Orania community supports young girl after tragic shooting

A tight-knit Northern Cape community is coming together to support a 12-year-old girl who tragically lost both her parents in an apparent murder-suicide in Orania.

The incident, which occurred on the evening of Monday, 31 March, has left the town reeling. Reports indicate that 47-year-old Danie van der Westhuizen arranged to meet his estranged wife, Marlette van der Westhuizen (45), before allegedly shooting her and then turning the gun on himself.

Their daughter was present during the incident and witnessed the harrowing event.

In the wake of the tragedy, residents of Orania have stepped in to provide comfort and assistance to the girl, whose identity is being protected. The community has expressed deep shock and sadness, with many offering emotional and practical support to help her cope with the devastating loss.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, which was still ongoing at the time of publication.

‘Expressed their sadness’

In a Facebook post, residents of Orania expressed their sadness at the tragedy.

The post read: ‘The residents of Orania, our community and institutions, are together saddened by the tragic events that took place in our town on March 31, when two residents were killed.

‘We express our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by this.

‘It’s not always easy to grasp tragic situations like these, but in such difficult times it’s important to focus on what can be done.

‘An institution on Orania that actually and practically handled this situation is Orania Help Each Other Social Services, which has statutory powers and acted as such in the critical time after the tragedy.

‘The daughter celebrated her birthday shortly after the events and apart from the official support, the community also mobilized to send her flowers, candy, letters and more on her birthday.

‘According to our social workers, she shows special resilience in the midst of the tragedy and the loss of both her parents.

‘The community and leadership of Orania would like to extend a special word of thanks to Orania Safety Services, Ambulance Services, Orania Help Each Other Social Services and volunteers, who worked with the SAPD to handle the situation thoroughly and urgently.

‘We are grateful for both our professional services and also regular residents’ support with this.

‘The whole community is deeply affected by the incident and trust that the Lord will comfort us and ultimately bring relief.’

More about Orania

Orania is a white separatist South African town founded by Afrikaners with a population of around 3 000.

It is located along the Orange River in the Karoo region of the Northern Cape province.

The town is situated on the R369 highway, and is 871km from Cape Town and 680km from Pretoria.

The town was founded with the goal of creating a stronghold for the Afrikaner minority group, the Afrikaans language and the Afrikaner culture through the creation of an Afrikaner state known as a Volkstaat.

The town is generally described by outside observers and scholars as “whites-only” and as an attempt to revive apartheid, although the community denies this.

Living in the town requires application, and acceptance is dependent upon being Afrikaner, demonstrating fluency in Afrikaans, a clean criminal record, and sharing the community’s values and goals.

Afrikaner Calvinism is an important aspect of local culture.

While the South African government has stated that it is opposed to the idea of a whites-only community, it has generally ignored the town.