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Media verklaring - 14 Februarie 2022
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Die status van Afrikaans word aktief bedreig deur taalimperialisme


(Scroll down for English statement) 

Die status van Afrikaans word aktief bedreig deur taalimperialisme 

1) Afrikaans se status by koshuise van die Universiteit van Pretoria 

Op Donderdag 10 Februarie 2022 is die Afrikanerbond laatmiddag deur bekommerde en ontstelde ouers van hulle seun wat 'n eerstejaarstudent in 'n koshuis by die Universiteit van Pretoria is gekontak. Om die student te beskerm sal ons nie die naam van die student of die koshuis noem nie. Die seun het sy ouers ingelig dat hy en sy kamermaat in hulle kamer verbied is om Afrikaans, wat hulle huistaal is, met mekaar te praat. Die verbod op Afrikaans word voorgehou aangesien “Engels die amptelike taal is.” 

Ons het die saak onmiddellik op Vrydag 12 Februarie 2022 opgeneem met die rektor Prof Tawana Kupe. Ons het Vrydag reeds ʼn skrywe vanaf Prof Caroline Nicholson ontvang wat in opdrag van Prof Kupe soos volg gereageer het: 
  
“The University of Pretoria Language Policy (2016) made provision for English as the Language of tuition and primary language of administration and communication. This policy was revised in 2021 and from 2022, Afrikaans and Sepedi will be added to the languages of communication and administration. The implementation of the revised policy will be incremental and an implementation plan has been developed.” 

The residences and administration staff of the University are encouraged to also make use of other languages in their communications with clients insofar as this is feasible, practicable and affordable.
 
Nowhere are students or staff banned from making use of their home language and the University is committed to developing a culture of multilingualism on the campuses. Staff and students are requested not to use languages in group settings in circumstances where the language is not understood by all participants as this may lead to a sense of exclusion. This really is just a matter of courtesy.
 
I cannot speak to the specific incident you refer to as you have not given any detailed information. I have thus copied the Vice Principle: Student Life and Mr Legari, Director of Residence Affairs and Accommodation. Mr Legari will be best placed to address you on the policy and practice within the residences and to take the matter up with the Residences.” 
(Dele in donker deur ons uitgelig) 

Ons het onmiddellik gereageer en inligting versoek dat die koshuise se taalbeleid en praktyk van die toepassing van die taalbeleid dan aan ons gekommunikeer word. Ons het voorts ook versoek of die persone en bestuur van koshuise weet van die betrokke insident en of ander soortgelyke insidente. Ons het spesifiek ook versoek dat daar op ʼn dringende basis met die studenteleierskap en senior studente gekommunikeer word om soortgelyke insidente te vermy.  

In 'n taalomgewing soos koshuise en kampusse waar daar diverse tale soos Suid-Afrika is, kan en mag een taal nooit afgedwing word nie, en beslis nooit in 'n informele omgewing nie. Indien so 'n opdrag dat Afrikaans of ander inheemse tale nie op informele basis gebruik mag word nie aan Huis- of koshuiskomitees by die Universiteit van Pretoria oorgedra is, is so 'n opdrag ongrondwetlik.

Ons het tot op datum nog nie weer van die Universiteit van Pretoria verneem nie en het vanoggend weer die versoek herhaal. 

Ons het ook die saak onder die aandag van die Afrikaanse Taalraad gebring. 

2) Die staat en die taalbeleid van skole  

Die taalbeleid by skole is uitsluitlik 'n skoolbeheerliggaam funksie. Met meer as 80% van skole wat disfunksioneel is, sou dit tog redelik wees om te dink dat die herstel van díe skole 'n prioriteit vir die departement sou wees. 

Dit is egter duidelik dat die herstel van disfunksionele skole gepaardgaan met harde werk en kreatiewe denke. Dit saam met die nodige politieke wil is egter heeltemal afwesig. Daarom is dit makliker om die werkende en funksionerende skole verder te teiken met ʼn eenvormige taalbeleid en dan die skole verder af te breek. Dit is meestal ook Afrikaanse skole wat as eilande van uitnemendheid en met 'n betrokke ouergemeenskap goed funksioneer en wat in die visier is van die minister, die nasionale departement en veral sekere provinsiale politieke hoofde. 

