ANC ‘will protect’ Afrikaans

CAPE TOWN – The Afrikaans language would be promoted and protected by the African National Congress government, Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan stressed on Wednesday.

Speaking at the end of debate in the National Assembly on President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation address, he said this would be done as it was for all of the country’s official languages. “South Africa has left behind the previous bilingual dispensation that entailed the promotion of only English and Afrikaans to the exclusion of other languages spoken in our country.”Government has accepted its obligation to promote and advance all of South Africa’s official languages.”I once again want to underscore that Afrikaans, like the other official languages, will be absolutely promoted and protected by this government, the hysteria in certain quarters notwithstanding,” he said.He said the changing of place names was a not a threat to any language group.”The reaffirmation of this country’s African identity, by correcting the corruption of African names, the resurrection of African names that have been arbitrarily abolished and replaced by previous regimes, is not a threat to any of our language communities.”The overwhelming majority of name changes approved by himself and previous ministers, involved African place names that had been misspelt, corrupted or otherwise “done violence”, he said.Nampa-Sapa”South Africa has left behind the previous bilingual dispensation that entailed the promotion of only English and Afrikaans to the exclusion of other languages spoken in our country.”Government has accepted its obligation to promote and advance all of South Africa’s official languages.”I once again want to underscore that Afrikaans, like the other official languages, will be absolutely promoted and protected by this government, the hysteria in certain quarters notwithstanding,” he said.He said the changing of place names was a not a threat to any language group.”The reaffirmation of this country’s African identity, by correcting the corruption of African names, the resurrection of African names that have been arbitrarily abolished and replaced by previous regimes, is not a threat to any of our language communities.”The overwhelming majority of name changes approved by himself and previous ministers, involved African place names that had been misspelt, corrupted or otherwise “done violence”, he said.Nampa-Sapa