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Thought-Leader Series: A culture of acceptance – is this South Africa’s greatest threat?

12 June 2023 | Story Samkelo Fetile

2023 UFS Thought-Leader Series

PRESENTS

a panel discussion titled

A culture of acceptance – is this South Africa’s greatest threat?

Watch the livestream (live on 13 July 2023)

The University of the Free State is pleased to announce the upcoming UFS Thought-Leader panel discussion titled “A Culture of Acceptance – South Africa’s Greatest Threat?” as part of the 2023 Thought-Leader Series. A public South African higher-education institution, The University of the Free State (UFS) recognises its responsibility to contribute to the public discourse. In collaboration with the Free State Literature Festival, this event will bring together esteemed thought leaders to shed light on the social, political, economic, and business landscape of South Africa and its implications for our future. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UFS.

Panel discussion presented on 13 July 2023

The general state of decay we are currently experiencing in our various structures of governance on nearly all levels is preventing the economic growth that our country so desperately needs to move forward. Our current national financial status is clearly the result of not only poor government performance, but also a totally deficient policy environment. Part of the threats currently facing our country is civil society’s attitude of accepting rampant corruption, crime, and economic degradation as if it is something inevitable and unavoidable. The question is: has our current situation created a society that has simply accepted its fate? Or has it created a society that has become more innovative and creative, actively navigating current challenges, and finding new solutions to societal issues independent of government? These are some of the aspects we look forward to discussing with the esteemed panel.

Date:	Thursday 13 July 2023
Time:	10:00-12:00
Venue:	Albert Wessels Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus
RSVP:	https://events.ufs.ac.za/e/ThoughtLeaderPanel by 10 July 2023

Refreshments will be served.

For further information, contact Alicia Pienaar at pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za.

Some of the topics discussed by leading experts in 2022 included, among others, Crime in South Africa – who is to blame; Are our glasses half full or half empty; What needs to be done to power up South Africa?; and A look into the future of South Africa. This year’s webinar series commenced in April, when we discussed Threats to South Africa’s stability and security challenges.

Facilitator:	Prof Francis Petersen	Vice-Chancellor and Principal, UFS

Panellists:	Prof Bonang Mohale	President: Business Unity South Africa

	Prof Piet Croucamp	Senior Lecturer, Political Studies and International Relations: North-West University

	Dr Sipho Pityana	Founder and Chairman: Izingwe Capital (Pty) Limited

	Dr Lindie Koorts	Research Fellow: International Studies Group, UFS

Bios of speakers:

Prof Bonang Mohale

Bonang Mohale is the President of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Professor of Practice in the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) College of Business and Economics and Chairman of The Bidvest Group Limited, SBV Services and ArcelorMittal! He is a member of the Community of Chairpersons (CoC) of the World Economic Forum.

Mohale, a highly respected South African businessman, has held several leadership positions; namely, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), Vice President and Chairman of Shell South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Executive Vice President of SAA and MD of Otis (Pty) Ltd, among others. A vocal, agent courageous change, Mohale is known for his patriotism and active role in advancing the interests of South Africa. Mohale has a distinguished career and track record of leading and building successful companies and making significant advances in the transformation of these companies.

An avid writer, Mohale is the author of the bestselling books, “Lift As You Rise“ and “Behold The Turtle” which contain and reveals the issues he is passionate about. Mohale has been included in the Reputation Poll International’s (RPI) 2023 list of the ‘100 Most Reputable Africans’. The selection criteria are Integrity, Reputation, Transparency, Visibility, and Impact.

Prof Piet Croucamp

Professor Piet Croucamp teaches politics at the North-West University. His research interest is the social origins of violence. He has published extensively in both national and international scholarly journals.

