The dplg has launched a capacity building framework and guidelines to implement multilingualism in local government.

Deputy Minister for Provincial and Local Government Nomatyala Hangana launched two historic documents to help empower municipalities and citizens at a fanfare event in Cape Town. After three days of robust discussions and engagements at the Intergovernmental Conference on Multilingualism and Capacity Building in Cape Town, the Deputy Minister launched the National Capacity Building Framework (NCBF) as well as the Multilingualism in Local Government Guidelines.

The conference was attended by Mayors and Municipal Managers from most of the country’s municipalities, language experts, academics, members of the civil society and international speakers from, among other countries, Belgium and Germany.

The Deputy Minister called on ward committees to ensure that the efforts of the conference to implement multilingualism do not fail.

'As we come to the end of this conference, and moving towards the roll-out and implementation phase, we must make every effort to be inclusive in our approach. We must always remember that all our programmes as government can only succeed if we work together with our communities.'

Municipalities will return from here to their communities to seek input in formulating their language policies and develop implementation plans, with the Deputy Minister calling on Mayors and Municipal Managers to start with the implementation immediately. She also called on all stakeholders both in the private sector and the civil society to support the initiative to ensure the total empowerment of communities. This forms part of the 5 Year Local Government Strategic Agenda.

For more information on the conference and its outcomes, contact the dplg directly at www.dplg.gov.za

The Conference was opened by Minister Sydney Mufamadi, and was partnered with the Department of Arts and Culture, Department of Education, Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), National Heritage Council, the SABC, Media Diversity and Development Agency (MDDA), National Community Radio Forum (NCRF), Municipalities and a number of private sector and academic organizations.