‘You’re a legend’: Single EFF vote in Orania causes a stir

One resident who voted for the EFF in Orania, a small Afrikaner enclave in the Northern Cape, has caused a stir on social media.

The “whites-only town”, a Freedom Front Plus stronghold, dominated social media charts on Thursday as 2024 election results started to trickle in at the Electoral Commission of South Africa results operations centre in Midrand. 

A breakdown of election results from Orania, which falls under the Thembelihle municipality, showed the FF Plus received 376 votes, the DA tallied 59 and #HOPE4SA had 34 votes.

A single vote for the EFF in Orania, known for its homogeneous population and preservation of Afrikaner culture, sparked the debate on social media.

A screenshot showing the results has been widely shared and discussed on social media.
Not for the overwhelming support for the FF Plus, but for the EFF as the red berets leader Julius Malema is known for his stance on economic transformation and land redistribution for African people, policies that contrast with the ethos of Orania.

Many users on X found the vote amusing and made lighthearted jokes about it. One tweeted, “Whoever you are, EFF voter in Orania, you're a legend”. 

While others speculated about the voter’s identity and reasons, some suggested it could be a protest vote or a prank, while others pondered the possibility of a silent dissenter within the community.

Meanwhile, residents in Orania commemorated the end of the Anglo-Boer War on Friday.

They wrote on their Facebook page: “Orania commemorates in particular this day with reference and remembrance to the brave women and men who resisted against the British until the bittereinde [bitter end]. Also the tragedy and loss of people we as a nation had to go through in the concentration camps.”