Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Act signed – Sign language
31 Jul 2023
The Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Act of 2023 has been signed.
The presidency published the act in Government Gazette 49041.
The Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill was tabled in parliament in January 2023.
The justice and constitutional development department published the bill’s explanatory summary in Gazette 47665 in December 2022 in accordance with rule 276(1)(c) of the rules of the national assembly.
The bill was published for comment in Gazette 47049 in July 2022.
It sought to amend section 6 of the Constitution in order to provide for the recognition of South African Sign Language as an official language of South Africa.
According to the department, the recognition of South African Sign Language as an official language will result in the cultural acceptance of sign language and the deaf culture.
It will also “promote inclusion, substantive equality and prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the ground of disability”.
According to the explanatory summary, the bill also provided for the right to equality in terms of section 9 of the Constitution, which includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms.
The explanatory summary added that the bill sought to:
- amend section 6 of the Constitution in order to provide for the recognition of South African Sign Language as an official language of the Republic of South Africa;
- realise the rights to equal enjoyment of freedoms and human dignity of persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing; and
- promote inclusion, substantive equality and prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the ground of disability.
The act aims to amend the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, so as to:
- recognise South African Sign Language as one of the official languages of the Republic; and
- provide for matters incidental thereto.
The act will come into effect on a date still to be determined by the president.
Article sourced from Sabinet.
See also:
- The Constitution Nineteenth Amendment Bill has been tabled
- Oh SA, fairest of them all – Our Constitution is an international champion
- Groundbreaking report shines light on the rule of law across Africa
- A giant leap ahead for women’s rights
