<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="gmail-headline">South Africa: 'My Life Is At Risk, but I Am Not Scared' - Panyaza Lesufi On Threats</h1>
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<p class="gmail-story-body-text">Gauteng
education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said he feels that his life is in danger
after he and his family received threats, he revealed at a briefing in
Johannesburg on Wednesday.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">The threats follow his decision to change the language policy at certain schools from Afrikaans only to dual language.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">Lesufi also said
the department was planning on appealing a decision which Judge Bill
Prinsloo had made in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria - which
may have heightened threats.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">The court set aside
a Gauteng Department of Education's decision to admit 55 pupils, who
were to be taught in English, to Hoërskool Overvaal - an Afrikaans
medium school.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">The school argued that it did not have the capacity for the additional pupils and Judge Prinsloo found in its favour.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">During Tuesday's
press conference, Lesufi said: "You are scratching my car, you are
[puncturing] my car, everything, where I go, I am monitored. Should I be
scared? Surely not.</p>
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<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"Yes, my life is at
risk, but I am not scared. I don't need any additional protection. I
joined this struggle knowingly," he said in response to a man in the
audience.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">The man, who
identified himself as journalist from Pro-Afrikaans Action Group
(Praag), took issue with the fact that his question was not answered,
while another journalist's question about language at schools was
answered during a question and answer session.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">An exasperated Lesufi said he knew that journalists would come and said he was not scared of them.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"I am not in a
state where I believe I need to watch my back... there are people who
have called institutions asking when my children will be picked up, I
will not go to the police. If I have to pay with my life for
non-racialism, I will do that. I am not the first one," he said.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">Lesufi added that
the only thing that would stop him was the achievement of a fully
non-racial society where all children have access to equal
opportunities.</p>
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<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"They are asking
the whereabouts of my children, and all these things. I am not scared.
This revolution was never won by those that are scared for their own
lives... I am quite convinced that they know themselves what they are
doing, and where I stand. I am more committed than ever before," Lesufi
said.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">'No language is under threat'</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">He responded to the man again on a question about whether he hates Afrikaans-speaking people and the Afrikaans language.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"There is no
language that is under threat or going to be undermined. All languages
are equal. I hate racism with a passion, I hate it. But I'm truly
addicted to non-racialism... you can't use excuses to try to perpetuate
racism. Gauteng is not a playing ground for racism," he said to the man,
who said that his forefather had built Johannesburg.</p>
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<p class="gmail-story-body-text">He said all
languages must be protected and given a space to prosper, adding that he
was against schools that use language as an excuse to continue racism.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"I have faith that
they will change the language policies at some of these schools. Come
2019, Hoërskool Overvaal will have an English class there, if there is
space available,"said Lesufi.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">The MEC explained
that appealing the decision in the Hoërskool Overvaal matter did not
amount to a disregard for the power of the judiciary.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">"We are not
questioning the judiciary, we are merely appealing the decision, which
is something we have a right to do. If there is a conduct that is not
appropriate, we must express that particular view," Lesufi said, adding
that in his view the judgment was not a fair one.</p>
<p class="gmail-story-body-text">Lesufi is planning to meet with the 55 unplaced pupils, who hoped to attend the school on Tuesday afternoon.</p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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