Note to editors: The following speech was delivered today by BOSA Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, during Parliament’s debate on International Mother Language Day.
Honourable Speaker,
As we mark International Mother Language Day, we are reminded that language is not just a means of communication—it is tightly interwoven with and inseparable from identity, culture, and access to opportunity.
Yet, in our country, the education system continues to entrench linguistic inequality.
The vast majority of top-performing schools in South Africa remain exclusively English or Afrikaans medium, leaving the other nine official languages behind.
This is not by accident—it is the legacy of apartheid that we have yet to fully dismantle.
The recent national furore over the BELA Act was framed as a debate about language policies in schools, but in reality, it was about something far deeper.
It was about the resistance to change, the desire to keep Afrikaans schools in particular insulated, while ignoring the need for inclusion and equity in our education system. We must invest in schools of all languages, ensuring that they have high-quality resources and are open to all learners without discrimination.
We cannot sit here and claim to be building a democratic and inclusive society when the majority of South African children are forced to learn in a language that is not their mother tongue.
Research has consistently shown that children perform better academically when they are taught in their home language – particularly in their formative early years.
And yet, beyond the foundation phase, most learners are expected to transition into an English-dominated curriculum, often at the cost of their comprehension, confidence, and ultimate success.
We cannot continue to structure our education system in a way that privileges some languages while marginalising the rest.
Our policy must be one of inclusion. We must invest in developing quality learning materials in all official languages.
We must ensure that teacher training includes competency in mother-tongue instruction. And most importantly, we must build a system where language is a bridge, not a barrier.
Honourable Speaker, language should never be used as a tool of exclusion or segregation. It should not be a means of preserving privilege or historical isolation.
Instead, our language policies in education must be designed to uplift every South African child, no matter their linguistic background.
If we are truly committed to breaking the chains of apartheid, it will be evident in how we dismantle a system of exclusion by language and build an education system that reflects One South Africa
Let us prioritise linguistic inclusion so that every child, no matter their mother tongue, has a fair chance to succeed.
Media Advisory by
Roger Solomons: BOSA Acting Spokesperson
Tuesday 04 March 2025
Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons – BOSA Acting Spokesperson – 072 299 3551