Rights in question
AUNIVERSITY residence for students in Pretoria made headlines this weekend when it emerged it was screening prospective tenants on their support of the Afrikaans culture and their Christian beliefs.
It is something that stuck in the craw of social activist Yusuf Abramjee, who reported De Goede Hoop hostel in Sunnyside to the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.
He believes the establishment of the institution is premised on racial and cultural exclusion – and consequently in contravention of the constitution.
The residence claims its genesis is precisely because of the move to English as a language of instruction and business at the former Afrikaans medium University of Pretoria.
The university’s view is that De Goede Hoop hostel is a private institution. It does not comply with the university’s transformation policies in any way and therefore is not allowed to take part in official university events.
The golden allure of our constitution is the rights it affords to individuals who were so long denied or at best suppressed in the past: language rights and rights to dignity as well as freedoms – the freedom of association; belief, both religious and political; and orientation, to name a few.
All these rights and freedoms have to contest with one another – under the overarching rule that none can incite war nor racial hatred in a dynamic and vibrant society to allow the greatest benefit to all with the least harm to any.
The question that has to be asked about De Goede Hoop must be raised within these parameters. Does a person(s) have the right to speak a language with others who share the same languages and beliefs to the exclusion of others who do neither?
It seems like a simple question, particularly since the language is Afrikaans and the faith is Christian. But if the answer is no, what would it say about those who practise other faiths in other languages?
This debate needs to be thrashed out openly and transparently, because the success of our nation is premised on principle, not prejudice – of any kind.