The civil rights organisation AfriForum is planning on approaching the High Court in Pretoria on 16 September 2016 with an urgent application against the planned implementation of the 2017 language policy of the University of South Africa (Unisa). This policy determines that as of 2017, English will be the only language of instruction at this institution and that Afrikaans, currently the medium of instruction for between 20 000 and 30 000 students at this institution, will no longer be used.

AfriForum already laid a charge against the university management’s acceptance of the new policy. In the case of the University of the Free State (UFS), a full bench of judges concluded in July 2016 that a similar policy that was accepted by the university management of the UFS is unconstitutional and must be disregarded. The civil rights watchdog is of the opinion that Unisa’s new language policy is in contravention with students’ constitutional rights in addition to their language rights. Even though a date for the hearing of the case has not yet been finalised, Unisa is in the meantime continuing with the implementation of the new policy.

According to Alana Bailey, Deputy CEO of AfriForum, the honourable course of action would have been that management should have halted the implementation, but Unisa however did not want to give any undertaking of this nature. Prospective students are therefore left in the dark about whether they can register to study in Afrikaans in 2017 and also whether they will be able to complete such studies in Afrikaans in the course of the coming years.

“Prospective students are being discriminated against most unfairly. Registration time is running out and they need to know what their options are. We will therefore request the Court on Monday to protect their interests on an urgent basis,” concludes Bailey.

Date:              16 September 2016
Time:              Roundabout 09:00
Venue:           High Court, Pretoria

Alana Bailey
Deputy CEO
AfriForum
Cell: 072 728 4541
Email: alana@afriforum.co.za

Annelise de Vries
Media Relations Officer
AfriForum
Cell: 084 554 7290
Email: mariska@afriforum.co.za