerns over racial exclusivity cloaked as cultural self-determination. Section 235 The MK party said it suspects the settlement is abusing Section 235 of the Constitution, which allows for self-determination for communities of shared common cultural and language heritage. The Kleinfontein community said that while they hold different opinions from the MK party, they appreciate the visit. WATCH Danie De Beer speaking about Kleinfontein ALSO READ: WATCH: AfriForum went to Washington to gossip about SA – Mufamadi About Kleinfontein Kleinfontein spokesperson Dannie De Beer said, 'apartheid and Kleinfontein cannot be mentioned in the same sentence'. 'Apartheid is long dead, buried, will never ever return again. Kleinfontein is all about culture, it's not about race, and it's a pity that the news has to grasp and confuse culture and race. 'The concept of joining apartheid and Orania or Kleinfontein or any other settlement in one sentence is contradictory. How can you be in support of your culture and automatically be a racist?' De Beer asked. Donald Trump's offer De Beer said it's unlikely they will be taking up US President Donald Trump's offer to be refugees despite their troubles. 'I think the fact that Donald Trump is recognising the Afrikaner and recognising that there are certain components of the South African law, the discrimination against the Afrikaners, that's welcomed. 'Will the Kleinfonteiners en masse move to America, I don't think so…' De Beer said. In March, Trump offered an expedited pathway to US citizenship for white South Africans, falsely claiming that the government was confiscating their land and calling their treatment in the country 'terrible.' ALSO READ: WATCH: AfriForum 'not having sleepless nights' over allegations of high treason 'Fleeing SA' According to Trump, 'any farmer' who is 'seeking to flee South Africa for reasons of safety' can now apply to become a US citizen, rather than a refugee. 'South Africa is being terrible, plus, to long-time farmers in the country. They are confiscating their land and farms, and much worse than that. A bad place to be right now, and we are stopping all federal funding. Trump signed an executive order last month halting federal aid to South Africa after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act, which the US president said imposes 'unjust racial discrimination' against white Afrikaner farmers. ALSO READ: Jonas ready for new role as he mulls over how to manage US-SA tensions
