DA will fight for language rights

Please see English, isiZulu and Afrikaans versions of the statement follow below. 

English:

DA will fight for language rights

Sunday, 1 November 2020, was a historic day for the speakers of all 11 of South Africa’s official languages. During the Federal Congress of the Democratic Alliance (DA), delegates unanimously affirmed the Party’s commitment to champion the constitutional right of all citizens to study in their mother language at public schools and universities across the country. The text of the resolution was adopted in isiZulu, Afrikaans and English after being proposed by eThekwini councillor, Thabani Mthethwa, and Member of Parliament, Dr Leon Schreiber.

The Congress unanimously resolved that “the right to mother tongue education where reasonably practicable is a non-negotiable and fundamental element of the Bill of Rights, and is no less important than any other constitutional right.”

Going forward and both in government as well as in opposition, the DA will take “urgent and active steps to expand access to mother tongue education at every institution where it is reasonably practicable.” Even more important is the undertaking that the state must “significantly expand investment in developing all of South Africa’s official languages to ensure that mother tongue education becomes ‘reasonably practicable’ in public primary schools, universities and all other public training institutions across the country.”

This is a watershed moment for language rights in South Africa.

Rather than expanding access to mother language education, the ANC has dramatically reduced access to mother tongue education. This has happened despite the Constitution’s commitment that everyone has the right to receive education in the language of their choice. It also flies in the face of overwhelming international evidence, which clearly shows that mother tongue education is critical to educational success.

The reason why language rights are under assault in South Africa is because of a lack of political will to defend and promote these rights. Unfortunately, in recent years, the DA too did not always defend the right to mother language education as vigorously as we could have. For too long, the people did not have a political champion on their side to fight for their language rights.

That chapter came to a conclusive end on Sunday. As a result of the adoption of the language rights resolution, the DA now proudly stands alongside all people who are being prevented from reaching their full potential simply because they are unable to learn and study in the language that they understand best.

As the resolution makes clear, the first step in the DA’s battle for the speakers of South African languages is to ensure that mother tongue education is defended and reinstated in institutions where it is already reasonably practicable. It is for this reason that the DA will shortly launch an unprecedented campaign aimed at making Afrikaans equal with English at Stellenbosch University, where an indigenous South African language was apparently removed for political reasons and where mother-tongue instruction is already “reasonably practicable.”

But this is only the start. On the long journey that lies ahead in our fight to practically implement the constitutional right to mother language instruction, the DA will use every tool at our disposal to make access to education in all official languages “reasonably practicable” at many more schools and universities in South Africa. As a party that treasures diversity and is deeply committed to expanding opportunities to all citizens, Sunday’s resolution makes it clear that the DA now proudly stands with all South Africans who wish to express their rights as free people in the language of their choice.

isiZulu:

I-DA izolwela amalungelo olimi

Ngesonto mhla lulunye kuLwezi (November) 2020, kwaqopheka umlando kuzozonke izilimi eziyishumi nanye ezisemthethweni kulelizwe. Ngesikhathi sengqungquthela kazwelonke ye Democratic Alliance (DA), izithunywa zavumelana ngo elethu ekuzinikeleni kweqembu ekuhambeni phambili ekufuqeni ilungelo elichitshiyelwe kuMthethosisekelo wezwe wokuthi zonke izakhamuzi zifunde ngolwimi lwazo ezikoleni zikahulumeni nasemanyuvesi kulolonke izwe. Lesisiphakamisa savunywa ngolwimi lwesiZulu, olwe Afrikaans nolwesiNgisi emva kokuphakanyiswa ikhansela laseThekwini uThabani Mthethwa kanye nelungu lephalamende, u Dkt u Leon Schreiber.

