Sign language could soon become an official language in South Africa.
The Constitutional Review Committee of Parliament has recommended that the international code of hand signals used by hearing impaired citizens be recognised as the country’s 12th official language.
The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) says it is expected that parliament will make the necessary amendments to ensure that the Constitution accommodate sign language.
“Placing Sign Language as an official language is very important because it gives the sign language community a speakers platform to engage at a formal context. It also gives them an opportunity to participate in knowledge construction in primary and high school education. It is opening all the doors for everybody to be able to engage. It is all about linguistic human rights,”Dr Rakwena Monareng, the CEO of PanSALB said during an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
CGTN’s Yolisa Njamela has more.
