[lg policy] South Africa: Zulu lessons for English-speaking councillors

[Harold Schiffman]

Zulu lessons for English-speaking councillors
News / 22 September 2016, 10:58am
MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

Durban - An eThekwini councillor has called on council speaker, Lekgoa
Mapena, to arrange for Zulu lessons for English speaking councillors.

This in the wake of mayor Zandile Gumede saying Zulu-speaking councillors
should be able to express their views in meetings without it having to be
translated into English.
eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede has told councillors that Zulu-speaking
councillors should be able to express their views in meetings without being
stopped for interpretations. Picture: Sibonelo Ngcobo. Credit: INDEPENDENT
MEDIA

But parties have warned that Zulu-speaking councillors’ expressing their
views without stopping for interpretation could infringe on the rights of
their English-speaking counterparts, as important information could be left
out.

Democratic Liberal Congress leader Patrick Pillay said the policy has never
changed.

Pillay also said non-Zulu-speaking councillors should learn to speak the
language.

“I requested to have lessons from the speaker a while ago, but to date the
council has not arranged lessons.

“I hope it will be implemented by the new speaker, so that we can learn,”
he said, adding that he planned making another request to Mapena.

However, Pillay said if councillors could express their views without being
interrupted for interpretations, that would infringe on the rights of
councillors in terms of understanding the debate.

“Interpretation is important and necessary, so it must be followed
accordingly,” he said.

According to reports, Gumede asked Mapena at the first Exco meeting to make
sure isiZulu was encouraged.

“I feel really good when I use it. Even in this Exco… it must happen
officially, across the board, in all committees. For us, I don’t think it
must get to a point where councillors request interpretations in
committees, it must be a norm,” she was quoted as saying in *The Mercury*.

The city’s language policy already provides for English and Zulu as
“working languages” that could be used in any debate and other proceedings
of the council and its ­committees”.

However, it also states that provision should be made for interpreting
services into either of the “working languages”.

Yesterday, parties confirmed that there was an interpretation service for
councillors at the committee meetings, in line with the language policy.

The Minority Front’s Jonathan Annipen said he understood Gumede to have
sought to promote heritage and culture. “We must not read too much into it.
I don’t think the mayor is so vulnerable” to speak in English, Annipen said.

However, he agreed that “important information will be sifted” should
councillors express their views in Zulu without being stopped for
interpretation.

http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/zulu-lessons-for-english-speaking-councillors-2071525


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