The DA has confirmed that the SAHRC is set to investigate Stellenbosch University’s decision to ban Afrikaans as the primary language of instruction, a matter which has been of much contention.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) took to Twitter on Friday, 7 May 2021, to confirm that the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is set to investigate Stellenbosch University’s language policy. The DA has been propagating for the investigation since as early as March 2021. The party previously met with the university’s executives to urge the tertiary institution to reinstate Afrikaans as the primary language of instruction.
However, the university did not change its stance on the matter. The decision was reached due to protests which were calling for the decolonization of the institution. Therefore, the DA has been exploring various means of getting the university to comply, with the latest being the investigation by the SAHRC.
The leading opposition party has clarified that the fight is not over Afrikaans, but rather, is a call for tertiary institutions to accommodate mother-tongues as languages of instruction in provinces where English is not the primary language. However, as highlighted by multiple political figures in the Western Cape, isiXhosa and Afrikaans are both primary mother-tongue languages in the province, despite the party only canvassing for Afrikaans.
See the post below.
The DA is delighted to hear that a SA Human Rights Commission investigation into Stellenbosch University's language policy will now go ahead – a big win for mother-tongue language rights!
🗞️| See our top #DAatWork trending news this week. pic.twitter.com/1AfuQqDpZF
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) May 7, 2021
Sabelo Makhubo
s.makhubo@politicalanalysis.co.za
