The DA took to Twitter and seemingly exaggerated the number of signatures it has received on its contentious petition to have Stellenbosch University reinstate Afrikaans as the primary language of instruction.
Leon Schreiber, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration, took to Twitter on Tuesday, 30 March 2021, and seemingly lied in an effort to advance the party’s petition. The petition was established to garner public support over Stellenbosch University’s (SU) stance to not lift the prohibition of Afrikaans as the primary language of instruction at the tertiary institution.
Schreiber, in his post, claimed that the petition has received over 10 000 signatures in just over a week. However, upon navigating to the petition, it appears to have received less than 5 000 signatures in over a week.
Considering that the DA has pursued legal action against SU on the matter, suggesting that its call is representative of the needs of the masses would increase the chances of the stance being reversed. However, seeing as the prohibition was announced amid the student protests in the mid-2010s, it makes sense that SU is reluctant to reverse its decision
See the post below.
https://twitter.com/Leon_Schreib/status/1376774287990923266
Sabelo Makhubo
s.makhubo@politicalanalysis.co.za
