Major u-turn! ANC forced to recognise Afrikaans as ‘indigenous language’

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has been a very harsh critic of this particular tongue, and he’s taken part in many public spats, dismissing Afrikaans as a language that was imported from elsewhere. But that’s not what his lawyers have said…

In the legal opinion, which was only shared with the DA yesterday, legal experts shot-down Nzimande’s stance, stating that ‘it is apparent the Constitutional Court regards Afrikaans as an African language and indigenous to South Africa.’

Blade Nzimande urged to tone down rhetoric

This has forced the ANC into a major u-turn, and the organisation – like it or lump it – will now have to accept that Afrikaans is as South African as the dialects of Xhosa, Zulu, and Venda. The DA’s Leon Schreiber is beaming with the outcome.

• In a recently published statement, the DA supremo told Nzimande to now end his ‘hateful campaign’ against Afrikaans and its speakers:

“Nzimande’s office finally shared the document with us after the DA yesterday submitted an appeal in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), after Nzimande initially ignored our original request on 16 January 2022.”

“It recommends that Nzimande must amend the Language Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions, which went into force on 1 January 2022, to rightfully recognise the indigenous status of Afrikaans, Khoi, and Sans languages.”

“No matter how much Minister Nzimande may dislike these languages, it is simply unsustainable for him to continue to classify them as “foreign” despite the legal advice he has obtained. The DA has been right all along.”

Leon Schreiber

Thanks to more than a year of relentless DA pressure, Blade Nzimande’s department has conceded through a legal opinion that Afrikaans is an African language that is indigenous to South Africa. pic.twitter.com/gOpgeJSIQ1

— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) May 11, 2022