Department of Basic Education has announced plans to incorporate sign language as an option in the school curriculum to give the language more recognition.
Sign language is in the running to be recognised as South Africa’s 12th official language.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet approved the Constitutional Eighteenth Amendment Bill for public comment.
The Department of Basic Education has also announced that it plans to incorporate sign language as an option in the school curriculum to give the language more recognition.
The Witness spoke to eDeaf in KwaZulu-Natal about what this change will mean for deaf persons and for their organisation.
eDeaf is an organisation that aids skills development training for the deaf in South Africa.
According to eDeaf marketing and communications manager Nicky Bezuidenhout, deaf people have over the many years marched and lobbied for the official language and recognition of the South African sign language, so this is great news.
She said:
“South Africa will soon join 41 other countries around the world who recognise Sign Language as an official language of their country and this could mean a lot for deaf people in the country.”
Bezuidenhout added that deaf persons would be able to participate in a variety of learnership opportunities at eDeaf across their national training centres.
“We have skilled deaf facilitators who lead the training in South African Sign Language. Corporates can also benefit from a number of government incentives and tax rebates if they choose to sponsor learners on our programmes,” said Bezuidenhout.
According to Bezuidenhout, the deaf community have an unemployment rate of over 80% and they are hoping to change that.
Bezuidenhout said:
“Only 20% of schools for the deaf offer matric, but our courses enable learners to achieve a matric equivalent through the learnerships that we offer. eDeaf has placed thousands of deaf people into jobs over the years, and now with the recent announcement, service providers will be under more pressure to ensure their messaging is accessible to deaf persons and ultimately obligated to make changes in how their communication takes place.”
She added that their sister company, DEAFinition NPC, is set up to meet this new demand for accessibility, and that they look forward to working with companies who value diversity and inclusion.
The Witness recently reported on Phumzile Mazibuko, a deaf Barista at the ANEW Hilton hotel who is one of the many people that benefitted from the eDeaf organisation.
Phumzile Mazibuko, a deaf Barista at the ANEW Hilton hotel who is one of the many people that benefitted from the eDeaf organisation. PHOTO: Nash Narrandes