The evaluation of the effectiveness of the Pan South African Language Board's management of language rights violations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the way in which some language rights violations are handled in South Africa. This was motivated by the fact that an explicit part of the general democracy in the country in 1994 and the new constitution was the right of people to use the official languages of their choice and to receive services in these languages. However, the situation is far from ideal because violations of the stipulations of the law are found. From the reports of the Pan South African Language Board, it is mainly persons in the Afrikaans speaking community who lodge complaints of language rights violations. However, at present even this community seems not to be making submissions the way it used to. Because of this, the Pan South African Language Board recently called for proposals to look into the decline of language rights complaints in the country. Between 1998 and 2004, 279 complaints were lodged. Of these, only 68 had been handled at the time of this research. The problems surrounding this matter include lack of funds and in turn lack of human resources to adequately pay attention to this matter. As long as current problems are not resolved, it will not be possible to adequately promote multilingualism in the country and some languages will continue to suffer. Therefore the problems surrounding the effective management of language rights violations and especially complaints in this regard lodged with the Pan South Africa Language Board will be the focus of this dissertation. AFRIKAANS : Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal op watter wyse sommige taalregskendings in Suid-Afrika gehanteer word. Die studie is gemotiveer deur die feit dat daar saam met die algemene demokrasie in die land in 1994 die mensereg verkry is om amptelike tale van eie keuse te gebruik en in hierdie tale dienste te ontvang. Die toestand is egter nie die ideaal nie, want skendings van wetsbepalings word gevind. Dit is volgens die Pan-Suid-Afrikaanse Taalraad (PanSAT) oorwegend persone uit die Afrikaanssprekende gemeenskap wat klagtes lê oor taalregskendings. Tans blyk dit egter dat selfs hierdie gemeenskap nie vertoë indien soos dit voorheen gedoen is nie. PanSAT het om dié rede gevra vir voorstelle om die afname in klagtes oor taalregskendings in die land te ondersoek. Van 1998 tot 2004 is 279 klagtes ingedien. Slegs 68 daarvan is ten tye van hierdie navorsing gehanteer. Die probleme rondom hierdie saak sluit in 'n gebrek aan fondse en op sy beurt 'n tekort aan mensehulpbronne om voldoende aandag aan hierdie saak te gee. Solank die huidige probleme voortduur, sal dit nie moontlik wees om veeltaligheid in die land genoegsaam te bevorder nie en sal sommige tale steeds daaronder ly. Die fokus van hierdie skripsie is dus die problem rondom die hantering van taalregteskendings en die klagtes rondom dié skendings wat ingedien word by die Pan Suid-Afrikaanse Taalraad.