DEPARTMENT OF SPORT, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE LANGUAGE POLICY FRAMEWORK OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT OF SPORT, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE LANGUAGE POLICY FRAMEWORK OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT 14 SEPTEMBER 2005

2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. PURPOSE 3. OBJECTIVES 4. CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL IMPERATIVES 4.1 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 4.2 RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND POLICIES 5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES 6. SCOPE OF APPLICATION 7. LANGUAGE USAGE IN GAUTENG 8. LANGUAGE USAGE IN GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT 9. GUIDELINES FOR LANGUAGE USAGE AND DEVELOPMENT 9.1. WORKING LANGUAGE OF RECORD 9.2. LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION 9.3. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION 9.4. LANGUAGE PROMOTION 10. BUILDING CAPACITY 11. CONCLUSION 2

3 1. INTRODUCTION Colonial and apartheid policies created a situation where all except two of the country's languages were not just undermined but suppressed to the highest degree. English and Afrikaans were given official status and were systematically promoted and developed to the detriment of the indigenous languages of South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides for the equitable use of all the official languages of the country, and for the promotion and development of the historically marginalised indigenous languages. Apart from the 11 official languages, the Constitution also recognises other languages such as Nama, Khoi, San and Sign Languages, which must also be promoted and developed. Gauteng is a cosmopolitan and multilingual province, where not only the 11 South African official languages (Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isindebele, isixhosa and isizulu) are spoken. The many diplomats, immigrants, refugees and businessmen from all over the world that live in Gauteng have made the province home to a number of foreign languages. The Gauteng Language Policy Framework (GLPF), which seeks primarily to provide broad guidelines for implementation of a system of functional multilingualism, was developed as a direct result of the imperatives of the Constitution and the National Language Policy Framework (approved and launched in March 2003), which gives effect to the constitutional rights regarding language usage and development. The National Language Policy Framework (NLPF) requires all provinces to formulate their own language policies, which must be in line with it. The GLPF is a product of consultation with various stakeholders at national, provincial and local levels. These stakeholders include the Department of Arts and Culture s National Language Service, Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) departments, particularly the Gauteng Department of Education, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), the Gauteng Provincial Language Committee, several municipalities, the Gauteng Legislature and a number of language practitioners. This consultation process was conducted by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture with the assistance of various language experts. 3

4 Prior to the consultation process a language audit was conducted by a service provider with extensive experience in this field of research. Due consideration was also given to Census 2001, relevant policy documents, and the results of the Gauteng language audit. The major findings of a national sociolinguistic survey commissioned by PanSALB in 2001 were also taken into consideration. This survey used a stratified probability sample of South Africans of 16 years and older drawn from all social categories and both rural and urban backgrounds. The main focus areas were home language and languages used in the private and informal sphere, public and institutional situations, languages of work and tuition, attitudes to language policy, language fluency and multilingualism. The Constitution recognises education as one of the most important platforms for the promotion and development of languages. The GLPF also takes into account the imperatives of the South African Schools Act, 1996, in terms of language usage in school and how the Language-in-Education Policy relates to the education environment. 2. PURPOSE The purpose of the GLPF is to enhance the promotion and development of the historically marginalised indigenous languages in Gauteng. 3. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the GLPF therefore are as follows: a) To give effect to the language rights enshrined in the Constitution through the active promotion of multilingualism. b) To promote the equitable use of the 11 official languages of the province in order to realise social, cultural and linguistic justice. c) To facilitate equitable access to provincial government services and information 4

