'Afrikaans is not compulsory as additional language – you can’t force learners'

Africa Melane interviews South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke.

Sandile, a listener from Johannesburg, called Africa Melane on Wednesday to ask why Afrikaans is still being taught at schools if learners do not speak it as a first language.

Melane asked South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke to respond to the call (scroll up to listen and/or scroll down for quotes from the interview).

Did you know?

• There are about seven million native speakers of Afrikaans in South Africa, making it the third-most spoken first language after isiZulu and isiXhosa

• It is the majority language in the Northern Cape and Western Cape

• About six in 10 native speakers of Afrikaans are Black

There is no policy that would force a learner… to do Afrikaans as a first additional language… It’s not compulsory…

Mugwena Maluleke, General Secretary - South African Democratic Teachers Union

Sandile can petition the school… it’s been proven… that learning in your mother tongue is an advantage…

Mugwena Maluleke, General Secretary - South African Democratic Teachers Union

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