TANZANIA’s High Commission in South Africa is finalising a working plan for the execution of an agreement entered between the two SADC member states to pave the way for Kiswahili language teaching at various institutions in the southern African nation.
In August 2022, Tanzania and South Africa signed a drafted Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on the cooperation in basic education, especially Kiswahili teaching in the latter’s schools.
After witnessing the signing of MoU, Tanzania’s Education, Science and Technology Minister Prof Adolf Mkenda and his South African counterpart Matsie Angelina Motshekga, the duo agreed to form a technical team that would facilitate the teaching of the language in SA.
Responding to the ‘Daily News’ questions regarding the implementation status of the MoU, Tanzania’s High Commissioner in South Africa, Maj Gen (Rtd) Gaudence Milanzi said the plan which is being finalised will enable Kiswahili experts from Tanzania to train South African primary school teachers first before the language is taught in various institutions.
“South Africa has the third largest economy in the continent and Tanzania becomes the first country to spread Kiswahili in the southern African nation since the liberation movement. So, developing the language in this country [South Africa] can be an important aspect in facilitating trade between Tanzania and South Africa,” the diplomat said.
He added: “Tanzania is the important stakeholder in the liberation [struggles] of South Africa…it can be remembered that most of South African freedom fighters camped in Tanzania, so we believe that Kiswahili will cement the existing good relations between these two countries.”
According to Harvard University, Kiswahili, Africa’s most widely spoken language has about 200 million speakers, trailing other languages including Yoruba (45 million), Igbo (30 million) and Fula (35 million).
Due to the growing influence of Kiswahili language in the globe, in 2018, South Africa approved the language to be taught in public, private and independent schools across the country.
Should the arrangement go as planned; Kiswahili will be the first African language from outside South Africa to be taught in SA.
South African schools are already offering other foreign languages like French, Mandarin and German.
Apart from the signed MoU, Tanzania High Commission in South Africa is implementing other initiatives geared to spread Kiswahili.
According to High Commissioner Milanzi, some programmes that are being implemented to spread the language include teaching Kiswahili in the armed forces and establishment of centres that will promote the language and Tanzanian culture.
He added that some South African universities have already prepared plans to teach Kiswahili not using English but using indigenous languages such as Isizulu i.e Kizulu.
University of Cape Town (UCT), too, has decided that Kiswahili will be taught as an elective language course at the University of Cape Town (UCT) from 2023, with the aim of launching it as a major subject in 2028.
UCT’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng revealed this on May 26, 2022 in her opening address at the varsity’s Africa Month panel discussion, discussing the role of language and music in liberating and integrating Africa.
