Sihlalo, Ngqongqoshe, oNgqongqoshe abanye abakhona la, umnyango kaNgqongqoshe, amalungu ahloniphekile ePhalamende kanye nezethameli zethu, ngiyanibingelela. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Ms M D NXUMALO: Chairperson, Minister, other Ministers present here, the Minister's department, hon members of Parliament and our guests, I greet you all.]
We are engaged in this debate today, nine days after we have celebrated our 16 years of democracy. We debate today conscious of the masterstrokes our ANC-led government has achieved in the areas of governance such as the creation of economic equity conditions and the fight against poverty and HIV/Aids.
Noting the big challenge we are still facing in the areas of communication and imparting information and knowledge, we remain firm in our support for the Constitution and the quest to promote and develop our indigenous languages. All linguistic rights enshrined in the Constitution need to be deepened by practical means in order for each right to yield linguistic freedom: freedom for all South Africans, the people of Africa and the peoples of the world.
Sections 16(b), (c) and (d) of the Constitution state that everyone has a right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom to receive or impart information or ideas; freedom of artistic creativity; academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
Sihlalo, ngizothanda ukuthi le nkulumompikiswano yami ngiyibeke ngolimi lwami lwebele, isiZulu.
NgoMasingane ka 2000, kwabakhona inkomfa yezilimi zendabuko nokubhalwa kwezincwadi eyayibanjelwe lapha e-Afrika, e-Asmara. Izihambeli zale nkomfa zabhala isivumelwano esibizwa nge-Asmara Declaration, esasithi phakathi kokunye okumele kwenziwe: Ukubaluleka kokulingana kwezilimi zendabuko e- Afrika makuhlonishwe ngenhloso yokuthuthukisa bonke abantu base Afrika esikhathini esizayo; ukuthi intando yeningi ibalulekile ekuthuthukisweni ngokulinganayo kwezilimi zendabuko e-Afrika; kanye nokuthi izilimi zendabuko zibalulekile ekuthuthukisweni kwentando yeningi eyakhelwe phezu kwenkambiso yokulingana kanye nobulungiswa phakathi kwabantu.
Ngo 2001, izwe lase-Mali laphakamisa kwi-OAU ukuthi makusungulwe i-African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) ngenhloso yokuthuthukisa, ukunika amandla, ukuhlanganisa nobumbano lwezilimi zendabuko e-Afrika. Mhlaka 9 kuNtulukazi ka 2002, kwagcotshwa i-AU, African Union, eThekwini. Umthethwenisisekelo wayo izilimi eziyosebenza kuyoba, yizilimi zendabuko e-Afrika, i-Arab, i- English, i-French kanye ne-Portuguese.
Njengoba nje sigubha iminyaka eyishumi nesithupha sakhululeka, sigubha nokuthi saphuma engcindezelweni yokuthi sikhulume isiNgisi nesiBhunu njengezilimi ezazisemthethweni kuhulumeni wengcindezelo. Kulo hulumeni wabantu oholwa nguKhongolose sinezilimi eziyishumi nanye ezisemthethweni ngokoMthethosisekelo. Siyafuna ukuthu noLimi lweZandla lufakwe kumthethosisekelo njengolimi olusemthethweni.
Umthethosisekelo ugunyaze i-PanSALB, kanye ne-Commission for Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Rights ukuthi zivikele futhi ithuthukise amalungelo ezilimi, izinkolo namasiko aseNingizimu Afrika. Siyathokoza kakhulu ngokuvulwa kwe-TISSA okwenze kwabalula ukukhuluma ocingweni ngolimi lwakho, ikakhulukazi uma ukhuluma namaphoyisa noma izibhedlela ngaphansi kwezimo eziphuthumayo.
Imfundo iyithuluzi elibaluleke kakhulu ukwakha i-potential kanye namathuba okuthi umuntu athuthuke ngolwazi namakhono azomenza ukuthi abambe iqhaza kwezomnotho, aphinde adlale indima ekwakhiweni kwesizwe. Lokhu angeze kwenzeka uma ulimi lokufinyelela emfundweni lungolwabezizwe, ngoba asiluqondi kahle thina beNkashana kaMenzi.