Die Afrikanerbond sal saam met ander organisasies en gemeenskappe werk wat die onsinnige, ondeurdagte en onwerkbare voorstelle van die departement van onderwys sal stuit. Taalimperialisme en verengelsing is NIE die antwoord nie, veral nie in ʼn land met grondwetlike regte wat verleen word aan taal-kultuur- en geloofsgroepe nie. 

_________________________________________________________

The status of Afrikaans is being actively threatened by language imperialism 

1) The status of Afrikaans at residences of the University of Pretoria 

On the afternoon of Thursday, 10 February 2022, the Afrikanerbond was approached by the concerned and upset parents of a first-year student in a residence of the University of Pretoria. To protect the student, we will neither mention his name nor identify the residence. The boy informed his parents that he and his roommate were forbidden to speak their home language, Afrikaans, in their room. The ban on Afrikaans was ascribed to "English being the official language". 

We took up the matter at once, on Friday, 12 February 2022, with the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, Prof. Tawana Kupe. On that same Friday we received a letter from Prof. Caroline Nicholson, who responded as follows on the instructions of Prof. Kupe: 
  
“The University of Pretoria Language Policy (2016) made provision for English as the Language of tuition and primary language of administration and communication. This policy was revised in 2021 and from 2022, Afrikaans and Sepedi will be added to the languages of communication and administration. The implementation of the revised policy will be incremental and an implementation plan has been developed. 

The residences and administration staff of the University are encouraged to also make use of other languages in their communications with clients insofar as this is feasible, practicable and affordable.
 
Nowhere are students or staff banned from making use of their home language and the University is committed to developing a culture of multilingualism on the campuses. Staff and students are requested not to use languages in group settings in circumstances where the language is not understood by all participants as this may lead to a sense of exclusion. This really is just a matter of courtesy.
 
I cannot speak to the specific incident you refer to as you have not given any detailed information. I have thus copied the Vice Principle: Student Life and Mr Legari, Director of Residence Affairs and Accommodation. Mr Legari will be best placed to address you on the policy and practice within the residences and to take the matter up with the Residences.” 

We responded immediately with a request that the residences' language policy and their practice in the application of such policy be communicated to us. We also enquired whether the management of residences and other parties were aware of the incident in question or of other similar incidents. Furthermore, we specifically requested that student leadership and senior students be communicated with urgently to avoid similar incidents.  

At residences and campuses where the language environment is characterised by diverse languages, such as in South Africa, one language can and may never be enforced, and certainly never in informal interactions. If house or residence committees of the University of Pretoria were instructed to forbid the informal usage of Afrikaans or other indigenous languages, such an instruction would be unconstitutional.

We have not yet heard back from the University of Pretoria, and we sent a repeat request this morning. 

We also brought the matter to the attention of the Afrikaans Language Board. 

2) The state and the language policy at schools 

The language policy at schools is solely a function of each school’s governing body. With more than 80% of schools being dysfunctional, it would be reasonable to expect the Department to leave the matter of language in the hands of the governing bodies and rather focus on rehabilitating those schools that are in disrepair. 

Of course, restoring order at dysfunctional schools would require hard work and creative thinking. That, together with the necessary political will, is lacking, though. It is easier to level the working and functioning schools with those that have already been dismantled through poor management, by attempting to enforce a uniform language policy. It is, of course, mostly Afrikaans schools that function well as islands of excellence, bolstered by involved parent communities, that are in the sights of the minister, the national department and certain provincial political heads in particular. 

The Afrikanerbond will cooperate with other organisations and communities to stop the absurd, ill-considered and unworkable proposals of the Department of Education. Language imperialism and anglicisation is NOT the answer, especially not in a country which has language-cultural and religious rights entrenched in its Constitution. 
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