Carl Niehaus criticizes Akademia University as an exclusive Afrikaans institution built on privilege
Carl Niehaus of the EFF has criticized Akademia University, stating that Afrikaans should not be used for exclusion, racial separation, or preserving privilege in South Africa. Niehaus, an Afrikaans speaker, rejects the identity of "Afrikaner" due to its association with a "racial fortress," and views AfriForum and Solidarity's Akademia project as an expression of this "toxicity." Solidarity is constructing a R3.2-billion private university campus in Pretoria, which Niehaus argues is an exclusive Afrikaans-medium institution funded by private wealth rooted in historical racist divisions. He believes it will be inaccessible to the majority Black South Africans due to the language barrier, creating a "parallel world" reminiscent of apartheid. Niehaus asserts that a university isolating its students from their fellow citizens does not prepare them for democratic life but rather for separateness. He emphasizes that transformation requires inclusive campuses where South Africans of all backgrounds learn together. In response, AfriForum's CEO Kallie Kriel dismissed Niehaus's remarks, suggesting he was seeking attention. However, political analyst Piet Croucamp supported Niehaus's perspective, describing Akademia as primarily a political project driven by an academic narrative, where language, culture, and religion are used to restrict the educational philosophy to a specific narrative.