Separists want Trump's help

Some of South Africa's white Afrikaners want to create breakaway state, writes Tim Cocks

- Tim Cocks

A group of white Afrikaners was so opposed to majority black rule when apartheid ended some three decades ago that they carved out a separatist enclave, the only town in South Africa where all residents, including menial workers, are white.

Now, the residents of Orania — population, 3,000 — in the semi-arid Karoo region want US President Donald Trump to help them become a state.

Last week, community leaders from Orania visited the United States seeking recognition as an autonomous entity. South African authorities acknowledge it as a town that can raise local taxes and deliver services.