Agb Adjunkspeaker, agb lede van die Parlement, agb Adjunkpresident, die gaste in die gallery, in Nama en Khoi groet jy soos volg:
!gi ts?s, m re.
Dit beteken, ek groet nou almal hier in die Parlement. Soos u gehoor het en soos die Minister en ander aangevoer het, is die erkenning van tale in Suid- Afrika nie 'n maklike taak nie, omdat dit so 'n sensitiewe kwessie is. Dit is nie net 'n kwessie van mense of lede van die Kabinet wat hier kom praat nie, maar sommige van hulle woon nie eens die vergaderings by nie. Daardie lede weet wie hulle is. Ek gaan nie name noem nie.
Die Afrika-tale is histories nie eens goed genoeg geag vir onderrig of leer nie. Studente is nie net gedwing om subklas-opvoeding te verduur nie, maar ook om in tale te leer wat nie hulle eie was nie. Ek praat van die verlede. Gevolglik is daar afbreek gedoen aan die Afrika-tale, wat deel was van 'n agenda om swartmense te onderdruk.
Die ANC-beleide het die ontwikkeling van tale, kulture en erfenis op die sakelys geplaas om taaldienslewering te vermaklik. Wanneer mense inligting in hulle eie taal ontvang by plekke soos die howe, banke, hospitale en skole, bou ons ook 'n maatskaplike samehorigheid. So, ek wil vir die agb lid van die VF Plus s dat die ANC omgee vir die mense van hierdie land. Die ANC doen iets aan die ongelykheid van tale. Eindelik moet die Vryheidsmanifes en Grondwet sevier, want hierdie twee dokumente beskerm die universele regte van mense, ongeag hul ras, kleur, geslag en klas. So, dit is deel van nasiebou.
Soos u gehoor het, wil die wetsontwerp op die Suid-Afrikaanse taalpraktisynsraad verseker dat ons 'n kombinasie van beroepsmense het wat die inheemse tale vir amptelike beleidsdoeleindes vlot praat. Soos agb Mavunda ges het, as 'n mens vandag na ons samelewing kyk, blyk dit dat die mense wat as vertalers en tolke geld maak, diegene is wat Engels en Afrikaans doen. 'n Verandering is nou nodig. Tale wat onder apartheid verswak het, word elke dag deur ons mense gebruik, byvoorbeeld Nama, Setswana, Tshivenda en ander tale wat nie neergeskryf word nie en ook nie vir amptelike doeleindes in ons regering gebruik word nie. Dit lei daartoe dat opgeleide beroepsmense wat in hierdie tale 'n goeie diens kan lewer, nie in die land as professionele taalpraktisyns erken word nie.
'n Liggaam soos di raad is nodig om die taalsektor te reguleer en om te verseker dat mense wat tolke, taalversorgers en vertalers wil wees, behoorlik opgelei word en dat die publiek beskerm word teen kansvatters wat voorgee dat hulle 'n taal praat, maar dit in werklikheid nie praat nie.
Reeds met die opstel van die Grondwet is ges dat die regering die status van die amptelike tale in Suid-Afrika moet verhoog en die gebruik daarvan moet bevorder. Negentien jaar later is dit die ANC-regering wat veg dat ons tale gelyk behandel en teen diskriminasie beskerm word. Ons moet dus daardie staatsdepartemente, entiteite en besighede prys wat materiaal in twee of meer amptelike tale aanbied. Dit is egter nie genoeg nie. Meer moet gedoen word om te verseker dat ons die Vryheidsmanifes en die Grondwet uitvoer.
Die ANC s, as ons saamwerk kan ons meer doen! Die hele wetsontwerp op die raad vir Suid-Afrikaanse taalpraktisyns is in lyn met die Grondwet. Toe die openbare verhoor plaasgevind het, is die spertyd verleng om te verseker dat belanghebbbendes en mense wat geraak word insette oor die wetsontwerp kon lewer. Die grootste gedeelte van die kommentaar en voorleggings wat ons van die publiek ontvang het, het hoofsaaklik bestaan uit minder belangrike besonderhede oor die samestelling van die raad en die regulering van 'n grootliks ongereguleerde sektor.
Regulering is 'n goeie ding vir daardie kulture en tale wat histories benadeel is. Sonder die ANC-regering sou die tale van die nageslag van die eerste mense, die Khoi-Khoi en die San, byvoorbeeld, verdwyn het. U sal daarop let dat daar nou meer as ooit te vore ook publikasies in ander inheemse tale gedruk word en dat die land se mense aangemoedig word om ander mense se tale te leer. Dit is President Jacob Zuma se missie om te verseker dat die bydrae van die Khoi-Khoi- en San-gemeenskappe tot die stryd teen kolonialisme in Suid-Afrika erken word.
