[lg policy] South Africa: Spirit of Ubuntu

[Harold Schiffman]

Spirit of Ubuntu
02 September 2015, 19:45

I am an Afrikaner, who studied at Stellenbosch - back in the 80's. Even
back then English was used as a secondary language of instruction for
students who did not understand Afrikaans, and we had a number of Coloured
and Black students even in those ' apartheid' days.

Take into account that the Western Cape is predominantly Afrikaans
speaking, (over 50% has Afrikaans as a home language) and has 2 other
institutions (UWC and UCT) which almost exclusively teaches in English, and
you have to ask if there is not a hidden agenda in this targeting of
Stellenbosch.

The University of KZN gives some lectures in Zulu - a language I do not
understand. So if I was to enrol at UKZN and then start protesting that I
don't want to be taught in a language I don't understand, would it receive
the same attention? My guess is not.

In my opinion this whole thing is a witch hunt, where one language is being
targeted for destruction. The legacy of hatred is not conducive to building
a non-racial future. Hate begets hate. If you hit students with a sjambok,
do you really think he will forgive and forget in the spirit of UBUNTU?

Afrikaans as a language has been tarnished as the language of the
oppressor, the language of Apartheid. 40 years later, the hatred of the 74
Soweto riots are still echoing in the hearts of many black people. However,
ask yourself – are you not doing exactly the same as what was done to you?

The Soweto riots was a protest against being forced to learn Afrikaans at
school. Now you are trying to force Stellenbosch to stop teaching in
Afrikaans – which is the home language of the majority of people in the
region. For a lot of Afrikaans people, English is the language of the
oppressor – many Afrikaners are still bitter about the Anglo Boer war.

And the exclusion of the Afrikaner afterwards from business.  Now you are
trying to force Afrikaans speaking people to be taught in English – and you
seem to be unaware of the irony?

Those who fail to learn from history are bound to repeat it - Sir Winston
Churchill spoke these words many years ago. Enforcing a language policy on
people will result in hatred. We will be forced to go through the cycle of
racism and hatred again and again, unless we compromise and give each other
space.

Stellenbosch has always been a beacon of enlightened Afrikaner
intellectualism. Do not radicalise it.

http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Spirit-of-Ubuntu-20150902
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