Amalungelo olwimi eMzantsi Afrika

Ulwimi asiyonto nje yokunxibelelana, yinxalenye ebalulekileyo yobuni bethu, isidima sethu, inkcubeko yethu kunye nendlela esiziva siyinxalenye yoluntu ngayo. Umgaqosiseko woMzantsi Afrika uyakuqaphela oku, kuba ubonelela ngokhuseleko oluluqilima kumalungelo olwimi. Naxa kunjalo, ingxelo yamalungelo enkcubeko, inkolo kunye neelwimi ka2025 ekhutshwe yiFW de Klerk Foundation ibonise ukuba ilungelo lolwimi lusasela ngasemva kukhuselo lwamalungelo. 

Umgaqosiseko ukhankanya ukukhuselwa kolwimi kwiindawo ezintathu ezibalulekileyo:

• Icandelo lesithandathu likhankanya iilwimi ezisesikweni kwaye lifuna uRhulumente ukuba aziphathise ngokulinganayo, aze athathe amanyathelo asebenzayo nalingileyo ukunyusa isidima nokusetyenziswa kweelwimi zesiNtu. Likwabophela uRhulumente ukuba kufuneka asebenzise ngaphezu kolwimi olunye xa enxibelelana noluntu.
• Icandelo lama29(2) lona liqinisekisa ukuba wonke umntu unelungelo lokufumana imfundo ngolwimi olusemthethweni alukhethileyo, ​​kangangoko kunokwenzeka.
• Icandelo lama30 liqinisekisa ukuba wonke umntu unelungelo lokhetha ulwmi afuna ulisebenzisa.

La malungiselelo enzelwe ukuqinisekisa ukuba amalungelo olwimi awayomiqondiso nje kuphela, kodwa ayinyani kwaye ayanyanzeliswa. Nangona kunjalo, ingxelo ka2025 ibonisa ukuba umsantsa phakathi kwesithembiso kunye nesenzo usemkhulu kakhulu.

Apho kusasele umsantsa

Ikhadi lengxelo linike amalungelo olwimi amanqaku asezantsi kakhulu. Ngaphandle kokuqwalaselwa okuthile emaphepheni, eneneni isiNgesi sisalawula zonke iinkalo zobomi boluntu. IsiNgesi sisiseko sonxibelelwano kuRhulumente, ezinkundleni, kushishino, nakwiiyunivesithi. 

Oku kudala imiqobo kwizigidi zabemi boMzantsi Afrika ukuba bathathe inxaxheba ngokupheleleyo, kwaye kujongela phantsi ngakumbi injongo yomgaqosiseko yokuba zonke iilwimi ezisemthethweni ziphathwe ngokulinganayo (parity of esteem). Umgaqosiseko ufuna ukuba zonke iilwimi zithathelwe ingqalelo ngokulinganayo nangentlonipho, kunganyanzelekanga ukuba ziphathwe ngendlela efanayo.

Ukuthotyelwa kwemigaqo yokusebenzisa iilwimi ezininzi kusezantsi kakhulu. I-Use of Official Languages Act 2012 ifuna onke amasebe kaRhulumente, imibutho yoluntu kunye namashishini kaRhulumente ukuba anxibelelane ubuncinane ngeelwimi ezintathu ezisesikweni, kodwa uphando lubonisa ukuba oku kuyafezekiswa kuphela ngo40,24%. Oku kuthetha ukuba uluntu kulindeleke ukuba luhlengahlengise kuRhulumente, endaweni yokuba uRhulumente ahlengahlengise kuluntu.

Umba wemfundo nawo uyinkxalabo enkulu. Nangona iCandelo 29(2) lomgaqosiseko liqinisekisa ilungelo lokufundiswa ngolwimi lomntu alukhethileyo xa imeko imvumela, eli lungelo alikaphunyezwa ngokupheleleyo.

Uphando lubonisa ukuba abantwana bafunda ngcono xa befundiswa ngolwimi lwabo lwenkobe, kodwa izikolo ezininzi zisatshintshela kwisiNgesi kumanqanaba asezantsi emfundo, nto leyo echaphazela ingqiqo neziphumo zokufunda.

IBasic Education Laws Amendment Act 2024 ivumela iintloko zamasebe emfundo yamabanga aphantsi ukuba zithathe isigqibo ngolwimi olusetyenziswa ezikolweni ngaphandle kokubonisana nezigqeba ezilawula izikolo, nto leyo ebeka inkxalabo yokuba kungacuthwa nangakumbi ukufundisa ngeelwimi zesiNtu.

Icandelo lezobulungisa nalo libuthathaka. Iinkundla zisasebenzisa isiNgesi kakhulu, nto leyo eyenza iinkqubo zokuxoxa kunye nokufumana ubulungisa zibe nzima kubemi abaninzi. INkonzo yesiPolisa yoMzantsi Afrika yalile ukwamkela izifungo ezibhalwe ngolunye ulwimi ngaphandle kwesiNgesi, ngelixa iLegal Practice Council iye yasisusa isiBhulu kwiimviwo zomkwamkelwa kwamagqwetha. Oku kubangele inkcaso evela kwiBhodi yeelwimi yaseMzantsi Afrika (Pan South African Language Board). Ezi meko zibonisa ngokucacileyo ukuba ukusilela ekukhuseleni amalungelo olwimi kuchaphazela ngqo ukufikelela kubulungisa.

