Students of the Orania CVO School take part in a rugby practice in Orania, on May 28, 2024. Established in 1991 after the abolition of the racial laws, Orania is protected under South Africa's constitution, which ensures the right to self-determination.The town was developed on land acquired by a group of Afrikaner families, led by the son-in-law of Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid. It was set up to preserve the "culture" of the Afrikaners -- descendants of the Dutch and French-Huguenot Protestant settlers who came to South Africa in the 17th century. Prospective residents of Orania submit an application, get vetted and the default requirement is one has to be Afrikaner. South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) is losing ground, according to a poll released on Friday, less than a week before the tightest election since the advent of democracy in 1994. The ANC, which has been in power for all of those past three decades, is still projected to emerge from the May 29 general election as the biggest party. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)