'Whites-Only' Community Slams S African Government for 'Racist' Policies

While President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that even 25 years after the end of apartheid the country’s black population is not entirely free, white citizens also point out how the government's policies have forced them out of their homeland.

In an interview with Eyewitness News Adriaan Nieuwoudt, the founder of a "whites-only" community, Eureka, in Northern Cape, South Africa, slammed the country's government over its "racist" policies that are driving the white population "from their country of birth". He argued that since the end of apartheid in South Africa, which discriminated against the black population, democracy in the country "took a skewed trajectory".

"We are being forced from our native country, by acting racist against us and that's my conclusion (sic). That's why we're building Eureka to stop this. We bought a piece of land with my own money, we're not asking anything from anyone", he said.

Nieuwoudt alleged that President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has been running "black economic empowerment" policies at the expense of white South Africans. And even now, when he and a group of other white people tried to organise an enclave to "protect [their] culture from extinction", the local government is putting obstacles in their way.

Namely, the municipality has obtained an injunction to halt the construction of homes in Eureka, as Nieuwoudt says to stop the community's development. Still, he is determined to move ahead, arguing that his community has the right to "be allowed to create a life".

Nieuwoudt's remarks come after a statement by President Ramaphosa, who stated on the 25^th anniversary of the end of apartheid that the country's black population still remains unfree. He said that unless the government uproots poverty, unemployment and corruption, a significant part of the country's poor population can't be considered free.

READ MORE: South Africa's Economy Faces Murky Outlook Ahead of General Elections

South Africa has announced plans to redistribute farmland, largely owned by white farmers, among black citizens, who comprised three quarters of the country's total population in 2018. The previous owners will not be compensated for these expropriations. The planned measure was condemned both within and outside the country, with critics recalling the negative experience of Zimbabwe, where similar measures turned one of Africa's strongest states into one that has now been forced to import agricultural products.