Ingqungquthela ivumelene  ukuthi ilungelo lokufunda ngolwimi lwasekhaya lapho kungenzeka khona, kumele lisetshenziswe ngaphandle kokungabaza kanti futhi lokhu kuyingxenye emqoka ye Bill of Rights ngaphansi komthethosisekelo wezwe futhi kumqoka njengawowonke amalungelo ashicilelwe kuMthethosisekelo wezwe.

Uma kuyiwa phambili, lapho iDA iwuhulumeni khona noma iyiqembu eliphikisayo, I DA izothatha izinyathelo ezisheshayo zokusabalalisa ulwimi lwebele ezikhungweni zemfundo lapho lokhu kungenzeka khona. Okumqoka kakhulu ilokho kokuthi umbuso kuzomele usabalalise ukutshala kwawo ekuthuthukisweni kwazozonke izilimu ezisemthethweni kuleli ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ulimi lwebele luyasetshenziswa emabangeni aphansi ezikole zikahulumeni, isemanyuvesi kanye nakuzozonke izikhungo zikahulumeni zokuqeqesha ezweni lonkana.

Lena ingqophamlando  odabeni lwelungelo lezilimi eNingizimu Africa.

Kunokuthi kusatshalaliswe ukufundiswa ngolwimi lwebele esikhundleni i-ANC ivele yathusa ngokuthi yehlise ukuthi kufundiswe ngalo. Lokhu bakwenza yize umthethosisekelo ukugqamisa ukuthi abantu banelungelo lokufunda ngolwimi abalufunayo. Lokhu kuphikisana ngisho nobufakazi obuvela emazweni omhlaba obutshengisa ngokusobala ukuthi ukufunda ngolimi lwebele kumqoka ukuqinisekisa impumelelo kwezemfundo.

Okwenza amalungelo olwimi lwebele acindezeleke eNingizimu Afrika ingoba abaholi bezombusazwe abazimisele ukukulwela loludaba nokuvikela lelilungelo. Ngebhadi, nathi njengeDA sehlulekile ukulwela ilungelo lokusebenzisa ulimi lwebele ngendlela ekwakumele silulwele ngayo. Sesiside isikhathi lapho abantu bengenaye ozolwela ukusetshenziswa kolimi lwebele.

Lesisigaba sifinyelele emaphethelweni ngeSonto. Njengoba sesivumelene ngokulwela ilungelo lokusetshenziswa kolimi lwebele, NjengeDA sizimisele ukulwela bonke labo abebevinjwe ukufinyelelela kokukhulu ngenxa nje yengqinamba yokungakwazi ukufunda nokufundiswa ngolwimi abaluqondayo

Njengoba isiphakamiso sicacile nje bha, isinyathelo sokuqala se DA esokulwela ukuthi izilwimi ezikhulunywa kuleli ziyavikelwa futhi zibuyiselwe ezikhungweni zemfundo lapho kungenzeka khona. Ilesisizathu esizokwenza ukuthi maduze nje iDA yethule umkhankaso okuhloswe ngawo ukwenza ulwimi lwe Afrikaans lulingane nolwe English enyuvesi yaseStellenbosch, lapho ulimi lwendabuko lwaseNingizimu Africa lasuswa ngenxa yezombusazwe nalapho ulwimi lwebele lungakwazi ukusetshenziswa khona

Kodwa lesi kuseyisiqala nje. Iseyimde indlela eya phambili empini yethu yokuthi ilungelo lokusebenzisa ulimi elichitshiyelwe kumthethosisekelo wezwe lethulwe ngokuphelele, I DA izosebenzisa zonke izindlela ukwenza ukuthi ezemfundo zifundwe ngolimi lwebele lezilimu zakuleli ezisemthethweni eziyishumi nanye ezikoleni eziningi namanyuvesi akuleli. Njengeqembu elihlonipha kakhulu ukwehlukana nelizinikele kakhulu ekwandiseni amathuba kuzozonke izakhamuzi, isinqumo sangeSonto sicacisa bha ukuthi iDA iyaziqhenya ukuma nabantu baseNingizimu Africa abafisa ukudlulisa imizwa yabo njengabantu abakhululekile ngolwimi olukhethwa yibo.

