Language fight at UP far from over - EFF

Members of the EFF student command from the University of Pretoria say their fight for language transformation is far from over.

Pretoria - Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters student command (EFFSC) from the University of Pretoria (UP) say their fight for language transformation is far from over.

Their statement comes after university management met student leaders on Monday to discuss solutions on the scrapping of Afrikaans as a medium on instruction at the institution.

Negotiations between university management and the students deadlocked, with another meeting scheduled for Saturday.

The student groups, including the DA, ANC and AfriForum Youth gathered on Monday for feedback from university management on the ongoing language dispute, but were disappointed when none was forthcoming. Instead, a transformation lekgotla was scheduled for Saturday where issues about revising the language policy would be discussed.

EFF Student Command chairman Kabelo Mahlobogwane accused university management of delaying tactics instead of addressing the burning issue immediately. “We had a lekgotla last year with the same list of demands and didn’t reach an outcome. What makes the coming lekgotla any different?” asked Mahlobogwane.

He also aired his dissatisfaction with the suspension of five EFF students by the institution following the unrest which led to the university shutting down its Hatfield and Groenkloof campuses.

“Out of all the people causing chaos during the pandemonium from different student groups they only managed to nab EFF students, I think that is unjust and biased,” he said.

UP spokeswoman Anna-Reetha Bouwer said Monday's meeting was more of a planning session than attempting to reach a resolution. Issues around language policies and violence were highlighted as topics of discussion for Saturday’s lekgotla.

“The meeting on Monday was to engage the different student groups on the lekgtla’s agenda, and also to assign a date and time.”

UP AfriForum Youth chairman Marthinus Jacobs welcomed the transformation lekgotla and encouraged all interested parties to attend. ”I am happy that the university is stepping up to try to resolve the language problem. It is a step in the right direction.”

The campus seems to be calm and controlled, with law enforcement agencies monitoring the situation.

sakhile.ndlazi@inl.co.za

Pretoria News