Ulimi lwebele malube yithuluzi lokwaba nokwabelana ulwazi, imfundo kanye namanye amakhono anjengocwaningo lwezesayensi. Uma sithi izikhungo zemfundo kumele zifundise ngolimi lwebele, sisho ngoba sazi ukuthi noma ngabe yimuphi umuntu odalwe uNkulunkulu, usho kancono lokho afuna ukukusho uma ekusho ngolwimi lwebele. Unikeza kangcono ulwazi, izincazelo, ukuveza ikhono nesiphiwo uma ezosebenzisa ulimi lwakhe.
Konke lokhu kufuna imali Ngqongqoshe, ngoba ukuze abantwana bakwazi ukufunda baphinde benze nocwaningo ngolimi lomdabu kuzodingeka ukuthi ubucwepheshe obuqukethe izinhlelo zokufunda nokufundisa ziguqulelwe kuzo zonke izilimi ezivikelwe umthethosisekelo. Ukuze abafundi nabafundisi bakwazi ukwenza ucwaningo kanye nezivivinyo ngalo lolu 'limi lwabomdabu. Konke lokhu kudinga izimali ezishisiwe.
Kumele sibheke ukuthi le mali esabelwe yona ingasiza kuphi mayelana nokwenza intuthuko encike olimini. Ngoba kwezomnotho sibonile ukuthi umnyango uze nezinhlelo eziningana ukuthuthukisa intsha ngokuthi ingenelele kwezenhlalakahle nomnotho. Umbuzo esiwubuzayo ukuthi ngabe umnyango uyazenza yini lezi zinhlelo ngezilimi zendabuko na? Nokuthi uma lokhu kwenzeka ngabe abantu abahumusha lezi zilimi baqeqesheke ngokufanele na?
Kunohlelo olubizwa nge-Arts Social Development and Youth Programme olwenzelwe ukuthuthukisa intsha ukuze ingene ezinhlelweni zentuthuko. Sizokhumbula ukuthi ngo 2008 umnyango ubambisene nezinye izinhlangano [stakeholders] uvule inkomfa eyayibanjelwe eMdantsane ngaphansi kohlelo i- National Youth into Arts Programme. Lolu hlelo lwenzelwe ukuthi lwakhe izingxoxo ngenhloso yokubheka ukuthi intsha ingangena kanjani kwezomnotho ukuze ifunde amakhono.
Sithi kungabangcono uma ulwazi ngalezi zinhlelo lunganikezelwa ngazo zonke izilimi ukuze bazazi kangconywana. Zinhle lezi zinhlelo ngoba zikhuthaza intsha ukuthi ikhethe izifundo zobuciko, amasiko, kanye namagugu njengezifundo ezibalulekile zokuziphilisa.
Ukunikezelwa kolwazi ngezinsiza ezilethwa uhulumeni ebantwini kumele kwenziwe ngazo zonke izilimi zabantu kuwo wonke umuntu emagumbini ezwe lakithi. Ngifuna ukwenza isibonelo ngalesisitatimende engizosenza khona manje, ukuthi uma ngiya KwaZulu-Natal ngikhuluma isiSotho, uma ngifika kwamasipala nginenkinga uma ngingasazi isiZulu ngeke bangisize ngoba bazongitshela ukuthi ulimi engilukhulumayo alukho endaweni engikuyo. Lokhu akuhambisani nemgomo yomthethosisekelo echaza izilimi ezisemthethweni eNingizimu Afrika.
Sifuna kube khona imali yokulungisa le nkinga. Sihlalo, asikwazi ukuba nohulumeni wasekhaya ozoba nabasebenzi abahlala ngaphambili abaqashelwe izilimi ezimbalwa. Qasha abantu bazo zonke izilimi zendabuko singacwasi ngolimi ngoba lokho kuchaza ukuthi sicwasa ngokosiko, ngoba ulimi liwusiko.
