Question NW3626 to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
19 December 2023 - NW3626
Schreiber, Dr LA to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture
(1) Whether he will furnish Dr L A Schreiber with a copy of any document that guides the decisions of his department when it comes to applications for exemption in terms of section 12(1) of the Use of Official Languages Act, Act 12 of 2012; if not, what criteria are used to guide decision-making on the granting of such exemptions; (2) what number of complaints were lodged in terms of section 9(2)(c) of the specified Act since 1 March 2018. (3) with regard to the lodged complaints, which use of the official language(s) did the complaints relate to?
Reply:
1. There is no specific document as such that has been developed by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, however, section 12 of the Use of Official Languages Act and section 6 of its Regulations strictly guide the process on how exemption should be granted by the Minister.
2. The information provided below is based on the audited Annual Reports.
|
FINANCIAL YEAR |
NO. OF CASES RECEIVED |
NO. OF CASES RESOLVED |
PERFORMANCE (%) |
|
2018 -2019 |
25 |
4 |
16% |
|
2019 - 2020 |
11 |
10 |
91% |
|
2020 - 2021 |
9 |
9 |
100% |
|
2021 - 2022 |
9 |
9 |
100% |
|
2022-2023 |
13 |
12 |
92% |
3. There are no complaints that came directly to the Department but there were complaints that were received by PanSALB in relation to official languages with South African Sign Language and isiZulu leading.
The complaints are also against both public and private sectors where retail industry is leading. The complaints here are mainly about spelling and orthographies of Previously Marginalised Languages.
In the public sector, complaints are about Language Policy Implementation, especially equitable treatment, and parity of esteem. Complaints in the Language in Education domain is leaning towards the language of instruction in former Afrikaans public schools. Complaints that were received around the previously marginalised languages are more on the spelling and orthographies, equitable treatment, and parity of esteem.