Launched on 27 March in Gqeberha, the policy positions isiXhosa, Afrikaans and English as languages of learning, teaching, research and engagement, while retaining English as the primary language of instruction.
The move is a practical shift: it recognises existing language hierarchies and tries to reduce their exclusionary effects.
The launch formed part of a three-day Multilingualism Indaba co-hosted with Rhodes University and aligned with International Multilingualism Day.
Chanel van der Merwe, Prof Pamela Maseko and Dr Zakhile Somlata
Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Executive Dean of Humanities Professor Pamela Maseko said the policy was both necessary and overdue.
“We are doing this because it is the right thing to do, but also because we are required by legislation to have an active language policy,” she said.
She described it as “an important step towards the realisation of a multilingual and inclusive academic environment”, grounded in extensive consultation and shaped by both institutional realities and national imperatives to advance African languages.
Central to the policy is a distinction between languages of instruction and languages of learning and teaching. While lectures will continue in English, faculties are expected to incorporate multiple languages into tutorials, consultations, learning materials and assessment support. Each faculty must develop implementation plans aligned to institutional goals, with monitoring mechanisms in place.
Prof Maseko was explicit about the imbalance the policy seeks to address. “It is no use being in denial that English is dominant and has power in our institution.”
Rather than attempting to displace English, the policy aims to widen access to knowledge by recognising the role of students’ home languages in learning.
“Language is a carrier of knowledge,” she said, adding that the University must acknowledge knowledge systems embedded in indigenous languages. She also pointed to the “systematic de-intellectualisation of isiXhosa” and the need to develop it as a language of scholarship.
Programme director Vuyo Bongela and sign language interpreter Pakama Maceba at the launch of the Language Policy
The policy also commits to promoting South African Sign Language. At the launch, interpreter Pakama Maceba signed proceedings, underscoring the practical implications of inclusion.
Questions of belonging and voice ran through the event. Programme director Vuyo Bongela captured the challenge: “I dream in isiXhosa, then have to translate the dream into English for somebody to understand it.” She posed a central question: “Will I be heard? Will I be understood?”
From a student perspective, SRC representative Pathan Mackenzie described language as both barrier and risk to identity. “Subconsciously, it happens so much that you don’t even want to interpret anymore,” he said. “Are we starting to lose our heritage… what we think and what we feel?”
The policy seeks to address these forms of exclusion. Sinoyolo Magqashela from the Transformation Office argued that language shapes whether students feel they belong or remain marginal. Without inclusion, she said, students risk becoming “refugees” in the university, engaging only superficially before retreating to safer spaces.
“Language is a key to unlocking knowledge and engaging society,” she said, describing the policy as “a step in a very big endeavour” requiring sustained institutional change.
Speakers cautioned that policy alone will not shift practice. “Policies don’t change institutions, people do,” Bongela noted, a point echoed by Language Champions across faculties and divisions.
Giselle Baillie from Arts, Culture and Heritage warned against treating multilingualism as compliance.
“It cannot be a tick-box exercise of sending out a release in three languages,” she said. “What are we doing about meaning?” Implementation, she argued, depends on how faculties and students translate policy into practice.
Examples shared at the launch reflected this shift.
In the Faculty of Science, multilingual glossaries supported by visual and conceptual explanations are improving engagement. “It is about connection and inclusion,” said geoscientist Gideon Brunsdon.
In Health Sciences, Deputy Dean Professor Zoleka Soji highlighted the burden on students learning in additional languages, many of whom rely on peer translation. The faculty is piloting multilingual mentoring and glossary development as part of a broader pedagogical shift.
The Faculty of Education’s Siyaphambili multilingual discussion sessions provide another model. Peer facilitators support first-year students in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, helping bridge the gap between understanding and academic expression. “If a student cannot ask a question in a language they know, they cannot get clarity,” said Nozuko Rhayi.
In the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Technology, multilingual tutoring and peer learning have already shown gains, said Dr Jean-Pierre Basson. He shared a student reflection: “When the concept was explained in my home language, it finally made sense.”
Beyond the classroom, the Engagement Office is repositioning language as central to community partnerships. Library and Information Services is expanding multilingual access through translated guides and signage to improve navigation, particularly for first-year students.
Collectively, these initiatives point to a broader institutional shift: from viewing language as a medium of instruction to recognising it as a mechanism for inclusion, participation and knowledge production.
Closing the event, Language Working Group member Chanel van der Merwe emphasised shared accountability: “We all own this, and we are responsible for its implementation.”
The challenge now lies in sustaining momentum beyond the launch. Progress will be incremental and resource-dependent, speakers acknowledged. But the direction is clear: Nelson Mandela University is working towards an environment in which language no longer excludes, but enables.