African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 841 - 145: Orange’s Population Crisis

Orange, Bloemfontein City.

"Currently, Kimberley has absolutely no population to support its existence. Before the war, it was the most developed city in the entire Boer Republic, with railways, telegraphs, and everything complete. But now it has completely collapsed, and the most frightening part is that we simply don't have enough population to restore local infrastructure," said Youerta, the mayor of Kimberley, East Africa, gloomily.

Speaking of East Africa, the most miserable place is the former Boer Republic region because the Boers were truly driven away from East Africa, leaving the Orange area desolate, with almost only the military remaining.

Therefore, the government of Kimberley and other Orange area governments are even more troubled than the governments in Mozambique and Angola.

"A skilled woman cannot cook without rice. How can we develop the area without people? Kimberley now looks like a ghost town. Aside from the city government and the military camp, there's no sign of life anywhere else, and we can't possibly command the military to do this rough work."

"Now, Kimberley still has production tasks to complete. All the mines are completely idle. Without maintenance, it won't take a few months before the mine areas collapse, making future recovery difficult."

In response to Youerta's complaints, Helvixin, the mayor of Bloemfontein City, continued with a blank expression: "You come to me for people, but there's nothing I can do! Bloemfontein is also a shell. If it weren't for the stationed troops, I wouldn't doubt that our safety would be threatened by wild animals. Bloemfontein's outskirts are overgrown with weeds, and the empty houses make the night feel eerie."

Youerta: "At least you can still maintain operations. We seldom even visit Kimberley. Enough said, give us a few hundred people to at least set up the framework in Kimberley instead of staying beholden in Bloemfontein."

Helvixin said with difficulty: "The few people in Bloemfontein are borrowed from New Baden Province next door. The Southern Border Province originally had only military stationed, plus military families or personnel, and everyone lacks people. So you don't need to rush."

New Baden Province in East Africa isn't considered densely populated or significant in presence. Supporting Bloemfontein with a few thousand people has already reached its limit.

And the original cities of Orange have completely stalled due to East African policies, as have rural areas. Angola has support from the central region, Mozambique from the east, and New Hamburg Port City. Orange seems completely abandoned.

Youerta said: "I don't care about other places, but Kimberley was the most economically developed area in Orange before, and Bloemfontein only holds the advantage of being the Boer Republic's capital. Other than that, it's utterly unimportant to Orange. To let the higher-ups see the value of Orange, Kimberley's mineral resources must be developed. Are you expecting agricultural earnings to move the center?"

In Orange, Kimberley became the most developed area in South Africa's interior because of the diamond mines, and it was the focus of the war between the British and Boers before the war.

Kimberley's output is much higher than that of other regions of the Boer Republic combined, which is understandable. Before the war, the Boer Republic had a population of less than 400,000, equivalent to a city in Europe or the Far East Empire. Kimberley was previously one of the world's largest diamond producers, so the diamond industry alone exceeded the combined revenues of other areas of Orange.

Helvixin agreed that Youerta made some sense. If Orange remains completely stalled, it won't draw attention, and the most effective way to show its value is to revitalize its industries.

The diamond industry is apparently Orange's most valuable and high-value-added industry. In the 19th century, diamond output was limited, making prices quite considerable.

After thinking, Helvixin said to Youerta: "In other East African regions, mining is largely done by Black people, and it's clear that Kimberley can also initially depend on Black labor. But there are almost no Black people in Orange, so we could request Black resources from other provinces. Then, I'll allocate dozens of personnel to you. Ensure Kimberley's mining is maintained to complete the tasks. Besides, with troops stationed in Kimberley, you don't need to worry about any Black uprisings."

Youerta replied with a bitter face: "Putting the idea on Black labor, we're probably unique in all of East Africa."

In other East African places, Black people have made significant contributions to economic development, with even newly incorporated Angola and Mozambique having abundant Black populations for local governments to mobilize. Orange is genuinely miserable, lacking even a significant Black population.

Boers are also a very exclusionary ethnic group. As they mainly engage in pastoral farming, they need few people, so there are few Black people in Orange, only a few San people scattered in desolate areas.

Helvixin patted Youerta's shoulder to comfort him: "This is unavoidable. Angola and Mozambique, despite deficiencies, have large Black populations, while Orange only has troops. We can't intervene, so we can only find solutions using Black resources from other provinces. Our nationals are short everywhere, but we should be able to get a decent number of Black people. I don't believe the higher-ups will reject our request."

Youerta said: "We don't need too many, a few thousand can restore the mines to their former capacity. Before the South Africa war, the Boer Republic had a small population; it's mainly the machines left by the British that Black people might struggle to master. So a dozen people are certainly insufficient, you need at least two or three hundred, or else wasting Kimberley's machines would be disastrous."

Youerta's words reminded Helvixin: what's the most valuable in Orange now? Besides minerals, it's the machinery and infrastructure left by the British, primarily concentrated in Kimberley.

So, developing Orange indeed can't bypass Kimberley. If these machines and infrastructure are allowed to be damaged, it would be challenging to find opportunities for industrialization in Orange in the future.

Thus, he said to Youerta: "The machines are indeed crucial. Kimberley could previously compare with many economically advanced cities in East Africa, and the conditions left are unique. When you reach Kimberley, prioritize those machines and infrastructure. Apart from anything, ensure Kimberley's railway. Though our relationship with Cape Town is currently awkward, you never know if we might reconcile in the future. The railway could play a significant role then."

Kimberley has the only railway line within the former Boer Republic connecting to Cape Town, mainly used by the British to export diamonds, showcasing Kimberley's economic power.

But now this railway is a dead-end, with bridges over the Orange River having been destroyed during the war. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

However, the railway might still have value in the future, considering the relationship between East England and East Africa can't be forever strained, especially regarding Cape Town, an area connected to East Africa under British territory.

Of course, the British railway and East African railway can't interconnect, so future preservation of Kimberley's railway remains in question. But Helvixin still prefers retaining it, as by the time removal may be considered, Orange's situation will be vastly different from now.