CHAPTER 2: LANGUAGE POLICY IN SOCIAL LIFE
2.2 THE SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE POLICY IN SOCIAL LIFE
Tunisia Arabic estas nacia lingro
Turkey Turkish
Yugoslavia Serbian
This table exposes various countries and their official languages. As already indicated, South Africa has eleven official languages.
2.2
THE SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE POLICY IN SOCIAL
Republic of South Africa can be free only when the language policy of the country is also free. At this point in time, language policies as reflected in the Constitution of South Africa (1996) pertaining to national, provincial and local governments as well as the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) will be examined.
2.2.1 The Constitution of South Africa (1996)
The Constitution of South Africa (1996) clearly gives the position of official languages in South Africa. The language policy of South Africa as stipulated in the Constitution of South Africa (1996) as adopted on 8 May 1996 and amended on 11 October 1996 by the Assembly (1996:04) states that: “The official languages of the Republic are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, isiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu”.
The Constitution of South Africa (1996) assures that since Tshivenda is one of these official languages, it means that it may be used for any official matter. Anyone who acts against this policy is violating the law since the Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic (the Constitution of South Africa, 1996:03).
Before the new democratic language policy of 1996, official languages in South Africa were English and Afrikaans. Such languages were in greater advantage when compared to the indigenous languages. This is why the democratic constitution focuses on previously disadvantaged languages as well.
The Constitution of South Africa (1996:04) goes further by “recognising the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of South Africa”.
It is for this reason that the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. This assertion indicates that there is a need to develop previously marginalised indigenous languages, Tshivenda included.
Developing marginalised indigenous languages entails equality as far as language use is concerned and this equality forms a primary basis for social equality. A lack of
language equality may lead to political instability and economic, ethnic or cultural inequality.
Section 30 of the Constitution of South Africa (1996:15) reflects that “everyone has the right to use the language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice”.
Section 31 of the same Constitution of South Africa (1996:15) states that “persons belonging to a cultural, religious or linguistic community may not be denied the right with other members of that community to enjoy their cultural practise, their religion and use their language".
If people in the Republic of South Africa are said to be equal, their chances to receive information should also be the same. Section 32 stipulates that everyone has the right of access to any information that is held by another person and that is requested for the exercise or protection of any right. It emphasises the fact that everyone has the right to get access to and to receive any form of information whatsoever in his or her own language or the language he or she understands best.
In the preamble to the Constitution of South Africa (1996:01) it is stated that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in diversity. The Constitution of South Africa (1996) aims at healing the divisions of the past by establishing a society based on democratic values, social justice and functional human rights. Thus, all this can, among others, be achieved only if the language policy in social life forms its basis.
2.2.2 The National and Provincial Governments
Apart from the language policy pertaining to the country as a whole, there are also aspects of the language policy that pertain to national and provincial governments.
The Constitution of South Africa (2006:04) states that
The national government and provincial governments may use any particular official languages for the purpose of government, taking into account usage, practicality, expense, regional circumstance and the balance of the needs and preferences of the population as a whole or in the province concerned, but the national government
and each provincial government must use at least two official languages.
South Africa’s New language Policy (nd:08) further illustrates the condition of language policy pertaining to the national government and the provinces as follows:
To create conditions for the development and promotion of the equal use and enjoyment of –
All eleven official languages at the central level, and
The statutorily determined and chosen provincial official languages in the provinces 3(a)(d).
For this reason, a central government department would in practice, if at all possible, among other things
Publish notices that are of special importance in the eleven official languages;
Have official forms available in the eleven official languages, and
Have a letterhead available in each of the eleven official languages
The above assertion implies that any two predominantly used official languages may be used as provincial and national official languages. The South Africa’s New Language Policy (nd:05-06) outlines that:
A province may, by two-thirds majority vote, declare any of the national languages a provincial official language for the whole province or a part thereof. Every language that was an official language somewhere in South Africa up to April 1994 retains its official status there since the The Constitution of South Africa (1996) provides that language rights and statuses may not be diminished
The South Africa’s New Language Policy further gives an example whereby in the Free State Southern Sotho would be used as an additional official language besides English and Afrikaans. In the region of Qwaqwa, Sesotho is still used as an official language (The South Africas New Language Policy, nd:06). In the same vein,
found there in large numbers. This is evidenced by the the Census (2001:15-16) which reveals the home languages within provinces in percentages thus:
Home language Number of speakers Percentage Afrikaans
English isiNdebele isiXhosa isiZulu
Sesotho sa Leboa Sesotho
Setswana SiSwati Tshivenda Xitsonga Others
5 983 426 3 673 203 711 821 7 907 153 10 677 305 4 208 980 3 555 186 3 677 016 1 194 430 1 021 757 1 992 207 217 293
13,3 8,2 1,6 17,6 23,8 9,4 7,9 8,2 2,7 2,3 4,4 0,5 (Statistics South Africa, 2001:15-16)
This table illustrates that there is a total number of 1 021 757 people who speak Tshivenda. The highest number of Tshivenda speakers are found in the Limpopo Province, namely 839 704 in cool which in turn amounted to 82.2 percent.
2.2.3 Language Policy in the Municipalities
It is of great importance to take into account the language policy at local level. In as far as municipalities are concerned, “they must take into account the language usage and preference of their residents” (The Constitution of South Africa, 1996:04).
2.2.4 Language Policy as Regards Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) unit was established in terms of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Its main aim is to promote, and create
conditions for the development and use of official languages. The following is a review of its language policy:
The government tasked the Pan South African Board to deal with all issues that have to do with languages. It has, among others, to develop the indigenous languages. It is the duty of government to see to it that the marginalized languages, during the apartheid era, such as Tshivenda and Xitsonga, should enjoy top priority in the development process. Besides, government must create an environment conducive to elevate the status of these languages. It should strive to make these languages used in public or in people‟s daily dealings.
The provincial and the national governments may use any particular official language for the purposes of government, taking into account usage, practicality, expense, regional circumstances, and the balance of the needs and preferences of the population as a whole or in the province concerned, but the national government must use at least two official languages.
What is said above indicates that the national and provincial governments as well as the municipalities should join hands with the Pan South African Language Board in utilising all official languages and promoting indigenous languages. They have to see to it that even Tshivenda is being used as an official language in social life. The Constitution of South Africa (1996:04) stresses this as follows:
Recognising the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of our people, the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages.
Tshivenda, the main focus of the study is one of the official languages of South Africa. The Pan South African Language Board is in its initial position of developing the former marginalised languages and Tshivenda is one of the languages that is being developed.