SA recognises sign language as the 12th official language

Sign language has officially been recognised as the 12th official language in South Africa.

The country becomes the 41st world-wide and the fourth in Africa to recognize sign language as a language of communication.

The South African Sign Language (SASL) Bill was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday July 19 at the Union Buildings.

This follows 25 years of lobbying and campaigning for sign language to be recognised as an official language.

In signing the language into law, the presidency said that recognising it was an essential step towards realising the rights of a person who is hearing impaired.

The KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society said the passing of the Bill was a victory for the deaf community.

The society’s Veetha Sewkuran said it has been a long and tough journey to reach this goal.

“For more than 10 years, the society has been running the talk sign language campaign and advocating for the acceptance of sign language on all public platforms. It is an absolute victory for us to now be able to say that our voices have been heard. Indeed, it is an exciting time for the deaf community, learners, school and the community involved with the deaf,” said Sewkuran.

The South African Human Rights Commission has also lauded the decision.

SAHRC Commissioner, Andre Gaum, said they were in the process of going over the implications to make sure there is a follow through and that institutions make services accessible to those who use sign language.

“It’s indeed a victory for the realising of the rights of people with disabilities. There are huge implications and we have already started the process to assess the implications for the State as sign language will have to be offered at all State institutions to make its services more accessible to deaf people,” said Gaum.