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ANC slams DA on Stellenbosch’s language policy stance </h1>
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ANA </div>
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<img src="http://citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/08/Moloto-Mothapo-806x491.jpg?d580fc" alt="Stone Sizani and ANC Spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, address the media in Parliament, on March 26, 2014, in Cape Town, South Africa. The ANC leadership critisized the Public Protector's report. (Photo by Gallo Images / Foto24 / Leanne Stander)" class="">
<p class="">
Stone Sizani and ANC Spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo, address the
media in Parliament, on March 26, 2014, in Cape Town, South Africa. The
ANC leadership critisized the Public Protector's report. (Photo by Gallo
Images / Foto24 / Leanne Stander) </p>
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He further says the DA is the enemy of transformation and defender of white privilege. </h2>
<p>African National Congress chief whip Stone Sizani strongly
criticised the Democratic Alliance on Sunday for its stance on
Stellenbosch University’s proposed new language policy.</p>
<p>“The office of the ANC chief whip notes the announced change in
language policy at the Stellenbosch University, which would see all
learning at the institution being offered in English as a common
language in the country,” Sizani’s office said in a statement.</p>
<p>“The institution’s management further announced that ‘substantial
academic support’ would be provided in other South African languages in
accordance with students’ needs.</p>
<p>“As it is to be expected, the enemy of transformation and defender of
white privilege, the DA, has already spoken out in opposition of these
important transformation developments both at Stellenbosch University.”</p>
<p>“The DA’s disgraceful statement, which seeks to stand in the way of
inclusiveness and transformation at the university, is a reinforcement
of [DA MP] Wilmot James’s defense of the policy in 2009 as necessary to
‘preserve its cultural heritage’,” the statement said.</p>
<p>In a statement on Saturday, DA spokesperson Belinda Bozzoli said the
DA believed in building inclusive campuses, where students were not
excluded on the basis of language or any other characteristic, but was
concerned at certain aspects of the proposed policy.</p>
<p>The DA supported the constitutional principle that every person had
the right to be taught in the official language of their choice, where
reasonably practicable, and also respected the autonomy of Stellenbosch
University to make decisions affecting its language policy.</p>
<p>“It cannot be argued that teaching in Afrikaans is not ‘reasonably
practicable’. The constitutional rights of Afrikaans-speaking students,
therefore, need to be upheld while those of other students of different
backgrounds are also met. That is what inclusiveness means in a
multicultural society,” she said.</p>
<p>So instead of jettisoning Afrikaans as the primary language of
instruction, ways should be found to ensure that the principles of
language rights were upheld.</p>
<p>The DA also expressed concern at the consultation process undertaken
by the university so far, which appeared to have been quite narrow, and
may not have taken all views into consideration.</p>
<p>“We note, for example, that the South African Students’ Congress was
consulted, but the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation was not.
Students and academic staff with a wide variety of opinions surely need
to be consulted, including many whose views may not accord with those of
any political party or movement,” Bozzoli said.</p>
<p>The DA suggested the university use the next stage of its
consultative process to significantly widen the pool of those consulted,
to include all students, student organisations, academics, and alumni,
and to ensure that all constitutional principles were duly adhered to.</p><p><a href="http://citizen.co.za/867685/anc-slams-da-on-stellenboschs-language-policy-stance/">http://citizen.co.za/867685/anc-slams-da-on-stellenboschs-language-policy-stance/</a><br></p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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