Dr Sipho Pityana

Dr Sipho Mila Pityana is a business leader with extensive experience, having served in both executive and non-executive capacities on several local and international boards of blue-chip companies. He is the founder and Chairman of his private investment firm Izingwe. He is currently Chairman of the JSE-listed Redefine Properties, and non-executive Director of the Absa Bank Group. He is the former Chairman of AngloGold Ashanti Limited, and Munich Re of Africa. He also served as a lead independent Director of the Absa Group and an executive director of Nedcor Investment Bank, among others. He was the founding delegate of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC), and he was one of the founding members of the governing body of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. He served on the governing body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). His passion for education has seen him serve as Registrar of the University of Fort Hare, Chairperson of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and former Chairperson of the Council of the University of Cape Town.

Dr Lindie Koorts

Dr. Lindie Koorts is a historian, biographer and author. She is a Research Associate at the University of the Free State's International Studies Group and a regular media commentator, who often writes on the links between current affairs and history.

Livestream

WATCH: 2023 UFS Thought-Leader Series (Live on 13 July 2023)

News Archive

DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture

2005-05-19

DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture: Language and language activism in a time of transformation (summary)
Proff Hennie van Coller and Jaap Steyn

Language activism necessary for multilingualism
The awareness is growing that language activism will be needed to bring about a truly democratic multi-lingual society. What is quite clear is that a firm resolve must continuously resist the concentrated pressure on Afrikaans-medium schools (and universities) to allow themselves to be anglicised through becoming first parallel medium, then dual medium, and finally English medium institutions.

Proff Hennie van Coller and Jaap Steyn said this last night (Wednesday night) in the 24th DF Malherbe Memorial Lecture at the University of the Free State. Prof van Coller is head of the Department Afrikaans, Dutch, German and French at the UFS. Both are widely honoured for their contributions to Afrikaans and the promotion of Afrikaans.

They discussed three periods of transformation since 1902, and said about the current phase, which started in 1994: “Besides all institutions and councils having to be representative of South Africa’s racial composition, places of education were required to open their doors. Quite rapidly this policy has had the result that schools and universities may be solely English medium, but not solely Afrikaans medium. Afrikaans medium institutions — if they claim the right to remain Afrikaans — are quickly branded racist, even though their student body may include all races.

“Education departments are presently exerting great pressure on Afrikaans medium schools to become double or parallel medium schools. Parallel medium education is an equitable solution provided it can be sustained. Established parallel medium schools, such as Grey College in Bloemfontein, have catered even-handedly for English and Afrikaans speakers for decades. But the situation is different in the parallel medium (and still worse in the double medium) schools that spring up usually at the behest of a department of education.

“Afrikaans schools are converted almost over-night into parallel or dual medium schools without any additional personnel being provided. Depending on the social environment, a parallel medium school becomes reconstituted as a dual medium school on average in five to eight years, and dual medium school becomes an English-only school in two to three years. Some Afrikaans medium schools have become English medium in just three years.

“Though the Constitution recognises mono-lingual schools, officials in the provinces insist that Afrikaans schools become dual or parallel medium; English medium schools are left undisturbed. One must conclude that the tacit aim of the state is English as the sole official language, despite the lip-service paid to multi-lingualism, and the optimistic references to post-apartheid South Africa as a ‘rainbow’ nation.”

They said a recent study has shown that the 1 396 Afrikaans schools in the six provinces in 1993 have dwindled to 844. The fall off in the Free State is from 153 to 97; in the Western Cape from 759 to 564; in Gauteng from 274 to 155; in Mapumalanga from 90 to 3; in the North West from 82 to 13; and in Limpopo Province from 38 to 12.

They said the changes at universities, too, have been severe, as university staffs well know. Ten years ago there were five Afrikaans universities. Today there are none. The government demanded that all universities be open to all, which has meant that all universities have had to become English medium. And no additional funding was forthcoming for the changes. The government policy amounts to a language “tax” imposed on the Afrikaans community for using Afrikaans.

“Only when all schools (and universities) are English will the clamor cease. Academics and educationists are beginning to speak openly of forming pressure groups to save Afrikaans schools, and of using litigation as one of their methods. 59% of Afrikaans parents have said they would support strong action if Afrikaans were no longer a medium of instruction at schools.”

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