Following Linguistic Human Rights Violation complaints submitted by members of the Deaf community to the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), and subsequent engagements with award-winning musician Ms Ndivhudzannyi Ralivhona “Makhadzi”, PanSALB has welcomed the public apology issued and appreciates the recognition of the impact of the video and welcomes the steps taken to address the issue by Makhadzi to the Deaf community.
PanSALB acknowledges the education and awareness that must take place to sensitise the public regarding Deaf culture and offensive behaviour, and values the cooperation and hopes that this incident serves as an opportunity to raise awareness and promote understanding of the linguistic and cultural rights of the Deaf community. The Board will continue to engage with all parties involved to ensure that the concerns are addressed and concluded appropriately.
PanSALB calls on all South Africans to actively participate in various ways to support the Deaf community. Deaf Awareness Month (September) is commemorated in observation of the International Day of Sign Languages (23 September), as declared by the United Nations (UN), which offers is an opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all Deaf people.
There are several ways that ordinary South Africans can make life easier for the Deaf community, such as learning basic South African Sign Language (SASL) to bridge the communication gap. Over the next couple of weeks PanSALB will be uploading videos teaching basic SASL on its online platforms and there are various other strategic partners who also have basic SASL freely available on online platforms.
