The DBE, along with the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Room to Read South Africa, TAQA, Nal’ibali, Kagiso Trust, The Trevor Noah Foundation and Funda Wande, hosted the inaugural Language Our Freedom: Dialogue to Spotlight Language Justice and Youth Empowerment at the University of the Western Cape on 16 June 2025. The thought-provoking intergenerational dialogue, held in commemoration of Youth Day, highlighted the need for justice in how the nation values and integrates language into South Africa’s national identity.
The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, delivering her message in absentia, said that language is not just a tool for communication, but is part of who we are. “We must really treasure our languages not only as part of our heritage, but also as a learning tool. The issue around language and language use is not just about national or individual pride; it’s also critical in us being able to resolve our literacy crisis. That’s why as the 7th Administration we’re prioritising the implementation of Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education,” added Minister Gwarube.
With the DBE’s Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) programme focusing on language use, decoloniality and translanguaging perspectives using the Home Language of learners as resources, this dialogue provided an opportunity for Dr Naledi Mbude-Mehana, DDG for Transformation Programmes at the DBE and a pioneer of MTbBE, to engage with the surrounding schooling communities on the implementation of MTbBE in public schools. “We have a problem of mother tongue education – a strategic lever of quality and equitable education – being perceived by communities as of the same inferior quality as apartheid era Bantu education. This is why we’ve been engaging in outreach activities with teachers, learners, parents, and SGB members, explaining the importance of MTbBE to improving learning outcomes. Equally important is hearing their views and concerns about the implementation of MTbBE,” explained Dr Mbude-Mehana.
Addressing the learners during her keynote speech, Ms Joy Maimela, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, urged them to emulate the class of 1976 and take agency of their future. “I urge you to take pride in your languages. As we have witnessed, language can be used as a barrier to success. The efforts of the department in promoting mother tongue education is very important; although we have come across some parents and learners resisting despite evidence of its effectiveness. Somehow, decades after attaining freedom, we still think our African languages are inferior,” said Ms Maimela.
Having the June 16 Soweto Youth Uprising of 1976 serving as the contextual background, carefully curated topics on how language intersects with literacy, memory, and social exclusion, provided for rich and diverse conversations at the dialogue. A panel discussion moderated by Prof Elelwani Ramugondo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness at the University of Cape Town, had experts in various fields, students, learners, teachers and lecturers engaging on a variety of topics, including: Rethinking Language in Education Policy; MTbBE in Practice: Classroom Realities and Success Stories; Bridging Basic and Higher Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy; and Youth, Identity, and Language: Reclaiming Linguistic Heritage.
Delivering the closing remarks, UWC’s Prof Russell Harold Kaschula, Chairperson: Department of African Language Studies, said talks about mother tongue education have been ongoing since the early ‘90s. “We’re very excited that you’re rolling MTbBE out with the Minister, and we’re really grateful that it’s coming to fruition because we believe that education is about cognition and knowledge; and as it’s been said today, you think and understand things best in your mother tongue,” he concluded.