[lg policy] South Africa: Govt pushes for equitable use of all official languages

[Harold Schiffman]

South Africa: Govt pushes for equitable use of all official languages


Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System
Date: 07 Aug 2012

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Pretoria - Government took a major step towards promoting the
equitable use of official languages when Arts and Culture Minister
Paul Mashatile tabled the Use of Official Languages Bill in Parliament
on Tuesday. The Bill is aimed at ensuring that government elevates the
status of especially indigenous languages and promotes their
widespread use. The Bill will also make a massive contribution towards
the national effort to promote multilingualism.

"We wish to reiterate that this Bill is not aimed at diminishing the
significance and use of any of the South African official languages.
Through this Bill, we will promote equitable use of all official
languages. In the long run, we will endeavor to equally promote the
use of sign language," said the minister.

As a result of this Bill, South Africans will have an opportunity to
use the official languages of their choice in interacting with
government. "This, we believe, will strengthen efforts to ensure equal
access to government services and programmes; and thus contribute to
the goal of building an empowered citizenry. "Specifically, this Bill
seeks to provide for the regulation and monitoring of the use of
official languages by national government and public entities for
official purposes," he said.

Mashatile added that the Bill provided for the establishment of a
national language unit. The unit will, amongst other things, advise
the Minister of Arts and Culture on the policy and strategy to
regulate and monitor the use of official languages.

It also provides for the establishment of language units in every
national department, public entity and national public enterprise to
advise the national department on the development, adoption, and
implementation and monitoring of its language policy.

He said through the Bill, government was giving effect to the
provisions of Section 6 of the Constitution, which not only identifies
11 official languages but also obliges the state to take practical and
positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of
indigenous languages.

The minister said the Bill applied to all national departments,
national public entities and national public enterprises. It obliges
every national department to adopt a language policy on the use of
official languages for official purposes.

In terms of the Bill language, policies by national departments
should, among others, identify at least three official languages to be
used for official purposes. When identifying these three official
languages, national departments must take into account its
Constitutional obligation to take practical steps to elevate the
status and advance the use of indigenous languages whose historic use
and status was diminished.

The Bill also gives powers to the Minister of Arts and Culture to
monitor the use of official languages by getting reports from
departments on the activities of their language units.

The minister is required, on an annual basis, to table a report to
Parliament on the use of official languages for the provision of
government services. - SAnews.gov.za


Reported by: South African Government News Service


http://7thspace.com/headlines/418470/south_africa_govt_pushes_for_equitable_use_of_all_official_languages.html

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