Oorhandiging van die versoekskryf.

Substantial Police Presence.

PRESS REALEASE - MEDIA STATEMENT

RESPONSE TO STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE POLICY – AFRIKAANS ZAL BLIJVEN!! - ACTIVISM ACTION

The Anglo-Afrikaner Union has studied the events in relation to what some have called “the language debacle/die taal debakel” and we concur, this is a debacle. Many different academic, authors, media-pundits, commentators, and even political parties have all weighted-in in relation to their opposition to the new language policy. We have observed with bemusement how these entities have failed to address the core issue – that is that the University of Stellenbosch is as Willie Esterhuyse called it, “the cultural and intellectual Mecca of the Afrikanerdom” as such policy strategists within Luthuli House, see the capitulation of Afrikaans at the University of Stellenbosch as a keystone for the propaganda required to promote the system of transformation towards non-Afrikaans speaking voters. This for the sake of equitable outcomes – not even according to regional facts, but according to National Democratic truth. We see this truth in the department of higher education’s new state act, the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions which we will address.

The AU recognises the origin of these policy changes and can see why Ou Slim Wim has been the pawn chosen to dictate the outcomes of execution of policy, such as Transformation Plan or the Task Team for the Decolonisation of the Stellenbosch University. The AU has recognised an alarming lack of engagement on important issues. Administrative policies, procedurally allow for as minimum engagement as possible. Important issues, such as the opening of commentary in relation to a University’s language policy requires input from, if anywhere, within the University itself. Due to the low bar that has been set by these policies, changes can be brought about without the general public or more importantly the student body on campus being aware of opportunities to engage with these issues. The policy practices now coming into effect will further entrench institutional structures, which have been supported by sections within the University, to create a systemic oppression of a language, that constitutes a direct attack on the dignity of every Afrikaans speaker, be they Black, Coloured, White; Primary, Secondary or Tertiary language speakers.

The Rector has allowed the creation of a disincentivising narrative that stigmatises to control, enforces conformity through intimidation of academic ostracization, as well as financial penalties and allows for the crucifixion of individuals who may disagree with the status-quo. This lack of engagement on such important issues will have a massive, lasting and domino effect on many spheres both inside and outside of the University particularly as time moves on. This systemic suppression that has disincentivised engagement on campus has become stock-standard of the De Villers’s Regime.

We will report on this domino effect soon.

As reported in the Rapport of Sunday the 11th of April 2021, it was exposed that the Transformation Office was involved in the dissemination of the propaganda piece, Luister (Listen), created by Open Stellenbosch in 2015 in a bid to showcase the experiences of students who had alleged experiences of racism at the University. Sections of the University have engaged with Open Stellenbosch, the organisation that started mass-action that caused severe damage and disruption to the University during the Fees Must Fall protests. The AU questions why the Administration is allowing sections of the University to use taxpayer money to spread the message of an organisation that has committed criminal acts on Campus?

Yesterday, (12 April 2021) was the last day for commentary upon the new Language Policy of the University of Stellenbosch. It can be found at 19 March_Final_Draft 1 of revised Language Policy_2021 (sun.ac.za). As seen under SU’s about page, under the Language at Stellenbosch section it states: “With the current Language Policy (2016) as its point of departure, the Language Policy Revision Task Team has compiled a first draft of a revised policy for public consultation.
The first public participation period starts on 20 March and closes on 12 April 2021… Please note that no comments will be possible on the first draft on this submission platform after the closing date for submissions on 12 April 2021”.

As reported by Matie Media, Martin Viljoen, spokesperson for SU stated” All submissions will be considered, but it may not be possible to include all comments in the second draft of the revised Language Policy (2016) that will be made available for further input in the second semester of the year,”

Further, SU’s Language at Stellenbosch states; “Since the Constitutional Court in 2019 found the Language Policy (2016) to be constitutionally justified and the University's process in adopting the policy “thorough, exhaustive, inclusive and properly deliberative", the current policy has been used as the point of departure for the revision process. The revision will be informed further by, amongst others, the SU Vision 2040 and Strategic Framework 2019–2024 which has been adopted and implemented after the Language Policy (2016) was approved, as well as the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions determined in terms of section 27(2) of the Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act 101 of 1997 as amended).”

What is different about the new language policy?

The new language policy differs in many respects to the 2016 language policy, but we wish to address one key point which is the cornerstone of what empowers the University’s new policy, that of the Language Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions which was gazetted in October of 2020.

This policy enacted by the Ministry of Higher Education pushes a “multilingual” approach through the “promotion of language equity; equality and fairness”; to “Commitment to the development and promotion of indigenous languages to redress past injustices”. This act further enforces the following, “All institutions must develop strategies, policies and implementation plans for promoting multilingualism as defined by this policy framework. Such plans must indicate at least two official languages, other than the medium of instruction or language of teaching and learning, for development for scholarly discourse as well as official communication.”

The policy further states: “The Department (of Higher Education) will establish and implement a funding model to enable the implementation of this Policy framework. The model will require universities to submit language development plans for approval by the Department before funding could be made available. The evaluation criteria for institutional plans will be outlined in the implementation guidelines that the Department will develop and share with the universities. Institutions will have the opportunity to revise and submit in the following year (n+1) plans which were not approved during the year of assessment.”

This document which from the perspective of the AU has exclusively been created not to better universities, but to rather enforce resource reallocation using the power of language policy to deconstruct demographics to bring about transformation as envisioned by the National Democratic Revolution (NDR).

This policy has been enacted without the necessary legislative processes and drafting that would normally transpire. What we see is the policy strategists at Luthuli House making use of the State of Exception that has arisen under the auspices of CoVid-19, to radically push for their policy goals using the executive power that has been afforded them.

Policy Framework for Public Higher Education Institutions uses a transformative funding model as both a carrot and a stick.

Captured Narrative


On the 9th of April 2021, various groups and academics came together to march for Afrikaans where a ceremony for the handing over of a memorandum was conducted by Danie Van Wyk, chairperson of Die DAK Netwerk, to a representative of the University, Dr Leslie van Rooi. He serves as Senior Director: Social Impact and Transformation and has served in such a capacity since 2017.

He is responsible for SU Museum, Woordfees, the Social Impact Division and SU’s Transformation Office.

As the head of the Transformation Office, he is responsible for the active marketing of an Organisation that have caused physical destruction to property on the campus, while at the same time being actively involved in the creation of narrative as aforementioned. From what we at the AU have learned, we understand that these are the sections that are to internally promote Afrikaans at the University; from this we are only to deduce that the internal promotion of Afrikaans at SU has been captured.

We will continue our Afrikaans Zal Blijven!! Campaign at the University of Stellenbosch as this debacle is far from over.

AZB!!

"To a future, saam in Afrika."

If you are interested in following or becoming a member of the AU, contact us on:

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PRESS REALEASE - RESPONSE TO STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY LANGUAGE POLICY – AFRIKAANS ZAL BLIJVEN!! - ACTIVISM ACTION

Before Transformation - After Transformation