5 and participation in government processes. d) To support, develop and sustain multilingualism within provincial and local government departments and in their communication and interaction with the public. e) To effect redress for the historically marginalised official languages of the province. f) To protect language diversity and promote respect for multilingualism and unity. g) To contribute towards the preservation and further development of our rich and diverse cultural identities. h) To contribute to democracy, as well as demonstrating that the GPG is a caring and effective government. i) To propose structures for the implementation, monitoring and assessment of the language and communication policies of the province. j) To provide guidance and direction for local government in developing their own operational language policies, thus further enhancing functional multilingualism. k) To promote good language management for cost-effective and efficient public service delivery and administration. l) To foster and promote nation building, patriotism and social cohesion between Gauteng's diverse linguistic and cultural groups. 4. CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL IMPERATIVES 4.1. THE CONSTITUTION The following are the sections of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No. 108 of 1996), that have been taken into consideration in the drafting of the 5

6 GLPF: Section 6(1) declares that the official languages of South Africa are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isindebele, isixhosa and isizulu. Section 6(2) recognises the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of South Africa, and compels the state to take practical steps and design mechanisms to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. Section 6(3)(a) specifies that national and provincial governments must use at least two of the official languages for the purposes of government subject to considerations of practicality, expense, regional usage and circumstances, and the needs and preferences of the public as a whole, or in the province concerned. Section 6(3)(b) stipulates that local governments must take into account the language usage and preferences of their residents. Section 6(4) obliges national and provincial governments to regulate and monitor their use of official languages to ensure parity of esteem and equitable treatment. Section 6(5) provides for the establishment of PanSALB to promote and develop the use of all the official languages, as well as Khoi, Nama, San and Sign Languages, and to promote respect for all languages commonly used in communities in South Africa. Section 9(3) protects citizens against unfair discrimination on the grounds of language. Section 29(2) states that everyone has the right to receive the education in the official language or languages of their choice in public institutions where that education is reasonably practicable. In order to ensure the effective access to, and implementation of, this right, all reasonable educational alternatives must be considered, taking into account equity, practicability and redress. Sections (30) and 31(1) uphold the rights of citizens to use the language of their choice. 6

7 4.2 RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND POLICIES PAN SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE BOARD ACT, 1995 The PanSALB Act, 1995, provides, inter alia, for the recognition, implementation and furtherance of multilingualism, and development of the historically marginalised indigenous languages. It also provides for the establishment of provincial language committees. The Gauteng Provincial Government, through the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, has already established the Gauteng Provincial Language Committee SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS ACT, 1996 Although the South African Schools Act (SASA) is in the process of being amended, it nevertheless currently provides for the Minister of Education, subject to the Constitution and after consultation with the Council of Ministers, to determine norms and standards for language policy in public schools. It also specifies that the governing body of a public school may determine the language policy of the school subject to the Constitution, the SASA and any applicable provincial laws PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT, 2000 The objects of the Promotion of Access to Information Act are to give effect to the constitutional right of access to any information held by the state, private bodies or persons subject to justifiable limitations. Such access might not only refer to physically obtaining the information but must, as far as possible, be in a language of choice of the requester NATIONAL LANGUAGE POLICY FRAMEWORK As Schedule 4 of the Constitution states that the language is a functional area of concurrent provincial and provincial competence, the NLPF stipulates that all 7

8 government structures (national, provincial and local government), as well as institutions exercising a public power or performing a public function, are bound by it. In promoting multilingualism provinces are expected to formulate their language policy frameworks, based on the NLPF, but also taking into account the regional circumstances, needs and preferences of provincial communities. Local governments will then formulate local language policies in line with the provincial policy framework. Government is also encouraged, where necessary, to support the private sector to develop and implement its own language policies in accordance with the above policy frameworks LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION POLICY The Language-in-Education Policy is a national language policy that operates in the education environment. Its main objective is to facilitate communication across the barriers of colour, culture, language and religion while at the same time creating an environment in which respect for languages other than one s own is encouraged. 5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES The following principles are the central tenets of the GLPF: a) Respect for the language rights of citizens as enshrined in the Constitution. b) Ensure the equitable treatment of the 11 official languages in the GPG. c) Promote the use of a diversity of languages. d) Enhance the capacity of all the official languages to contribute to political and socio-economic development and participation. e) Enhance the status and roles of previously marginalised languages (redress). f) Maximise the capacity of language as a practical and cost-effective resource for communication. g) Prevent the use of language for the purposes of exploitation, domination and discrimination (non-discrimination). 8

