Minyaka le, ngomhla wama-21 kweyoMdumba, ihlabathi lonke ngokubanzi libhiyozela uSuku loLwimi lweeNkobe kwiHlabathi ngokubanzi. Le mibhiyozo yasungulwa kwinyanga yoMdumba kumnyaka ka-2000. Ukusukela kuloo nyaka ke, amazwe ngamazwe ehlabathi, ingakumbi abathandi bolwimi, babhiyozela iilwimi zeenkobe ngendlela ngeendlela ezahlukileyo. Ezona njongo zokubhiyozelwa kolu suku, kukuphuhlisa ukwahluka kwethu ngokwenkcubeko, kuquka nokukhuthazwa kokusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezahlukileyo. Esona sizathu sokuzibandakanya kwiphulo lokukhuthazwa kokusetyenziswa kolwimi lweenkobe, kukuba iilwimi ezininzi kwihlabathi liphela, ziya ziba semngciphekweni wokubhanga. Ngokophando olwenziwe nguMbutho weeLwimi waseOstraliya, kufumaniseka ukuba zingama-43% kumyinge ekhulwini iilwimi ezisemngciphekweni ehlabathini. Iilwimi ziba semngciphekweni xa abantu bengazisebenzisi ekuzithetheni, ekuzibhaleni, kwezemfundo nakumaqonga obugcisa afana nomabonakude, i-intanethi, kwiminxeba, kuquka nakwimijelo yeendaba.
Ukukhuthazwa kokusetyenziswa kweelwimi zeenkobe, akuyi kuphelela nje ekongeni nasekuphuhliseni oko kulilifa ebantwini, koko kukhuthaza nokuzibandakanya kwinkcubeko yabo bathetha olo lwimi, ukuba yinxalenye yokusetyenziswa kweelwimi ezininzi, kuquka nokubambisana kuphuhliso lwezinye iilwimi nokuxhasa amaphulo okusetyenziswa kwazo zonke iilwimi ekubeni kufundiswe kwaye kuphandwe ngazo.
Thina kweli ziko sikholelwa kwelokuba ulwimi aluphelelanga nje ekubeni lulwimi –koko ikwangumjelo wokugqithisela amasiko. Ulwazi nothando olungagungqiyo lolwimi namasiko, luzinze kumbilini nakumathambo abo bonke abasebenzi beli ziko lolwimi. Okona sikholelwa kuko kukuba ulwazi nothando lweelwimi ezahlukeneyo, kunegalelo ekuzinziseni ubudlelane phakathi kwabantu, phakathi kwemibutho, phakathi kwezizwe kummandla othile wenkcubeko. Xa sikhuthaza ukuxatyiswa nokukhuliswa kolwimi ngobugcisa kwiZiko leeLwimi, sikhuthaza abafundi bethu nabaxhasi bazinikele kangangoko ekufundeni ezinye iilwimi kunye nathi – ingasisiXhosa, isiAfrikansi okanye isiNgesi.
Simema bonke abaxumi (different stakeholders) beYunivesithi yaseStellenbosch nabahlali bedolophu ngokubanzi, ukuba baze kuzibandakanya nomsebenzi omhle weli ziko leelwimi ukuze sakhe isixeko esingaphelelanga nje ekuthobelelaneni ngokweelwimi, koko ibe sisixeko esifunda iilwimi ngeelwimi, ukuze sakhe isizwe esiyimbumba nesasikhuthazwa bubunkokheli bukaNelson Mandela.
Ngokubhalwa nguZandile Kondowe
