THE Northern Cape Afrikaner community of Orania has staged a last-ditch bid to secure the town’s independent municipal status ahead of the December 5 local elections without resorting to court action to postpone municipal elections in the area. The community is objecting to its merger with Hopetown and Strydenburg into a single municipality. The Afrikaner town, structured as a private settlement in 1991, maintains that its claim to self-determination is underpinned by the constitution.