Deputy president Jacob Zuma on Thursday commended the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and three KwaZulu-Natal newspapers for promoting multilingualism in South Africa.
Speaking at the National Consultative Conference in Benoni, Zuma said: ”This is a step in the right direction.”
Zuma said the three newspapers that publish in IsiZulu and the many SABC radio stations that broadcast indigenous languages should be commended for their contribution to multilingualism. Ilanga is an IsiZulu newspaper.
”We would like to emphasise that all sectors have a critical role to play in promoting multilingualism,” he said.
”It is our hope that we are going to receive feedback from all sectors, as we decisively move forward with the implementation of the policy framework.”
The National Consultative Conference would be used as a forum where the government would outline how it intended to promote the equitable use of the 11 official languages of South Africa, through the National Language Policy Framework.
Zuma said language defined the values and cultural systems of a community of people. It was through language that people defined their existence and relationship to other human beings.
”We are therefore steadfast in our commitment to promote the use of all official languages, as enshrined in our Constitution,” Zuma said.
He said the National Language Policy Framework had outlined some of the very important and key challenges in the government’s drive to ensure a more equitable use of the 11 official languages.
”We believe that this language policy framework will assist this process. Provinces and local government structures will also model their policies in line with the guidelines contained in this policy framework.
”We will also be expecting that each government structure will agree on a working language or languages, for both internal and external communication.
”The provision is that where practically possible, no person shall be denied access to a government service because of their language,” Zuma said.
Arts, Culture, Science and Technology Minister Ben Ngubane urged guests to take part in the discussion that would lead to the passing of the South African Languages Bill.
”I will make an appeal to you to participate in discussions and interrogate the South African Languages Bill in detail,” Ngubane said.
”We are now moving from developing policy to implementing policy: showing through example that multilingualism can be implemented in South Africa in a practical manner without excessive financial implications.
”Today we would like to consult with you on the Languages Bill because I believe it is the cornerstone of well-managed multilingualism.
”And in an effort to demonstrate that this new dispensation for multilingualism will not only be talked about and is not only empty words — we are also launching spellcheckers for the indigenous languages and a multilingual Mathematics dictionary.
”The elevated status of the indigenous languages to official languages and their prescribed use by government means that a concerted effort will be necessary in the development of terminology for the various fields of application,” the minister said.
The Pan South African Language Board, its substructures, the Provincial Language Committees, the National Lexicography Units, the National Language Bodies, the provincial and parliamentary Hansard offices and language units in government departments in the provinces are some of the institutions the government would work with to develop the Bill.
However, the language units are still to be established in most cases and would be devoted to managing the implementation at the specific national government departments and in each of the provinces.
Ngubane said multilingualism aimed to foster respect for language rights and linguistic diversity, and to promote national unity. – Sapa