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Persverklaring: Kommer oor Regspraktykraad se besluit oor slegs Engels vir toelatingseksamens – SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns
Die SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns het met groot kommer verneem van die Regspraktykraad se onlangse besluit dat alle toelatingseksamens van 2024 af slegs in Engels afgeneem sal word. Die SA Akademie teken beswaar aan oor hierdie klaarblyklike beweging na die gebruik van slegs een amptelike taal in die regspleging van ‘n taaldiverse land. So ‘n bedeling van ‘radikale eentaligheid’ sal gewis lei tot die ontmagtiging van die meerderheid van Suid-Afrikaners.
Die oorsprong van hierdie verskraling is te herlei na ‘n besluit wat in 2017 geneem is deur die destydse hoofregter, Mogoeng Mogoeng, dat Engels voortaan die enigste taal van rekord in Suid-Afrika se regshowe sou wees. Hierdie besluit is egter nie in die Staatskoerant gepubliseer soos wat die Wet op Hooggeregshowe (Wet 10 van 2013) bepaal nie. Slegs twee jaar later kondig die Regspraktykraad aan dat toelatingseksamens nie verder in Afrikaans afgelê sal word nie. Dié besluit is egter teruggetrek na suksesvolle druk van Afrikaanse regslui.
Die herinstelling van hierdie radikale eentaligheid is verontrustend. Legal Aid South Africa het in ‘n ondersoek in 2016 bevind dat in strafregsake slegs 27% van aansoekers Engels bevredigend kan praat, lees en skryf. Daarbenewens is bevind dat ‘n sorgbarende gemiddeld van 54,2% aansoekers in strafregsake oor min of geen kennis van Engels as ‘n kommunikasiemedium beskik nie.
Die SA Akademie doen hiermee ‘n dringende beroep op hoofregter Raymond Zondo om die Regspraktykraad se onbesonne besluit te herroep. Nie net word die gebruik van Afrikaans in die howe deur hierdie besluit geraak nie, maar baan dit ook die weg dat geen ander amptelike tale in die toekoms tot volle regstale sal ontwikkel en deur hulle sprekers in die howe benut sal kan word as onontbeerlike instrumente om hulle gedagtes en idees oor te dra nie.
Goeie taalbeheersing is immers van kardinale belang in regspleging, waar belanghebbende partye getuig en argumente gevoer word oor sake van lewe en dood. Geregtigheid is immers die aller doelwit in regspleging.
Press release: Concerns about Legal Practice Council’s decision on English only for entrance exams – SA Academy for Science and Art
The SA Academy of Science and Art has learnt with great concern of the Legal Practice Council’s recent decision that from 2024 all entrance examinations will only be conducted in English. The SA Academy objects to this apparent movement towards the use of only one official language in the administration of justice in a linguistically diverse country. Such a dispensation of 'radical monolingualism' will doubtlessly result in the disempowerment of a majority of South Africans.
The origin of this downscaling can be traced back to a decision taken in 2017 by the then Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng, that in future English would be the only language of record in South Africa courts of law. However, this decision was not published in the Government Gazette as required by the Superior Courts Act (Act 10 of 2013). Just two years later, the Legal Practice Council announced that it would no longer be possible to take entrance exams in Afrikaans. However, this decision was withdrawn after successful pressure from Afrikaans legal practitioners.
The reinstatement of this radical monolingualism is disturbing. Legally Aid South Africa found in a 2016 investigation that in criminal cases only 27% of applicants could speak, read and write English satisfactorily. In addition, it was found that a disturbing average of 54,2% of applicants in criminal cases had little or no knowledge of English as a medium of communication.
The SA Academy hereby urgently appeals to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to revoke the Legal Practice Council's ill-considered decision. Not only is the use of Afrikaans in the courts affected by this decision, but it may also have the consequence that in future no other official languages will develop into fully fledged legal languages and be capable of use by their speakers in the courts as indispensable tools to communicate their thoughts and ideas.
After all, a good command of a language is of crucial importance in the administration of justice, where interested parties testify and arguments are made about matters of life and death. After all, justice is the ultimate goal in the administration of justice.
Lees ook | Also read:
Weg met Afrikaans omdat dit studente "onregmatig bevoordeel"
The post Persverklaring: Kommer oor Regspraktykraad se besluit oor slegs Engels vir toelatingseksamens – SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns first appeared on LitNet.
The post Persverklaring: Kommer oor Regspraktykraad se besluit oor slegs Engels vir toelatingseksamens – SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns appeared first on LitNet.