Sihlalo, ngicela kesizifune sizibuze njengeziShayamthetho ... Siyasiseka lesi sabelomali singu-ANC. Ngiyabonga. [Kuphele isikhathi.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I would like to present my debate in my mother tongue, which is isiZulu.
In January 2000, a conference to promote the development of indigenous languages and the publishing of books was held here in Africa, in Asmara. The delegates at that conference signed an agreement called the Asmara Declaration, which among other things stated:
The vitality and equality of African languages must be recognised as a basis for the future empowerment of African peoples. Democracy is essential for the equal development of African languages and African languages are vital for the development of democracy based on equality and social justice.
In 2001, the Republic of Mali made a proposal to the Organisation for African Unity, OAU, that an African Academy of Languages, ACALAN, should be established with the aim of developing, empowering and consolidating indigenous languages in Africa. On 9 July 2002, the AU, African Union, was launched in Durban. It stated in its constitution that the languages it would use would be African indigenous languages, namely Arabic, English, French and Portuguese.
As we celebrate 16 years of freedom, we also celebrate the freedom of not having to speak English and Afrikaans, which were used by the apartheid government as official languages. The people's government, led by the ANC, has 11 official languages which are enshrined in the Constitution. We also want South African Sign Language to be added to the Constitution as an official language.
The Constitution has mandated PanSALB, the Pan South Africa Language Board, and the commission for cultural, religious, and linguistic rights to protect and develop language rights, religions and cultures in South Africa. We are very glad that with the launching of TISSA - the Telephone Interpreting Service for South Africa - making a telephone call in your own language is so much easier, especially when you speak to the police or to hospitals in times of emergency.
Education is an important tool to develop potential and to create opportunities for a person to attain knowledge and skills that will enable him or her to participate in the economy, and to play a major role in nation-building. This cannot happen if the language which is used as a medium of instruction is foreign, because we might not understand it as the Zulu nation.
A person's mother tongue should be the tool used to provide and share knowledge, education and other skills like scientific research. When we say that educational institutions should teach in people's mother tongue, we say it because we know that every person who is created by God can express himself or herself better in his or her mother tongue. He or she gives knowledge and explains things better to display skills and talent in his or her own language.
All these interventions need money, Minister, so that children can read and do research in their mother tongue. All technologies that contain teaching and learning programmes should also be available in all the languages protected by the Constitution to enable learners and educators to do research and to conduct tests in our indigenous languages. All of this needs a lot of money.
We must check if our allocation can help us in the development of languages. In the economic sector we have seen that the department has introduced a number of programmes to empower and mainstream youth in the economy. The question we pose is: Does the department pay attention to these indigenous language programmes? If that happens, are the people who translate these languages properly trained?
There is a programme called the Arts, Social Development and Youth Programme which is designed to develop the youth in order for them to participate in developmental programmes. We will remember that in 2008 the department, working with other stakeholders, organised a conference which was held in Mdantsane, East London, to launch a programme called the National Youth into Arts Programme. This programme has been designed to establish dialogue amongst the youth with the aim of assessing how the youth can be involved in the economy in order to acquire skills.
It would be better if the information about these programmes is made available in all languages so that the youth can understand it better. These programmes are good because they encourage the youth to choose art subjects, culture, and heritage preservation as important subjects to help them make a living. The provision of information about service delivery should be done in all the languages across the country. I want to cite an example with regard to the statement I have just made. If I go to a local municipality in KwaZulu- Natal and I speak Sesotho, I will have a problem. If I do not know isiZulu they are not going to assist me because they are going to tell me that the language I speak is not used in their area. This is contrary to the provisions of the Constitution which spells out the official languages of South Africa.
We want a budget allocation to rectify this problem. We cannot afford to have a local government that is going to have staff members who are employed to deal with a few languages only. Employ people of all indigenous languages so that we do not discriminate against other languages as that will mean that we discriminate against other cultures since language is culture.
Chairperson, let us do introspection as legislators. As the ANC we support this budget Vote. [Time expired.] Thank you.]