Afrikaans:

DA sal baklei vir taalregte

Sondag 1 November 2020 was ’n historiese dag vir die sprekers van al 11 amptelike tale van Suid-Afrika.

Gedurende die Federale Kongres van die Demokratiese Alliansie (DA) het afgevaardigdes die Party se verbintenis  tot die beywering vir alle burgers se grondwetlike reg om in hul moedertaal aan openbare skole en universiteite regoor die land te studeer, aanvaar.

Die teks van die resolusie is in isiZulu, Afrikaans en Engels aangeneem nadat dit deur die eThekwini-raadslid, Thabani Mthethwa, en die parlementslid, dr Leon Schreiber, voorgestel is.

Die Kongres het besluit dat die reg op moedertaalonderrig, waar dit redelik uitvoerbaar is, ’n ononderhandelbare en fundamentele element van die Handves van Regte is, en nie minder belangrik as enige ander grondwetlike reg is nie.

Die DA sal voortaan dringende en aktiewe stappe neem om toegang tot moedertaalonderrig by elke instelling waar dit redelik uitvoerbaar is, uit te brei. Nog belangriker is die onderneming dat die staat “die belegging in die ontwikkeling van al die amptelike tale van Suid-Afrika aansienlik moet uitbrei om te verseker dat moedertaalonderrig ‘redelik uitvoerbaar’ word in openbare laerskole, universiteite en alle ander openbare opleidingsinstellings regoor die land.”

Dit is ’n waterskeidingsoomblik vir taalregte in Suid-Afrika.

In plaas daarvan om toegang tot moedertaalonderrig uit te brei, het die ANC die toegang daartoe dramaties verminder. Dít ten spyte van die grondwet se verbintenis dat elkeen die reg het om onderrig te ontvang in die taal van hul keuse. Dit is ook teenstrydig met oorweldigende internasionale navorsing wat duidelik toon dat moedertaalonderrig van kritieke belang is vir opvoedkundige sukses.

Die rede waarom taalregte in Suid-Afrika aangeval word, is die gebrek aan politieke wil om hierdie regte te verdedig en te bevorder. Die DA het ongelukkig ook nie die afgelope jare altyd die reg op moedertaalonderrig ten beste verdedig nie. Taalregte het vir lank nie ’n behoorlike politieke kampioen gehad nie.

Dié hoofstuk het egter Sondag tot ‘n beslissende einde gekom. Die DA veg nou trots vir alle mense wat verhoed word om hul volle potensiaal te bereik, bloot omdat hulle nie in staat is om te leer en te studeer in die taal wat hulle die beste verstaan ​​nie.

Soos in die resolusie duidelik gemaak word, is die eerste stap in die DA se stryd die verdediging van moedertaalonderrig en die instelling daarvan in instansies waar dit redelik uitvoerbaar is. Dit is om hierdie rede dat die DA binnekort ’n veldtog gaan loods om Afrikaans aan die Universiteit Stellenbosch gelyk aan Engels te stel. Afrikaans as inheemse Suid-Afrikaanse taal is blykbaar om politieke redes daar verwyder, maar die herinstelling van moedertaalonderrig by die Universiteit is steeds redelik uitvoerbaar.

Maar dit is net die begin. Die DA sal alles in die stryd werp om die grondwetlike reg op moedertaalonderrig prakties te implementer en om toegang tot onderwys in alle amptelike tale “redelik uitvoerbaar” by baie meer skole en universiteite in Suid-Afrika te maak. As ’n party wat diversiteit koester en diep daartoe verbind is om geleenthede vir alle burgers uit te brei, maak die resolusie van Sondag dit duidelik dat die DA saam met alle Suid-Afrikaners ​​wat hul reg wil beoefen om hulself in die taal van hul keuse uit te druk, staan.

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