The Congress of SA Students (Cosas) on Friday called for the closure of Afrikaans medium schools.
"Cosas condemns any racial tendencies that seeks to close doors of learning for the black African students, who are indigenous people of this country and Africa at large by having foreign, un-original Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in some racist schools, more especially in the West Rand region under racist Afrikaners management," a statement from Gauteng provincial secretary Oagile Louw said. "We therefore call... for the immediate closure of such schools."
The call was reminiscent of events that led up to the 1976 clashes on June 16 between pupils and police in Soweto. These and the subsequent shootings of a number of schoolchildren, came during a march in protest against Afrikaans being used as a language of instruction at schools.
Cosas also threatened to drive "disruptive" SA Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) members off school premises saying they are not committed to offering quality education. Cosas urged Sadtu leadership to "stop forming part of the furniture in their fancy offices" and to call their members to order.
Cosas sent good wishes to students preparing for the mid-year exams, saying they must stay away from fast food to maintain a healthy state of mind, use study groups and, even during the Soccer World Cup must gather together in the spirit of the Cosas motto: "Each one Teach one".
Cosas also sent a message of support to ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, during his "difficult and trying times". Malema's diary on Monday includes a reported disciplinary hearing and an Equality Court complaint related to some of his public comments.
