Zanu-PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo last Friday publicly chastised fellow politburo member and Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo for addressing Kalanga-speaking party members at Madlambudzi Business Centre in Plumtree using the Shona language.

Chombo, who was officiating at the installation of 23-year-old Thursus Ncube as Chief Madlambudzi, addressed the meeting while a villager did the translation to Kalanga.

Khaya Moyo later took to the podium and said he would advise President Robert Mugabe that politicians who do not speak both Shona and IsiNdebele must not get Cabinet appointments.

“In South Africa they have 11 official languages, but have three main languages; that is Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho,” he said.

“Here in Zimbabwe we have three official languages, but two main local languages, that is Ndebele and Shona. I must say that it is wrong if we fail to master only two languages.

“Minister Chombo, you should be able to speak both languages.

“I was in Mt Darwin the day before yesterday and I was speaking fluent Manyika language, with a spicing of English words like them. I spoke proper Shona there.

“When you come next time, Chombo, you should be able to speak local languages. We will give you a beautiful woman who will teach you. I spoke with the President that next time any Cabinet aspirant who doesn’t speak both Shona and Ndebele, no job.”

The draft constitution, which is yet to be adopted as the supreme law of the land, proposes to recognise 16 local languages as official medium of communication in Zimbabwe.

These include Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda and Xhosa.

By Jason Mooketsi Ranthatsa, Student, University of Botswana— reprinted from The Botswana Gazette

This is a plea to the government to consider reintroducing the teaching of Ikalanga in schools. As an endangered language, all stakeholders must embark on protection of Ikalanga as its demise will be detrimental to the preservation of an important part of the nation’s history. The reinstatement of Ikalanga in schools has been long overdue and the implementation of this exercise is incomplex to undertake. The Bakalanga are densely populated in north eastern Botswana and remain as one of the country’s largest non-Tswana speaking ethnic group. Ikalanga is undisputedly the second mostly spoken language nationwide.

It is of interest to recall that, in the days of the Protectorate, Ikalanga was taught in schools as a subject and also as a language of instruction. It was only after independence that Ikalanga was forbidden in schools and other official places. This post-independence idealism against the so-called minority tribes by Sir Seretse Khama administration was draconian.  Setswana was declared a national language for ultimate realization of social and political unity. In the 1960’s, Botswana People’s Party (BPP) which had massive followers in the Bukalanga area seemed as a threat to Khama’s political career, hence he declared Setswana not for unity but to combat the BPP as a mere political gain. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) recruited prominent BPP top brass and allocated them cabinet posts as a strategy to sabotage the BPP.

The prohibition of Ikalanga in schools was a unilateral decision by the government. Bakalanga were never consulted on this development. Now it seems like even today, President Ian Khama has not disappointed, as he has followed in his father’s footsteps by shunning consultation and engagement as a democratic procedure such as increase in alcohol levy.

Western education which is today taught in schools was introduced early among the Bakalanga in the form of mission schools.

London Missionary Society (LMS) were established in Masunga, Mapoka and Tshesebe in 1920 after Chief Nswazwi had in 1899 requested the establishment of those schools. Bakalanga provided the funds and labour for the construction of those schools whereas the LMS paid the teachers. Tati Training Institute, even though short-lived was a key factor for the Bakalanga education.  The demise of the school is attributed to Bangwato regent, Tshekedi, who developed enmity towards the support of the school.