A bill which would remove the “conscience clause” from a law governing staff appointments at the University of Orange Free State and empower university officials to take account of “Protestant Christian tradition” in making appointments was sharply criticized today in a memorandum sent by a group of Members of Parliament to all of the deputies.
The memorandum emphasized that the “conscience clause” was a traditional safeguard against religious discrimination in staff appointments and student admission in South African universities. While the new bill specifically retains the ban against such discrimination in reference to student admission, the amendment ending the safeguard on staff appointments “is tantamount to introducing religious discrimination, ” according to the memorandum.
The memorandum also pointed out that all South African Governments have hitherto supported the conscience clause and urged the MP’s to insist on reaffirmation on the principle. The Jewish press in South Africa has emphasized the importance of the clause in editorials and urged the Government to ensure its continuance.
Johannesburg MP’s strongly attacked the bill in Parliament. Dr. E. L. Fisher said that as a Jew he objected to the bill since the university served the whole province and no one should be debarred from the staff on religious grounds. Dr. Louis Steenkamp said that even though the sponsor of the bill claimed that 95 percent of the students were “Protestant Christians, ” this was no justification for religious discrimination in staff appointments.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
