Mr Speaker, the ANC welcomes the announcement by Oxford University Press last week that they have published a new IsiZulu- English dictionary, four decades after the last such reference book was released for one of South Africa's most widely spoken languages.
In a country with a linguistic diversity spanning 11 official languages, it is essential that our learners are able to access languages other than their mother tongue. With more than 2,8 million pupils taking isiZulu as a language subject at school, the dictionary will help pupils and teachers to keep up with the changes in the language.
South Africa is a multilingual country, and besides the 11 officially recognised languages, scores of other languages - African, European, Asian and more - are spoken here as the country lies at the crossroads of Southern Africa. The ANC has raised and will continue to raise and lobby around issues of multilingualism, linguistic diversity, linguistic integration, linguistic equity and language rights. Together we can protect and promote our linguistic diversity. I thank you. [Applause.]