The State’s Use of Official Languages – How Are We Doing at Fostering a Multilingual State?

By Daniela Ellerbeck and Alfred Mahkuntsu on behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation:

*This article was first published as an opinion piece in eNCA in September 2024.

Introduction:

The South African Constitution protects our diverse cultures, religions and languages by enshrining various cultural, religious and linguistic rights. It also requires the State (local, provincial and national government) to use the official languages in its communication with us, its citizens (section 6(3) of the Constitution). When we remember that English spoken as a first language by only 10% of South Africans, the necessity of a multilingual State becomes immediately apparent. This National Heritage Month provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the State’s multilingual communication.

Local government:

Municipalities must consider their residents’ language preferences, usage and the special needs of those who cannot read and write when communicating information. It is wonderful to see how some municipalities appear to be excelling in this:

The eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (“KZN”), for example, has adopted a multilingual policy that aims to ensure that all eThekwini Municipality’s residents can have access to services and information. The policy prioritises isiZulu while also accommodating English and Afrikaans, because 80,9% of people in KZN speak isiZulu. This initiative shows the commitment to inclusivity by providing services in KZN in the languages most residents are familiar with.

The District of Sekhukhune’s language policy emphasises the use of Sepedi to reflect the linguistic reality of the area. (Census results show that the district’s languages are Sepedi (80,9%), English (13,6%), IsiNdebele (2,3%) and Afrikaans (1,5%).)

The City of Cape Town also adopted a language policy that includes Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa in its official communications with its residents. This policy aims to ensure..continue reading this article HERE.

Dikobe Ben Martins: {2014 (Acting Minister)} Dikobe Ben Martins acted as Minister of Transport in 2014 for a brief period. His focus was on maintaining continuity in transport policies and ensuring the smooth operation of transport services during the transition of leadership.