Workshop considered ways to implement Eastern Cape's language policy: implementation of language policy by legislative means discouraged

[Harold F. Schiffman]

From: http://www.dispatch.co.za/

Jajula gets tough: tell me all or I'll cut funding

By SABELO NDLANGISA

ARTS and culture MEC Nomsa Jajula is threatening to crack the whip on
parastatals in her department that fail to tell her what they are doing.
She threatened to cut off their funding unless they toe the line. Jajula
hit out after a department workshop and ahead of a planned national arts
and culture policy conference in about two weeks' time. She had not
received annual reports for two years from most of the parastatals -
including the Provincial Heritage Resources Agency, the EC Recreation
Council and the Provincial Language Committee.

She slammed the agencies, saying their state of affairs were "creating a
grave" for her. But she praised the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and
Culture Council for submitting reports and getting a clean audit report
from the Auditor-General - meaning that its house is in order. "The law
says they must report to me but I don't get those reports. "That's going
to hit me hard because the law says they must - I will not transfer any
funding to any committee unless you give me your financial statements, the
annual reports and the AG's reports on your records."

The policy workshop recommended the creation of a single super-parastatal
under which the rest of the parastatal organisations would fall. And three
pieces of legislation governing heritage, museums and libraries were
recommended. The workshop also considered ways to implement the province's
language policy which requires that government departments equitably use
the province's official languages.

The current policy, which was crafted at the end of last year, recognises
five provincial official languages: English, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, isiZulu,
and seSotho. However, the policy also promotes the use and development of
sign language and "heritage languages" such as Khoisan and Indian
languages. To implement the language policy the department came up with a
language Bill last year, but it was never submitted to the Legislature.

The national Cabinet discourages the implementation of language policy
through laws, saying provinces should find alternatives. Vulindlela Mona,
the department's director for arts and culture, said the workshop
recommended the department focus on training translators and sign language
interpreters to ensure implementation. Provincial and local government
should lead the private sector in the use of multi-lingualism when
rendering services, he said.

It was recommended that institutions such as banks should also print
deposit slips in indigenous languages, and that statutory bodies such as
the Provincial Language Committee should monitor compliance by companies
and government.

http://www.dispatch.co.za/2005/11/05/Easterncape/dcut.html

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