Issued by: The Office of the President
President Mandela has received ad noted the contents of the letter from the Pan South African Language Board regarding their concern at what they perceive as a tendency towards monolingualism in government.
The President appreciates the robust and prompt manner in which PANSALB has taken up an issue which is amongst the most critical in the process of social transformation and nation-building. He believes that PANSALB has raised the issue in this manner in order to encourage public debate rather than to call into question the government's commitment to citizens' access to information and the express policy of respecting and developing particularly the country's official languages.
The letter from PANSALB has been referred to the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology and they have been requested to establish the famost appropriate course of action, if any is required.
ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 12 June 1997