Ayanda Borotho: “Afrikaans In 2020?”
Ayanda Borotho: “Afrikaans In 2020?”
Isibaya actress Ayanda Borotho has re-ignited the heated debate over the Afrikaans language dominating schools and other sectors in the country. She has taken to Instagram to post a heated video where she expressed her frustration over her children failing an entire term just because they failed Afrikaans as a second language.
The video sparked a conversation on social media and the topic spread to not only schools, but in other avenues such as the agricultural and corporate sectors. People shared their own frustrations and experiences when applying for jobs which clearly exclude certain races because of their requirements.
Ayanda started the video by saying she feels defeated at what transpired with her children, “I feel trapped, I feel imposed on, I feel somewhat despondent and defeated because in this day and age in 2020 we are still having the conversation about Afrikaans being taught at schools.
“My children speak three languages Sesotho and isiZulu properly … with English they manage and in fact when it comes to the curriculum as a language they do well in it for people who have been fully exposed to the language [English] about a year ago. They get Cs and Bs.”
She slams the schooling system for not offering other indigenous languages in schools as the country boasts of 11 official languages. “Why is this Afrikaans being imposed on us?”
Ayanda also slams those who say parents have a choice to take their kids to a school that offers certain languages. She said she has no desires of disadvantaging her children by waking them up in the early hours of the morning, because they live very far from their schools.
“Yet, here’s a language which is a fourth language, you fail my children because they failed Afrikaans? And you fail them, having aced maths, having aced other subjects … you fail my children on the basis of failing Afrikaans as a second language?” she said as her emotions run high.
“Why is this language being imposed on us and our children? Why don’t we have options at schools? If you fail Afrikaans you fail the whole year? In 2020? Our leaders should address this,” she said adding that the language dominates in the country whilst only 5% speak it.
Tagging the Pan South African Language Board, Ayanda captioned her video “Afrikaans in 2020? I need some balancing please. I’m actually quite ticked off by this. It makes no sense. In essence you can ace Maths, fail Afrikaans and fail the term but if you fail Maths and ace Afrikaans, you pass through? What do we call that? You can’t fail children on the basis of not speaking YOUR language. It is systematic exclusion!”
These are just a few of the many reactions:
Fuck Afrikaans https://t.co/MPXLM9VUwe
— Ntsikizayiboni (@ntsikimazwai) October 14, 2020
Afrikaans is one of SAns official languages nd shud be used wether as a 1st or 2nd language imagine a skul in Alberton whch is populated by afrikaans forced to hv IsiXhosa,hw many Xhosas r in alberton?Thrs so much choice in our skulling system make a wise choice 4 ur child qha https://t.co/EGfY4i5EN8
— Zee (@Queen_Matha) October 14, 2020
Till today in black residential areas, 26 years later, medication given to our sick parents in clinics are all in English & Afrikaans. Right here in Africa. How do u give an elder something meant to help them but they cant read the instructions? Are we really Free?
— Put South Africa First (@LvovoSA) October 7, 2020
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