On Western Cape independence

On reading this story-  South Africa is on the brink, I have to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for SA. It seems the ANC is determined to emulate Zimbabwe and ruin the country in pursuit of racial politics and wealth 'redistribution. This led me to wonder whether the country could break up, with a region becoming a homeland for the Afrikaans (who we mustn't forget have lived there longer than most o the black population)

On doing a bit of research I was surprised to see there is talk of this, with a Western Cape independence movement mushrooming over the past few years This article- Should the Western Cape become independent?- sets out the position and polls showing growing support for the idea. Additionally this article- Can anyone prove the Western Cape is not better off alone?- discusses the economics of it. and this paper sets out The Road to Independence. Finally, here is a nice video summary:


One thought I had was whether an independent Cape would become a republic or Commonwealth Realm. To go really crazy, if SA resists Cape independence maybe they could gain UK support by asking for dominion status or becoming a British territory again! 

While it seems unlikely now, who would have thought Brexit would have happened 10 years ago? This is a topic I will watch more closely in the future. 

Update: more research has led me to the Cape Party, who want an independent state that also composed the Northern Cape and parts of the Eastern Cape. I'd expect the most likely way this would happen is for the Western Cape to become independent first, then for the other provinces to join later.


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