9 h) Address the needs, aspirations and interests of our diverse language communities. i) Collaborate with public, private and other institutions and agencies to promote multilingualism (partnerships). j) Uphold the democratic rights of citizens to fully participate in public life, including participation in the formulation, implementation and assessment of language and communication policies. k) Promote access to information and government services through effective communication. l) Harness language to ensure transparent and accountable government, responsive to the needs of citizens. m) Sensitivity and flexibility to the language preferences, usage and proficiency of the target audience. n) Regularly assess the implementation and impact of language and communication policies and services and effect revisions when required. o) Oral communication in all 11 national official languages will be respected and encouraged. The Language-in-Education Policy states that all learners should be offered the opportunity to learn at least one indigenous language, all language learning areas should receive equitable time and resources, and the executing authority at provincial level should determine policy on progression requirements relating to languages as subjects, subject to the national norms. 6. SCOPE OF APPLICATION The scope of application of the GLPF includes GPG departments, the Gauteng Legislature, municipalities (taking their regional language use and preferences into account), and institutions within the province that exercise public power or perform a public function. Private enterprises and non-governmental bodies will also be encouraged to develop their own language policies in line with this Policy Framework. 7. RESEARCH ON LANGUAGE USAGE IN GAUTENG The table below juxtaposes the home language profile of Gauteng with that of South 9

10 Africa as a whole according to Census Language Gauteng South Africa Afrikaans 14,36 13,3 English 12,51 8,2 isindebele 1,95 1,6 isixhosa 7,59 17,6 isizulu 21,52 23,8 Sepedi 10,70 9,4 Sesotho 13,12 7,9 Setswana 8,36 8,2 siswati 1,39 2,7 Tshivenda 1,74 2,3 Xitsonga 5,72 4,4 Other 1,02 0,5 The above figures indicate that isizulu is the home language spoken by more than 20% of the population at both provincial and national levels. It is also important to note that while English is the language most used for commerce and science, it occupies the fourth and sixth position for home languages at provincial and national level. The above table shows clearly that Gauteng has no dominant home language, but a multilingual situation in which the top five home languages are each spoken by more than 10 per cent of the population, and together account for more than 70% of the population of the province. The following are the local language profiles extracted from Census 2001, reflecting the languages with the largest number of users in order of predominance: Ekurhuleni: Emfuleni: Johannesburg: Lesedi: Midvaal: Mogale: Nokeng Tsa Taemane: Randfontein: Tshwane: Westonaria: isizulu, Afrikaans, Sepedi, Sesotho, English Sesotho, isizulu, Afrikaans, isixhosa, Setswana isizulu, English, Sesotho, Setswana, Afrikaans isizulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, isixhosa, English Sesotho, Afrikaans, isizulu, English, isixhosa Setswana, Afrikaans, isizulu, isixhosa, English Sepedi, Afrikaans, isizulu, Setswana, Xitsonga, Setswana, Afrikaans, isixhosa, isizulu, Sesotho Sepedi, Afrikaans, Setswana, Xitsonga, isizulu isixhosa, Sesotho, Setswana, isizulu, Xitsonga 10

