DA leader John Steenhuisen visits and supports Afrikaans students in Stellenbosch
10 March 2021
Note to Editors: Please find attached pictures here, here and here, as well as a video by John Steenhuisen MP.
Today, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen, DA Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Chantel King, and the DA constituency head for Stellenbosch and Stellenbosch University (SU) alumnus, Dr Leon Schreiber, conducted an oversight inspection and fact-finding mission to the SU, after reports that students were banned from speaking Afrikaans at their residences, in public, and even on park benches on campus.
The DA is perturbed about the concerns raised during our discussions with some of the students involved, as well as with student organizations and representatives of the convocation. It is clear that the practice of intimidation is not limited to one residence. We have heard from students from different residences that they are even forbidden from speaking Afrikaans while brushing their teeth in the morning. Several students have revealed how they were intimidated when they complained and several have referred to the impact this has had on their studies because they struggle with English on an academic level.
The problem is clearly systemic, and the crisis has been further exacerbated by media reports today that the university intends to only offer future courses in English. What is currently taking place at SU is a shocking violation of Afrikaans students' constitutional rights. Despite its lame excuses, it seems that these latest transgressions are completely in line with the spirit of the 2016 language policy, which Afrikaans was abolished as an equal language of instruction alongside English.