Tito Mboweni with Mbuyiseni Ndlozi. Picture: @titi_mboweni
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni took to Twitter to express an opinion that some may consider unexpected – that scrapping Afrikaans as a medium of instruction at the University of Pretoria is a mistake.
“I publicly, and in my personal capacity, DISAGREE, with the phasing out of Afrikaans as one of the mediums of teaching at the University of Pretoria. As a country, you are shooting yourselves down. You will regret it in 30 years’ time,” he tweeted.
Many of Mboweni’s followers did not approve of his opinion, including EFF leader Julius Malema, who tweeted what appeared to be a frustrated response: “But you are becoming too much now, is no longer a joke. Arg.”
READ MORE: Tuks phasing out Afrikaans as medium of instruction
Mboweni and Malema usually enjoy a good relationship both on and off social media.
Earlier this month, the minister complained it had been more than a week since the year started and was yet to receive wishes from the EFF leader, who he described as his “homeboy”, on the new year or his work.
The minister calling Malema his homeboy is nothing new – just over a month before that, Mboweni used the term of endearment when speaking out against journalist Jacques Pauw’s sharing of the Johannesburg address where Malema’s wife and children lived.
The minister is known for his social media views, which aren’t always well received. In November 2018, he declared war on the media in a series of tweets.
The DA slammed what they called a “meltdown” and the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) said they were “deeply disturbed” by them.
Rekord East reported on Wednesday that the university was to phase out Afrikaans as the official medium of instruction at all its campuses and residences.
The university will from now only use English as the primary language of communication and administration.
University spokesperson Rikus Delport said the policy was adopted in 2016 by the university’s council and Senate after “extensive consultation process and recommendations from all interested parties”.
“The change in policy is aimed at facilitating social cohesion, and the university will continue to embrace and encourage multilingualism to foster unity and provide equal opportunities to speakers of all South African languages,” he said.
READ MORE: Mboweni defends his ‘homeboy’ Malema
Following the adoption of the policy in 2016, AfriForum pledged to lobby to protect the language as a medium of instruction.
CEO Kallie Kriel told News24 they were “committed to helping the institution find a peaceful solution to the language dispute, participate in the consultation process regarding the university’s language policy, promote mutual recognition and respect among students, and ensure the safety and protect the interests of the Afrikaans students”.
The organisation launched an application for an order to set aside the policy, which was dismissed at the High Court in Pretoria on December 16, 2016.
(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Additional reporting by Noxolo Sibiya)
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