Minister Nzimande’s statement on the Democratic Alliance filing of a complaint against minister with the Human Rights Commission

28 September 2021

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande dismisses with contempt the Democratic Alliance idea that he hates Afrikaans.

Minister Nzimande said that the DA is recycling its old and tired strategy that was defeated in 1996, that of seeking to privilege Afrikaans as an instrument to exclude majority of South Africans in accessing education, especially in former white education institutions.

Minister Nzimande recognises Afrikaans as one of South Africa’s eleven (11) official languages. However, he cannot allow Afrikaans to be used as a means of exclusion and oppression, nor as a means to pursue a narrow and racist Afrikaner nationalist agenda, as was the case under apartheid.

“Afrikaans should and must be located in a democratic South Africa and be rescued from a white right-wing agenda. This should not be viewed as being in conflict with promoting mother tongue instruction in a democratic South Africa,” said Minister Nzimande.

The DA has forever been narrowly preoccupied with Afrikaans only, with very little to say about the important matter of the development of the nine other official languages that had been suppressed and deliberately underdeveloped under colonialism and apartheid.

Minister Nzimande further said that the Department of Higher Education and Training wants to use South African languages for transformation in the post-school education and training (PSET) sector as a whole, by enhancing the status and roles of previously

marginalised languages.

“This will foster institutional inclusivity and social cohesion within the PSET sector,” emphasised the Minister.

Minister Nzimande says that the department’s view is contained in the revised Language Policy for Higher Education, which, amongst others, provides a framework for the development and strengthening of all South Africa’s eleven official languages, with a particular focus on the development of African languages as languages of scholarship, teaching, learning and communication at universities.

Minister Nzimande will study both the Constitutional Court Judgment on Unisa language policy and the Democratic Alliance complaint filed with the Human Rights Commission. We are however more than determined to defend our language policy in higher education and we are prepared to engage anyone with a genuine desire to tackle inequalities in language use and development in our country.

“In consultation with my legal team, I will communicate further on the implications of the Constitutional Court judgment on the entire Post School Education and Training sector,” said Minister Nzimande.

Issued by Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, 28 September 2021