A local reporter has been recognised for his work in promoting the isiXhosa language, by the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) recently.
Pedro Mapelo, from Isolezwe, has been awarded in PanSALB’s Multilingualism Awards in the Mainstream Media category, for effectively using isiXhosa in his news reporting.
The Senior Manager for Marketing and Communication of PanSALB, Ntombentle Huluhulu, said that the awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional work done in promoting all the official languages, and raising awareness on the role of language in general as a uniting agent to the people of the Republic of South Africa.
The awards were established in 2002 and hosted at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban.
She said that they strongly believed people are eager to see their languages being represented on platforms they use and enjoy.
“We host the awards because we want to promote and recognise exceptional work in the promotion of all official, and other South African languages, promoting respect for multi-lingualism in general, promoting the utilisation of South Africa’s language resources, enhancing the use of all official languages, and publicising the role of PanSALB in fostering the climate of equitable language practice,” said Huluhulu.
She added that these awards are designed to acknowledge the efforts of individuals and groups from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
According to her, they celebrate the linguistic diversity of South Africa and aim at recognising talented individuals who encourage the use of mother tongue and linguistic diversity across various fields.
“The awards are presented in categories that include Language and Literature, Music, Media, Business and Technology, Government and Public Sector, and Education.
“It is crucial to communicate using people’s own languages, to ensure that no information is misinterpreted. Therefore, more effort should be made towards promoting the use of indigenous languages in the media,” said Huluhulu.
Mapelo said that he started to love writing in this language towards 2010, both in the newspaper and his Facebook page.
“Our languages are dying because we are always promoting other languages. Even though I am a journalist I am trying by all means to motivate people to love their languages, especially IsiXhosa. We are losing our values and culture because of what we are doing,” said Mapelo.
He urged parents to ensure their children are learning other languages, because not all workplaces use English only.
