Unfortunately the debate around language is often dismissed as being of minor importance and it is more likely to be seen as an irritation. However, when we consider what happened in Belgium recently, where the government was toppled, so to speak, primarily because of the language problem in the country, it is, indeed, an indication of how important language is.
To a large extend it is language that defines a person. It says who you are and how you see yourself. This aspect was clearly evident during the recent public hearings which were held by the parliamentary Joint Constitutional Review Committee in Limpopo to determine whether it should be Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa that appears as the official language in the Constitution.
From the submissions it was clear that language and identity are inextricably linked to each other. Speakers of both languages intimated that their language signifies their history as well as their status. There were also clear experiences of marginalisation, alienation and exception taken with regard to the name of the official language. Therefore it is important, on the one hand, that the languages that are spoken by the citizens of the country be recognised and respected and, on the other hand, that the speakers of the languages be recognised and respected.
The former concerns the mechanisms that the government puts in place to ensure that all languages, as recognised in the Constitution, enjoy their rightful place and status. This means that all the official languages enjoy the same status and that the right to use those languages, at all levels of society, is ensured and protected by the government. It is in this regard that the government has to make sure that there is adequate legislation to give effect to this.]
In this regard an important ruling was made in March this year in the case of an attorney from Brits, Mr Lourens, by the judge in the High Court in Pretoria. In his ruling, Judge du Plessis found that contrary to the Constitution in terms of section 6(4), the government had not regulated and monitored the use of official languages. He also instructed the Minister of Arts and Culture to ensure that there is compliance within two years.
This ruling is arguably the single most important ruling on multilingualism in South Africa since the adoption of the Constitution in 1996. This means that the government can no longer hide behind the National Language Policy Framework as the sole safeguard of our official languages. The Pan South African Language Board can now be empowered to ensure that people's language rights are adhered to. This has long been one of the main problems and reasons provided for why there is no compliance with the language provisions in the Constitution.
It is, however, a pity and a sad reflection on the government that citizens have to take government to court to get them to comply with and implement the stipulations in the Constitution.
This ruling does have specific implications for the department and specifically also for the budget. In the budget debate in June last year I stated that the budget allocation for languages was not sufficient. It had the smallest allocation of all the programmes in the department and, unfortunately Minister, we have the exact same situation again in this budget.
Although one realises and accepts that when the budget was compiled, the court ruling had not yet been given, provision will have to be made during the adjustment period to cater for this. This will also in future have to be taken into account by different government departments especially where there is direct service delivery to people.
An aspect that is not always realised when looking at the implementation of multilingualism, is the new possibilities it provides for job creation. This is good news, as our country is blessed with many people who have wonderful multilingual skills. Although it is quite admirable that the department wants to promote our South African languages by awarding bursaries to students in language practice, the reality is that the language practice profession presently does not offer that many opportunities. This is exactly because of the fact that we do not have a languages Act. There is no real obligation for government departments to render multilingual services, as it cannot be enforced.
Minister, in the interim, until we have a languages Act, your Department still has the responsibility to ensure that different departments provide multilingual services. In this regard it is also highly unacceptable and problematic, and to the detriment of the promotion and protection of all the languages of South Africa, that the CEO of the Pan South African Language Board has been suspended for more than a year. This is wasteful and fruitless expenditure and, given PanSALB's limited budget, something we cannot afford.
Die ander aspek, naas erkenning van die tale van Suid-Afrika, is die erkenning van en respek vir die sprekers van 'n taal. Dikwels het ons hier te doen met stereotipering, hoe die sprekers van 'n taal as sus of so gesien word. In Suid-Afrika het ons nie 'n gebrek aan stereotipering nie en ongelukkig word hierdie stereotipes versterk deur hoe ons na mekaar verwys en ook hoe ons na mekaar se tale verwys. Dit spreek boekdele van wat ons van mekaar dink.
Minister, dit is belangrik dat u en u departement die leiding in hierdie verband neem en dan gaan dit byvoorbeeld nie net oor die verandering van plekname wat kwetsend is nie. Daar is ook ander aspekte waar daar op kwetsende en beledigende wyses na mense verwys word, soos byvoorbeeld in amptelike dokumentasie.
'n Voorbeeld hiervan is die benaming van, byvoorbeeld, Afrikaans, in die isiZulu, siSwati, Sesotho en Setswana weergawes van die Grondwet. In die isiZulu en siSwati weergawes word na Afrikaans verwys as "isiBhunu" en in die Sesotho en Setwana weergawes as "Seburu". Afrikaans word dus gesien as die taal van die Boere.
Alhoewel 'n mens begrip kan h vir die moontlike historiese redes vir die benoeming, is dit gewoon net nie meer van pas vandag nie en versterk dit die stereotipiese persepsies wat daar oor di taal en sy sprekers bestaan.
As ons dus werklik as gelykwaardige Suid-Afrikaners gesien en behandel wil word, waar ons almal gelyke geleenthede het om onsself tot ons volle potensiaal uit te leef, sal ons moet aandag gee aan hoe ons mekaar beskou, van mekaar praat en tot watter mate ons mekaar erken en respekteer. Hier, agb Minister, sal u die leiding moet neem. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [The other aspect, besides recognising the languages of South Africa, is the recognition of and respect for the speakers of a language. Often we are dealing here with stereotyping; how the speakers of a language are seen in this way or that. In South Africa we are not deficient when it comes to stereotyping and, unfortunately, these stereotypes are reinforced in how we refer to each other and also how we refer to each other's languages. It speaks volumes as to what we think of each other.
Minister, it is important that you and your department take the lead in this regard and here it is not only about changing the names of places which are offensive, for example. There are also other aspects where references to people are made in an offensive and insulting manner, for example in official documentation.
Illustrative of this, is the naming of Afrikaans, for instance, in the isiZulu, siSwati, Sesotho and Setswana copies of the Constitution. In the isiZulu and siSwati copies Afrikaans is referred to as "isiBhunu" and in the Sesotho and Setswana copies as "Seburu". Afrikaans is, therefore, seen as the language of the Boers.
Though one understands the possible historical reasons for the designation, it is just not appropriate today and it reinforces the stereotypical perceptions which exist about this language and its speakers. If we, therefore, want to truly be seen and treated as South Africans of equal value, where all of us have equal opportunities to realise our full potential, we will have to attend to how we perceive each other, speak about each other and to what extent we recognise and respect each other. Here, hon Minister, you should take the lead.]
Chair, as the Minister has mentioned, besides the South African Languages Bill, the department plans to deal with three pieces of legislation, namely the Cultural Laws Third Amendment Bill, the community library Bill and the South African Language Practitioners' Council Bill.
These are all very important Bills and we trust that they will indeed progress to the stage where they can be tabled, especially the South African Language Practitioners' Council Bill, which was first drafted as far back as 1999. We also hope this delay is not going to happen with regard to the rest.
Chair, 2010 is a year of legacy. In years to come we shall look back on 2010 and the legacy it left our country with. I trust that the legacy will also include a vibrant, thriving and creative arts and culture community that will enrich all our lives. Thank you.