Museketeri wa Mutshamaxitulu, Museketeri wa Phuresidente wa tiko, Holobye wa Ndzawulo ya Vutshila na Mfuwo na Museketeri wa n'wina, Vaholobye hinkwavo na Vaseketeri va vona na Swirho swa Yindlu leyo saseka songhasi, sweswi i nkarhi lowunene wo vulavula hi Nawumbisi lowu wa timhaka ta tindzimi ta tiko ra hina, na hi laha hi khutazaka vaakatiko hinkwavo ku tinyungubyisa na ku hlayisa ndhavuko na ndzhaka leyi ya tindzimi ta hina.
Nawumbisi lowu wu khutaza vanhu hinkwavo ku tokota swinene hi ku vulavula tindzimi ta hina hi rixaladzi, vutshila na mfuwo wa ririmi hi ku hetiseka. A hi tinyungumbiseni swin'we hi tindzimi ta hina ta xintima leti a ti ri ehansi ka ntshikilelo hi mfumo lowu nga hundza wa xihlawuhlawu. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)
[Mr D W MAVUNDA: Deputy Chairperson, Deputy President of the Republic, Minister of Arts and Culture and your deputy, all ministers and their deputies, members of this beautiful House, it is now the right time to talk about the Bill that concerns the indigenous languages of our country and how we encourage all citizens to be proud of and to preserve the culture and heritage of our languages.
This Bill encourages all the people to be skilful in using our languages with pride, art and culture of the language in totality. Let us all be proud of our indigenous languages which were suppressed by the former apartheid regime.]
This democratic and caring government, of course under the leadership of the ANC, finds it necessary to establish a juristic person for the protection and promotion of language practices in the Republic. The SA Language Practitioners' Council Bill seeks to facilitate the effective implementation of the constitutional obligation concerning multilingualism as contemplated in section 6 of our Constitution. This means that every South African will be able to use the official language of his or her choice as a matter of right in a range of contexts. This was also contemplated in the already promulgated Use of Official Languages Act of 2012, which has just been signed by the hon President of the Republic.
These Bills, as the hon chairperson already indicated, seek to regulate language practitioners and ensure that they are accredited and registered and offer their services in a professional manner. Moreover, this Bill will also seek to formalise the existence of language practitioners as accredited experts, governed by the set standards and norms of our Constitution.
In this regard, in their profession language practitioners will be available to develop indigenous languages through the Use of Official Languages Act. This Act seeks to capacitate language practitioners through language policies and legislation. The Language Practitioners' Council will also change the perception that the indigenous languages are inferior to English and Afrikaans whereas, in essence, all indigenous languages in South Africa were suppressed and made to be neglected by their own people under the apartheid regime.
As we speak, we still have people who offer their language skills to government and the business sector but are not paid even a cent or given anything as a token of appreciation. All this happens because we do not have a council that regulates and protects the sector in a way that maintains high standards of language use by our practitioners. In the absence of a structure in the form of a council representing the interests of translators, interpreters and writers of indigenous languages, our people became so vulnerable because they could not be protected by any policy or legislation.
The Language Practitioners' Council will create an enabling environment for job creation in the language practice sector. It will be possible to link up with opportunities, either as self-employed professionals or as practitioners offering their services to the national language units that will be established in all national departments under the Use of Official Languages Act of 2012.
If there is a Language Practitioners' Council, it will become possible for our people to make careers out of speaking their own home languages. Moreover, organic language practitioners will be regulated in a way that will lead them to become professional language practitioners and people who offer language services will enjoy greater credibility.
Xandla xa Mutshamaxitulu, hi ku famba ka nkarhi tindzimi hinkwato leti a ti nga tsarisiwanga eka matsalwa lamakulu ya tiko a ti ri kusuhi na ku rivariwa na ku fa. Hi ku ya hi Nawumbisi lowu ti ta pfuxetiwa ti tlhela ti tirhisiwa. Hikokwalaho, ku ta va na ku burisana lokunene na ku vuyerisa vanhu va Afrika-Dzonga na vapfhumba hinkwavo va matiko ya le handle. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, all languages which were not codified in the national registry were about to be forgotten and to die with time. According to this Bill, they will be revitalised and be used again. For this reason, there will be good communication and will benefit the South African public and all tourists from overseas.]
The Bill will have positive implications for a variety of language developments in our country. The ANC therefore supports the Bill.
Ku dya ngopfu a hi ku hlula ndlala. Ndzi gimeta mbulavulo wa mina kwala. I mahlanga! [I have spoken a mouthful. It marks the end of my speech. Till we meet again.] [Applause.]