3 March 2003

People in the Western Cape will now have the choice of speaking in any of the province’s three official languages - isiXhosa, Afrikaans or English - when dealing with provincial government departments.

High-profile government officials, including provincial heads of department and MECs, signed pledges on Tuesday committing themselves to serving people in their own languages.

The initiative is part of the Western Cape Language Committee's efforts to promote multilingualism in the province.

The committee's chairwoman, Liesel Hibbert, said the decision was taken in the light of a language audit conducted in 2002, "which made it clear that action had to be taken to ensure that language is seriously considered as an aspect of diversity and a tool to ensure effective service delivery to the people of the Western Cape".

Hibbert said the audit highlighted problems in the province's internal and external communication which were leading to the marginalisation of isiXhosa, adding that an increased willingness to speak English might lead to the gradual erosion of the status of Afrikaans.

The province's director-general, Gilbert Lawrence, said that multilingualism was the province's goal, "despite attempts by some to favour English as the official lingua franca".

The Western Cape is also paying attention to the needs of the deaf by training officials in Sign Language.

The committee has organised a seven-day event to celebrate the province's move to multilingualism. Entitled "Say it in your language", the second annual Multilingualism Week takes place from 3 to 9 March and includes an exhibition on multilingualism, to be held at municipalities, libraries and departments across the Western Cape.

Western Cape MEC for cultural affairs, sport and recreation, Patrick McKenzie, said: "Being able to communicate to people in their mother tongue, and even having them respond to you in your mother tongue, is as important as pronouncing a person's name correctly. It shows respect, and it assists us in understanding each other better."

The Language Committee will also launch a "Multilingualism in Schools" project in Stellenbosch on 7 March. And on 8 March the issue of multilingualism will be addressed at the Woordfees event in Stellenbosch.

Source: BuaNews

	Pan South African Language Board Govt pushes for multilingualism

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