Pretoria – The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Thursday turned down an application by lobby group AfriForum for an order to aside the new all English language policy adopted in June this year by the University of Pretoria.
A full bench – three judges – concluded that the decision by the Council and the Senate to abolish Afrikaans in future as a language of tuition, could not be faulted.
Judge Peter Mabuse, who wrote the judgement, said he could neither find that the decision to adopt the English only language policy was unconstitutional or discriminatory of the Afrikaans students.
According to the judge, it was also simply not practical to any longer present classes in Afrikaans as well as in English.
He said over time the demographics of the students at UP and their language choice and preference underwent changes. In the years prior to 1994, UP was essentially a white university with Afrikaans as the only medium of instruction.
But in the last 20 years there has been a radical transformation in the students of UP as well as their language of choice. Statistics showed that this year the Afrikaans-speaking students at UP made up 25% of the students.
“The language policy choice made by the University of Pretoria is not only consistent and in accord with the provisions of the Constitution, but it also signals a deep and sincere commitment to place the university at the forefront of being an agent in advancing social cohesion.
“It provides an important intellectual space where South Africans, in their bewildering diversity, can together reflect on the kind of issues and debates that a young and vibrant society such as ours must confront,” the judge said.