Die ANC ondersteun die wetsontwerp en versoek die burgers om trots op hul erfenis te wees en ook die wetsontwerp te ondersteun. Verder wil ek s, soos ek reeds genoem het, dit sal baie goed wees as lede van die Parlement seker kan maak dat wanneer 'n item op die agenda van die Parlement is, hulle hul belangstelling sal toon indien hulle vir hul kiesafdeling omgee. Moenie hierdie platform kom gebruik en dan oor ander goed praat nie, maar jy het nog nooit die komitee bygewoon nie.
Ek wil ook noem dat dieselfde lede het in Julie verlede jaar die spitsberaad oor nasiebou en kohesie in Soweto bygewoon. By daardie spitsberaad kon elke burger van Suid-Afrika sy misnoe uitspreek, selfs oor die kwessie van die tale. Nou kom gebruik u hierdie platform om u misnoe uit te spreek. Ek dink dis opportunisties. Baie dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mrs L N MOSS: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members of Parliament, guests in the gallery, in the Nama and Khoi language one greets as follows:
!gi ts?s, m re [good day, how are you?].
This means that I am greeting everyone here in Parliament. As you have heard, and as the Minister and others have said, the recognition of languages in South Africa is not an easy task, because it is such a sensitive issue. It is not only a matter of people or members of Cabinet coming here to deliver speeches, but some of them even fail to attend meetings. Those members know who they are. I will not mention names.
Historically, African languages were not even regarded as good enough for education and learning. Students were not only forced to endure substandard education, but also to study in languages that were not their own. I am referring to the past. As a result African languages were denigrated, which was part of an agenda to oppress black people.
The ANC's policies put the development of languages, culture, and heritage on the agenda in order to facilitate language service delivery. When people receive information in their own languages at places like courts, banks, hospitals, and schools, we are building social cohesion at the same time. So, I would like to say to the hon member of the VF Plus that the ANC cares about the people of this country. The ANC is doing something about the inequality of languages. Eventually, the Freedom Charter and the Constitution will have to prevail, because these two documents are protecting the universal rights of people, irrespective of their race, colour, gender, and class. And that is part of building a nation.
As you have heard, the South African Language Practitioners' Council Bill wants to ensure that we have various professionals who speak the indigenous languages fluently for official policy purposes. As hon Mavunda said, if one considers the current situation in our society, it seems as if the people who earn money as translators and interpreters are those who work in English and Afrikaans. Change is needed right now. Languages that have been weakened under apartheid have been used by our people on a daily basis, for example, Nama, Setswana, Tshivenda and other languages that have not been recorded and used for official purposes in our government. As a result of this, trained professionals who are able to deliver good services in these languages are not recognised as professional language practitioners in this country.
A body like this council is necessary to regulate the language sector and ensure that people who want to be interpreters, editors, and translators are adequately trained, protecting the public against opportunists who pretend to be able to speak a language but are in reality not competent in that language.
During the drafting of the Constitution it had already been said that the government should elevate the status of the official languages in South Africa as well as promote the use thereof. Nineteen years later, it is the ANC-led government that is fighting for our languages to be treated equally and to be protected against discrimination. We should therefore commend those government departments, entities, and businesses that are offering material in two or more official languages. However, that is not enough. More should be done in order to ensure that we implement the Freedom Charter and Constitution. The ANC is saying, together we can do more! The entire South African Language Practitioners' Council Bill is in line with the Constitution. When the public hearings took place, the due date was extended in order to allow stakeholders and affected parties to provide input with regard to the Bill. Most of the comments and submissions that we received from the public to a large extent consisted of less important details about the composition of the council and regulating a largely unregulated sector.
Regulating this sector would be to the advantage of those cultures and languages that have been historically disadvantaged. Without the ANC-led government, the languages of the descendants of the first people, the Khoi- Khoi and the San, for instance, would have disappeared. You will notice that publications are now printed in other indigenous languages more than ever before, and that the people of our country are encouraged to learn one another's languages. It is President Jacob Zuma's mission to ensure the acknowledgment of the contribution made by the Khoi-Khoi and San communities in the struggle against colonialism in South Africa.
The ANC supports this Bill and requests citizens to be proud of their heritage and also to support the Bill. Furthermore, I would like to say, as I mentioned earlier, that it would be very good if Members of Parliament could ensure that, when an item is put on the agenda of Parliament, they actually show their interest if they care about their constituencies. Don't use this platform to come and talk about other issues, while you have never even attended a committee meeting.
I would also like to mention that the same members attended the social cohesion and nation-building summit in Soweto in July last year. At that summit South African citizens could express their dissatisfaction, even with regard to the language issue. Now you want to use this platform to show your dissatisfaction. I think that is opportunistic. Thank you very much.]