ANC reconfirms hostile attitude towards Afrikaans - AfriForum ready for legal action

AfriForum has taken note with disappointment of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of Arts and Culture's decision to accept the version of the Languages Bill that prescribes to national state departments and national entities henceforth to use three languages, of which two have to be "previously marginalised" languages, for submission to Parliament.

This means that the third compulsory language will have to be either English or Afrikaans, but not both. As the State has already been anglicised to such a large extent, the chances that Afrikaans will be chosen above English, are slim. The option to use more than three languages exists, but it will not be compulsory and bearing the State's limited resources in mind, it is unlikely that more will be used.

Since this version of the Bill had become known at the beginning of February, AfriForum and other organisations have opposed the proposed restriction of the rights of Afrikaans strongly. According to Alana Bailey, deputy CEO of AfriForum, the decision is unconstitutional and can be opposed on several legal grounds, if the Bill were to be passed.

There also are other debateable issues, such as the exact meaning of "equitable" treatment of languages in terms of the Bill and the Constitution, and when a language can be deemed to be "previously marginalised". "With this ill-considered decision, the Portfolio Committee has potentially exposed the State to unnecessary court cases," Bailey added. "Previously, Afrikaans and the other nine indigenous South African languages had been victims of the State's neglect, but now it seems as if the gloves have come off and Afrikaans is specifically being targeted."

If the use of Afrikaans were to be limited to an even greater extent in the civil service, it will have serious consequences for the future of the language and her speakers. The status of Afrikaans as high function language is under threat, as it has to remain in use in the public domain in order to retain this status and to be in demand as medium of education.

"The denial of Afrikaans is a violation of the human rights and dignity of all Afrikaans speakers. Our language is an integral part of our identity and by denying the language of its rights, her speakers' rights are likewise being violated. AfriForum will not accept this and will oppose the matter nationally and internationally wherever possible," Bailey said. "AfriForum is ready to go to court should the Languages Bill be passed in its current format."

Statement issued by Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO: AfriForum, February 29 2012

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