Afrikaans pressure group, Gelyke Kanse, says it is disappointed by the Constitutional Court judgment that Stellenbosch University can continue with its 2016 change in language policy, which makes English one of the main languages alongside Afrikaans.
The court ruled that the policy was reasonable and should remain in place.
Gelyke Kanse, along with the President of the Convocation of the Stellenbosch University and others, initially took the case to the High Court in the Western Cape to have the policy reviewed and set aside.
However, the university said the argument was wrong. Two years ago, two High Court judges dismissed the application.
The applicants approached the Constitutional Court to challenge that ruling.
Gelyke Kanse lawyer, Danie Rossouw, says the policy could be detrimental to speakers of other minority indigenous languages.
“The disappointment for us comes in the fact that we feel that the policy might not adequately provide not only for Afrikaans, but also the development of other indigenous languages on a tertiary level academically. The university acknowledges that because Afrikaans and English is not on the equal footing anymore. Most universities besides Potch are already English, but this will have, in our view, a detrimental effect for Afrikaans and not only Afrikaans but all other indigenous languages,” says Rossouw.
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