CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (AP) _ LAWMAKERS PROPOSED ON TUESDAY TO SCRAP AFRIKAANS, PERCEIVED BY MANY BLACK SOUTH AFRICANS AS A LANGUAGE OF APARTHEID OPPRESSION, AS ONE OF THE TWO LANGUAGES USED IN PARLIAMENT BUSINESS.

INSTEAD, BLACK LANGUAGES, SUCH AS XHOSA AND ZULU, WOULD BE GIVEN A ROLE IN PARLIAMENT'S DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS OF RECORDING MINUTES AND ISSUING OFFICIAL PAPERS.

``IF WE ARE GOING TO EQUALIZE EVERYBODY, THOSE WHO HAD EXTRA BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES MUST LOSE THEM,'' SAID PATRICK LEKOTA, CHAIRMAN OF PARLIAMENT'S UPPER CHAMBER.

LANGUAGE IS A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE IN SOUTH AFRICA, ESPECIALLY AMONG WHITE AFRIKANERS, THE DESCENDENTS OF DUTCH SETTLERS WHO DOMINATED APARTHEID GOVERNMENTS.

GEN. CONSTAND VILJOEN, LEADER OF THE RIGHT-WING FREEDOM FRONT, SAID THE PROPOSALS WERE AN ATTACK ON AFRIKANERS WHO WERE BEING INCREASINGLY MARGINALISED BY THE RULING AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.

``THIS WILL LEAD TO A HEIGHTENED TENSION BETWEEN THE AFRIKANERS AND THE ANC,'' HE SAID.

10 FEB 98