Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University an exclusion technique, says Nzimande

Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, accused the Stellenbosch University of using Afrikaans as a tuition language as an exclusion strategy. The attack from Dr Nzimande is not really aimed at the University as such, but rather at the use of Afrikaans as tuition language on campuses where there are many Afrikaners.

“From the 32 original universities in South Africa, only one Afrikaans university remains. Where English took the place of Afrikaans at universities, Afrikaans as a language, as well as the ‘Afrikaner’ culture became extinct. The problem is that minorities, like the Afrikaners, are not allowed to receive education in their mother tongue. Afrikaners have the right to mother tongue education and they may not be deprived of that right.

“We built the universities and developed Afrikaans as a language of higher function.  In the meantime, the universities have become anglicised and Afrikaners have become alienated. Are we not even allowed to have one university that offers undergraduate studies in Afrikaans? It is unacceptable and in direct conflict with minority rights and the Constitution of South Africa,” says Marcus Pawson, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth.

The solution is not to deprive minorities of their culture and language. The Minister should rather develop the other languages which will raise the standard of education.

Pawson further stated that Dr Nzimande is against Afrikaans and that he does not take action against complaints lodged at his office in connection with black students who display racist behaviour against other students.

The Minister must accept the fact that Afrikaans is also an African language and Afrikaners are also Africans. Transformation is repeatedly used to deny the culture and language of Afrikaners and to substitute Afrikaans with English.

Issued by Marcus Pawson, AfriForum Youth Spokesperson, 16 October 2015