In defence of Afrikaans
Does the constitutional court’s support for a university’s English language of instruction policy deal with what has become a facilitator of racial tension, or does it hurt multilingualism?
Economic Freedom Fighters spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi tweeted from inside SA’s apex court on the third last day of December: "Afrikaans just fell here in constitutional court." In one swift judgment the court relocated Afrikaans to the sidelines of the University of the Free State’s lecture halls. The university, once an Afrikaans-only institution, adopted a new language policy in 2016. It made English the sole language of instruction, and dropped Afrikaans as its partner — except where the need existed to keep Afrikaans classes, such as in the departments of education and theology, and in tutorial classes. This policy was first reviewed and set aside by the high court in Bloemfontein, but when taken on appeal to the supreme court of appeal in the city, the court held that the monolingual policy should be implemented. This led lobby group AfriForum and trade union Solidarity to take the battle to the constitutional court. Chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng wrote the majority judgment, whi...
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