The Democratic Alliance (DA) is expected to table a motion of no confidence in Stellenbosch University Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wim de Villiers.
On Wednesday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that the university violated students’ rights when it prevented the use of the Afrikaans language, and allegedly only permitted the use of English in certain residences.
The DA and FF-Plus laid a complaint with the SAHRC in March 2021.
DA MP Leon Schreiber says, “It infringes on the right to equality, language, culture and dignity when you are instructed that you cannot use a particular language. I welcome that outcome. It has taken two years. What is important to point out is that at no point did the university acknowledge the issue. It was met with denial and the HRC report is important to draw a line in the sand and say that you cannot instruct someone to not speak a language. That is not what our Constitution envisions.”
The audio file below is reporting more on the story:
