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Use of Official Languages Act, 2012 (Act No. 12 of 2012)

Notices

Department of Arts & Culture's Official Language Policy

4. Principles

 

4.1 The principles underpinning this Policy are:
4.1.1 commitment to the promotion of all languages in the Republic in order to ensure constitutional language equity and language rights as required by a democratic dispensation;
4.1.2 recognition of multilingualism as a resource to maximize collaborative partnerships in nation building, economic development and social cohesion;
4.1.3 promotion of good language management by the DAC to ensure efficient public service administration that meets the needs of the public and ensures equitable access to the services and information of the DAC;
4.1.4 prevention of the use of any language(s) for the purposes of exploitation, domination and discrimination within the DAC;
4.1.5 enhancement of people-centeredness by addressing the interests, needs and aspirations of language communities through on-going dialogue and debate;
4.1.6 recognition of a community-based approach, i.e. a decentralised and participatory approach to language planning and policy implementation in which each government structure is given the power to identify its own working languages, as the most viable manner in which to promote multilingualism given South Africa's highly pluralistic society; and
4.1.7 support for special redress programmes for previously marginalised official indigenous languages, and the learning and teaching of all the official languages of the Republic at all levels of schooling.