Date: 11/11/2006
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Mtsweni: National Language Awareness Day


Speaker notes for the Mpumalanga MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreation, N Mtsweni, at the National Language Awareness Day, Kameel Rivier B

The Chairperson,
Honourable Mayors,
Ingwenyama U Mabhena,
Ngwenyama Umabhoko III,
Ubukhosi bendawo,
The councillors,
Our guests,
All the government officials,

It is my pleasure that we have gathered here today because we are celebrating National Language Awareness Day. When we talk of language awareness it might raise quite a number of questions to many, such as; which languages are we referring to? We all know that as South Africans we have eleven official languages that we should be proud of.

I would like to emphasise this message to all mothers and fathers that they should teach their children their home languages and make them to be proud of whom they are, where they come from. Their language is their culture, and is their future as it is their heritage. Let us allow our children to speak IsiNdebele, Siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga or Isipulane, and to be proud, without any fear of being labelled as inferiors.

What I have realised is that the whites have taken a keen interest to know our languages and our culture, whereas some of my sisters and brothers are losing interest in their own languages. Kuleminyaka ezayo ngibona izingane zabelunga sezifundisa izingane zethu ngesiNdebele or kanye isiSwati or any of our indigenous languages.

Angazi ukuthi ngabe abanye benu bayazi ukuthi these Western countries do not compromise their languages, that is why nibona kunama interpreters or otoliki because some of them are unable to speak the English language that some of us happen to be so crazy about, to such an extent that our so called model C children are unable to speak their own mother tongue languages and that is a crime; let us not deprive our children their heritage, their sense of belonging, because no one will ever be able to reverse that.

Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. Ngakho ke masitigchabheni ngamalimi ethu singabi namahloni okukhulum isiNdebele, iSipedi, isiSwati okanye isiZulu njengoba besengishilo. Yingako lana e-South Africa umthetho wethu ugunyaza ukuthi zonke izilimi eziwu 11 zibesemthethweni.

Angazi ukuthi ngabe niyazi yini ukuthi umhlaba uwonke has about 7 000 languages, wonke lawo malimi ayathokozelwa namhlanje nanoma amanye awo angahle afe angasaziwa emhlabeni. Yingako umyango wami uugqugquzela ababhali ukuthi mababhale izincwadi ngezilimi zabo zomdabu.

Ngithanda ukuhalisela inhlangano yalana ekhaya ezisungulele iphepha ndaba ngamafuphi elibizwa. "Lihlohohloho news" elibhalwa ngesiNdebele with minimal resources we should be proud of them and let us support them. Okunye esingaziqhenya ngako umama u Esther Mahlangu ongazange abe namahloni ngesiko lakhe namhlange usezenzele igama umhlaba woke jikelele ngikhula nani nje she is the winner of the Arts and Culture Trust's Life time Achievement Award for 2006 sponsored by Vodacom, are you not proud of her?

Ngithi masiqhubekeleni phambili ngokwazisa izilimi namasiko ethu.

Ngiyathokoza.

Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
11 November 2006