11 The implementation of the GLPF must give due regard to the above variations. It is envisaged that some languages that do not enjoy statistical significance at provincial level do enjoy statistical superiority at local government level, and should thus receive due consideration at local government level and with provincial functions implemented at local level. 8. RESEARCH ON LANGUAGE USAGE IN GPG In 2003 the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture commissioned a language and communication audit of the GPG departments. The main objective of the audit was to determine the language needs (including resources) and preferences of the management, staff and clients of provincial services. The audit shows that most officials at service delivery points (frontline services) are able to talk to the public in one or more languages other than English and Afrikaans, and the majority of users of government services prefer to use these indigenous languages. For example, in one provincial hospital, officials used Afrikaans 7,9% of the time, English 36,8% of the time, and African languages 58,5% of the time. In respect of administration, the perception of staff was that records, presentations and oral official communication were increasingly in English, which was not the predominantly used language for ordinary communication among employees. The audit highlights a significant need for translation services, and the importance of serving clients in their home language in both oral and written communication. Not all departments translate their strategic documents into even one indigenous language. Although costs prohibit a vigorous move towards translation, some departments are starting to set a trend. For example, the 2005 Provincial Budget was available in two indigenous languages. 9. GUIDELINES FOR LANGUAGE USAGE AND DEVELOPMENT IN GPG The Gauteng Provincial Government, as required by the Constitution and because it 11

12 considers multilingualism vital, will respect and uphold the language rights of all the citizens in the province. As far as practically possible (taking into consideration both the resources available and the imperatives of the Constitution), everyone will be afforded the opportunity to use his or her own language of choice when speaking to or corresponding with officials. As the above audit report stated, the use of indigenous languages is encouraged, but where results are below expectations, mechanisms to improve the situation need to be adopted and fast-tracked. 9.1 WORKING LANGUAGE OF RECORD The language of written internal record in GPG will be English and translations into other official languages and Braille will be made available on request where practically possible. When it is deemed crucial, certain documents will be translated into any number of the other 10 official languages and distributed without waiting for the public to request this. The Gauteng Legislature will continue to produce records of debates in at least four official languages. English will also be used for written interdepartmental and intergovernmental communication. 9.2 LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION The languages used for internal and external communication will be guided by functional multilingualism, i.e. the purpose and context of the communication, the availability of resources and the target audience will determine the choice of languages. The language usage for frontline services such as public hospitals, police stations, social service points, housing offices and the Gauteng Legislature should be sustained, with forms for services issued in at least two indigenous languages or where absolutely necessary in all 11 official languages. It must be stressed that the availability of resources will be one of the most important factors in determining how many languages are used. In the area of education, the GLPF recognises the language of communication and teaching in schools as espoused in the SASA and Language-in-Education Policy. 12

13 The Language-in-Education Policy at provincial level should be viewed as part of the GLPF for language development in education. 9.3 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION GPG communication at international level will be in English, or in the preferred language of the country concerned where this is practically possible. 9.4 LANGUAGE PROMOTION Communication units of the GPG departments, led by the Chief Directorate: Government Communication and Information Services in the Office of the Premier, will be instrumental in guiding the GPG in programmes that will enhance the promotion of official and other languages in line with the Constitution. Each GPG department will establish its own language unit. The GPG Communication Forum will include the monitoring and evaluation of language promotion and development programmes undertaken by GPG departments in its annual survey. The results thereof will determine the course of action that will have to be taken and the extent of such intervention will depend on resources availability. The Department of Education in particular will promote and develop the historically marginalised indigenous languages as set out in the SASA and Language-in-Education Policy. As one of its functions, the Gauteng Provincial Language Committee will advise the GPG on matters and projects that will assist in the promotion and development of languages, especially the historically disadvantaged indigenous languages. It should be mentioned that the extent to which the language promotion and development occurs will depend on budget allocations and availability of resources. 10. BUILDING CAPACITY The establishment of additional structures and the demand for access to public information in the language of choice of members of the public, as well as the use of 13

14 these languages when dealing with public servants, will also have an impact on staff development within those structures and GPG departments in general. In the long-term, GPG employees and public representatives will have to become proficient in some or all of the indigenous official languages if they are to effect service delivery efficiently. This means that departments will have to train and develop their frontline staff so that they are able to communicate with the public in line with the principle of Batho Pele. 11. CONCLUSION With the concerted effort of developing the indigenous languages and continuously changing demographics, it will be imperative to review the GLPF every five years in order to determine its relevance. 14