Benefactor's Stellenbosch language intentions disputed
The true intention of Stellenbosch University benefactor Jan Marais is at the centre of the pending court battle about the language policy of the instituion. Rapport reports that the applicant, Equal Opportunities, and council chairperson George Steyn offer different interpretations of Marais’ will in their court papers.
Equal Opportunities say Marais donated £100 000 (about R135m in today’s terms) to the university on condition that Afrikaans or Dutch are not placed on ‘any lesser footing’ than any other official language at the university. Steyn argues in his court paper that the language stipulation wasn’t a condition of the donation, but the correct interpretation of the will should read that he gave the money that played an integral part in the founding of the university ‘so that’ (‘ten einde dat’) Afrikaans or Dutch could be used as the medium of instruction. The convocation of the university passed a motion last week supporting Equal Opportunities in the litigation. The case is enrolled in the Western Cape High Court for 20 March.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
