Ernst v Zyl: News24's "AfriForum's Orania Millions" scandal that wasn't

News24 thought it had a scandal on its hands: "AfriForum's Orania Millions." Cue the raised eyebrows, the insinuation of looted funds. Except the millions in question went into education, training, infrastructure and upliftment — the very things Orania is now famous for. Ernst van Zyl of AfriForum unpacks why the smear flopped, tracing how a small Northern Cape town built without a cent of state help has become an unlikely magnet for admiration, even among sceptical social media visitors who arrive expecting the worst and leave stunned. His point: attacking success only works if nobody's actually looking. Increasingly, everyone is..By Ernst van Zyl*.The big misconception that made the latest attack on AfriForum and Orania fail.A recent News24 online headline reads: “Revealed: AfriForum’s Orania Millions”. When a news headline presents the name of a politician, political party, or public figure in this “X’s millions” format, the accompanying story usually concerns millions that have been looted.The natural conclusion is that this was precisely the impression News24 sought to create among its readers with this sensational, insinuating headline. Against the backdrop of News24 having to apologise to AfriForum for false reporting about the organisation, a clear picture of antagonistic bias emerges. This is also evident in their latest wave of “Oranje Gevaar!” (Orange Peril) hit pieces relentlessly targeting AfriForum, Solidarity, and Orania.In this so-called scandal, however, “AfriForum’s millions” refers to millions invested in education, training, infrastructure, upliftment, and development. A few months ago, the accusation levelled against AfriForum by activist journalists at News24 was that the organisation was not spending enough on projects. Now, the accusation appears to havechanged to AfriForum is spending too much on the “wrong” projects.Unlike most other towns in South Africa, Orania is experiencing economic growth, and its streets, sidewalks, and public spaces are clean and safe. Over the past 30 years, Orania’s administrators, residents, and supporters have accomplished a Herculean task through self- reliance, without any state assistance. Slowly but surely, through words and more importantly, through actions, Orania has established itself as an unparalleled success story in the minds and imaginations of not only Afrikaners but also of South Africans in general, and even internationally. Underestimating the extent of the admiration for, and normalisation of, Orania is therefore the major stumbling block that caused the latest smear piece targetingAfriForum and Orania to flop.In recent years, a trend has taken hold on social media where black South African influencers and online personalities visit Orania and film their experiences. Each of these videos, which garner millions of views, follows the same trajectory. It begins with the presenter voicing their expectations, concerns, and even fears regarding Orania while en route to the town. Shortly after their arrival, their first impressions are dominated by howclean, tidy, and friendly the community is, as well as the complete absence of any hatred or hostility. After touring the town and seeing everything, each of these videos concludes with the black presenter declaring how stunned they are. Their conclusions can be broadly summarised as follows: “I would never live here, and I do not agree with their philosophy, butI struggle to find fault with this community’s friendly and hospitable people, or with the community-building, law and order, and infrastructure development they have achieved with limited funds and no state assistance. They are clearly doing something right.”Matthew 7:16: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” It is incredibly difficult to speak ill of a tree that bears sweet fruit, even if you might not like the look of its leaves or the scent of its blossoms. It is this hurdle that caused News24’s latest smear-campaign cake to fall flat. Since no criminality, wasteful expenditure,corruption, racism, or exploitation could be uncovered at either AfriForum or Orania, this latest smear piece against AfriForum relied on the organisation’s mere association with and support of Orania as the core of its negative angle. The fact that AfriForum has over many years contributed significantly to helping build one of the safest, cleanest, and most functional towns in all of South Africa – a town that increasingly captures the imagination of admirers across cultural, racial, and even national borders – turned out not to be the “scandal” that the “Oranje Gevaar”-peddlers had hoped it would be..Read more:.Why liberals should support AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement.In a country characterised by chronic government failure, systemic corruption, and the decay of infrastructure and public spaces, AfriForum, Solidarity, and Orania stand out as sweet oases of success amidst this desert of disorder. There is growing interest among black and coloured leaders, communities, and organisations wishing to study the winning formulas of these Afrikaner organisations – as evidenced by the recent meeting between March and March and AfriForum. Any visitor to Orania with eyes and ears cannot help but attest: “They are obviously doing something right, because things work here.”To attempt to extinguish one of the few beacons of hope, amidst a political climate of overwhelming despair, frustration, fear, and disappointment, by casting suspicion upon it, is a malicious and foolish strategy of the highest order, hatched in the loftiest ivory towers. As long as there are builders and organisers in our communities, the destroyers and detractors will never succeed in bringing us down..*Ernst van Zyl is the head of public relations at Afriforum..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here. Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

Ernst v Zyl: News24's "AfriForum's Orania Millions" scandal that wasn't

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