SOUTH AFRICAN SIGN LANGUAGE UPDATE

Please note: The Act was gazetted on 27 July 2023 but is not yet in force.

The Constitution 18th Amendment Bill will be signed into law on 19 July 2023, according to a Presidency media statement. Passed by Parliament on 2 May, the new piece of legislation will formalise the status of South African sign language, making it the country’s 12th official language.

The statement draws attention to various unique elements of South African sign language, which is:

  • indigenous
  • has its own distinct grammatical structures and lexicon, and
  • is independent of any other language.

Please click the links below for more information:

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

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