This paper exlains why the relationship between Afrikaans and Dutch cannot be properly rendered by pluricentrism. More non-native speakers added directly to the Afrikaans language formation and contact between the colony and the metropolis was not so extensive, if not fully disrupted by British rule. However, after early 20th century Afrikaans' linguistic independence, a post-pluricentric relationship arose, where a new esteem for Dutch as spelling source and vocabulary norm succored the standardization of Afrikaans.