Sign language to be declared SA's 12th official language
Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee has recommend that sign language be given an official status.
According to the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) the committee is recommending that the constitution be amended to include sign language as an official language.
PanSALB says the ball is now in Parliament's court.
"PanSALB is of the view that SASL like any other official language is a fundamental human right that should be treated equally. We have made several crucial calls to government to prioritise sign language like any other formal language and efforts have for a very long time drawn blank. This was done on the basis that we believe it has been violated and marginalised as compared to other languages," PanSALB Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rakwena Monareng says.
Monareng says the PanSALB believes teaching South African Sign Language at schools level will limit challenges of incorrect interpreters, such as the one at the memorial service proceeding of the former state president Nelson Mandela in 2014.
"As it is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, we believe all languages are equal and that it should all be given the recognition, respect and publicity it deserves," Dr Monareng says.