Iilwimi ezisemngciphekweni wokuphela, njengesiKhoi, isiNama, nesiSan, zezona zisesichengeni. Ukusetyenziswa kwazo phakathi kwezizukulwana kubuthathaka kwaye iinkqubo zolondolozo zinqabile. Ngaphandle kwenkxaso engxamisekileyo, ezi lwimi zinokunyamalala kwisizukulwana.

Iimpawu zethemba

Nangona kunjalo, kuya kuba yinto ephosakeleyo ukucebisa ukuba akukho nkqubela phambili. Amalinge akhuthazayo asavela kwilizwe liphela. Ukuphehlelelwa kwe-IRIS, irobhothi yokufundisa exhaswa bubukrelekrele beArtificial Intelligence, ibonisa indlela ubuchwepheshe enokuqhubela phambili ngayo imfundo ngeelwimi ezininzi ngokuzisa izifundo ngazo zonke iilwimi ezisemthethweni.

Iiyunivesithi ziqala ukuthatha uxanduva lwazo nzulu ngakumbi. IYunivesithi yaseWalter Sisulu iye yasiphakamisa isiXhosa neSesotho kuphando lwezemfundo, ngelixa iYunivesithi yaseKapa yamkele umgaqonkqubo oquka isiBhulu, isiKhoekhoegowab neN|uu, isiXhosa, isiNgesi nesiBhulu. I-UNISA yazise izixhobo ezisetyenziswa iilwimi ezininzi kunye nezikhokelo zesimbo.

Kwinqanaba likaRhulumente wasekhaya, ichatbot yesiXeko saseKapa ethetha ngeelwimi ezininzi ibonisa indlela inguqulelo entsha enokuzisa ngayo uphuculo lokwenene kunikezelo lweenkonzo lwemihla ngemihla.

La manyathelo abonisa ukuba inkqubela phambili enentsingiselo inokwenzeka xa kukho ukuzinikela, izibonelelo kunye nokuyila.

Kutheni oku kubalulekile

Ulwimi aluhambisani nje nenkcubeko, luyinxalenye yembali nezopolitiko, nto leyo eyenza kube nzima ukulawula nokulusebenzisa. Kodwa into engasoloko iqatshelwa (kwaye iFW de Klerk Foundation ithi kufuneka ibe yinto ephambili) kukuba ulwimi ngalunye luthwele amathuba oqoqosho.

Iilwimi ayibobutyebi nje kuphela ikwazizixhobo zoqoqosho. Ziqulathe imixokelelwane yezoqoqosho epheleleyo enokudala amathuba emisebenzi. Cinga ngomzekelo wephephandaba okanye inkqubo yeendaba zikamabonakude esebenzisa ulwimi oluthile, kukho iintatheli, abahleli, abavelisi, abathengisi (abafuna ukufikelela kuloo marike), nabasasazi beendaba, njalo njalo.

Ukungahoyi iilwimi kubeka emngciphekweni ukuvala iimarike ezinkulu kunye namathuba okukhula koqoqosho nentshukumo. Ngokutyala imali kwiinkonzo, kwimfundo nakubuchwepheshe obubandakanya ulwimi oluninzi, uMzantsi Afrika unokuvula amathuba amakhulu ngelixa ukhuthaza ukulingana nokubandakanywa kwabantu bonke. 

Ingxelo ka2025 ikwenza kucace ukuba kufuneka kuthathwe amanyathelo angxamisekileyo. IPanSALB idinga izibonelelo ezithe kratya kunye nesakhono esinamandla solawulo ukuqinisekisa ukuba uRhulumente uyazifezekisa izibophelelo zakhe. Amasebe kaRhulumente kufuneka abekwe ityala xa engasebenzisi iilwimi ezininzi ezisemthethweni. Kwaye ishishini labucala kunye namajelo eendaba kufuneka akhuthazwe ukuba amkele ukusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi. Ulwimi alungamazwi kuphela: luhambo oludibanisa abafundi nolwazi, abemi noRhulumente, kunye noluntu kumathuba oqoqosho.

Isiphelo

Ukuba sifuna umgaqosiseko wethu uthatyathelwe ingqalelo, amalungelo olwimi makangajongelwa phantsi. La malungelo asisiseko ekwakheni uMzantsi Afrika obandakanya wonke umntu nonenkqubela.

Inkqubela yenziwe, kodwa isithembiso somgaqosiseko “sokumanyana kwiyantlukwano yethu” siya kuhlala singenanto ukuba isiNgesi siyaqhubeka silawula ngelixa ezinye iilwimi ezisemthethweni zibekelwa bucala. Ukufumana ulwazi oluthe vetshe ngobume bala malungelo abalulekileyo, bona iKhadi leNgxelo yeNkcubeko, iNkolo noLwimi lweNgxelo yeNkcubeko, iNkolo neeLwimi, yowama2025 yeFW de Klerk Foundation. 

Eli nqaku libhalwe nguDaniela Ellerbeck noLusanda Mahkuntsu egameni leFW de Klerk Foundation.