Miriam Matsolo was overcome with emotions when she shared how cabinet’s approval to have sign language recognised as the 12th official language in SA will have a positive impact on her life.
Cabinet approved the publication of the Constitutional Eighteenth Amendment Bill for public comment to declare sign language an official language.
Motsolo, 44, said this was long overdue and will help correct what society says about them: that they are deaf and dumb.
“We were labelled from a young age without being given a chance of getting to know ourselves. You can imagine as a young girl, I have to get used to not being able to communicate with others. The frustration, the confusion. Then you are labelled deaf and dumb, it’s scaring,” she said.
Matsolo lost her hearing at 10. Though her mother did not fully explain what really happened, she said she remembers how confusing the process of adjusting was for her.
“I didn’t even understand why I must go to a deaf school because I was used to the other school. All I remember is that I fell and hit my head. Other than that, I know nothing and never really wanted to find out further,” she said.
“It was a scary transition for me. I felt alone. I really thought I was the only one who couldn’t hear, especially growing up in the township. It was a weird thing. But as I grew up, I realised that there were many of us and that made me feel slightly better. But that didn’t mean it made it easy in life,” she said.
Her 12-year-old son, Reabetswe, who facilitated the conversation between Matsolo and the reporter, said he had never seen his mother this excited. “This must mean a lot to her,” he said.
Matsolo has lived in Protea Glen, Soweto, since 2007. Though she said the area is nice to live in, she does not have friends because no one is interested in learning sign language.
“We all live the same life. I am married, have my own children, I have a home but we are always seen as less human because we are impaired. We are seen as crazy. You can tell by how we are looked at while communicating. The worst is when people mimic us. I don’t know if they are making fun of us or not.
“This is more about feeling vindicated, more than having people learn the language. We will be recognised as human beings because our language will be recognised within the constitution. It feels amazing. I feel proud, words can never fully express it. I feel seen and counted among other South Africans,” she said while beating her chest with pride.
The approval has been widely welcomed, with Pan South African Language Board CEO Lance Schultz saying: “South African Sign Language (SASL) is the primary language of deaf persons in SA that constitutes an important element of our country’s linguistic diversity and cultural heritage.
“The approval of the proposed bill amendment to section 6 of the constitution not only brings us closer to its officialisation, but also reaffirms the democratic right of deaf persons to participate in public life using their own language.
“We must as a country develop cross-sectoral policies and programmes to improve the deaf community’s access to quality information to also ensure the effective protection of their linguistic rights. The officialisation of SASL on its own, will not guarantee that the requisite changes are executed without the adoption and implementation of language policies and practices that consider the needs of the deaf community.”
The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities chairperson Prof David Mosoma said he believed the decision would advance the acceptance of the language and also affirm its rights to contribute to social cohesion in the context of the diverse linguistic communities that make up the nation.
“The commission applauds all the government institutions/departments and the private sector that have clearly embraced the diverse cultural and linguistic nature of our nation, among other things, through meaningful integration of sign language in their daily operations and communications,” said Mosoma.
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