Sign language will officially be the 12th official language of the country following the unanimous passing of the amendment bill by the National Assembly on Tuesday during its plenary.
The Constitution 18th Amendment Bill will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for approval.
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Until now, the constitution provided for 11 official languages: isiXhosa, isiZulu, isiNdebele, siSwati, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, Setswana, English, Afrikaans, Sesotho and Sepedi.
Once President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the amendment bill into law, South African Sign Language (SASL) will be recognised as the 12th.
Aimed at promoting equal protection before the law and the rights of people who are deaf and hard of hearing, the bill was introduced and referred to the justice committee in January of this year.
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In response to the call for public comment, Parliamentary Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said the committee received 58 written submissions from individuals and organisations, most in support of the bill.
‘The committee noted the opposing views expressed by a few commentators but submits the recognition of SASL as a 12th official language is an important step towards the realisation of the rights of people who are deaf and hard of hearing,’ said Mothapo.
‘The committee acknowledged SASL is not a universal language (different countries have their own sign language and regions have dialects), but submits that, in South Africa, it is in the promotion and development of SASL that the various dialects are also recognised.’
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