Masebelane: IsiXhosa for staff

Price: Fully subsidised for SU staff

Masabelane ngesiXhosa! That means, ‘Let us share in isiXhosa’. We are inviting you to come and share in the language and culture of isiXhosa during your lunch hour. We offer four eight-week courses for beginners (two one-hour sessions per week, 13:00 to 14:00), open to Stellenbosch University staff members. For staff who have completed the beginner course, we offer two twelve-week courses (two one-hour sessions per week, 13:00 to 14:00).

Masabelane A1 (Beginner) is aimed at staff members who have not attended an isiXhosa course before, and you are bound to have fun while you learn. The course aims to teach you about the isiXhosa language and culture, and to enable you to engage in meaningful conversation at beginner level. By doing this course you will be actively cultivating a multilingual mindset in the office and in class.

Masabelane A2 (Elementary) is a brand-new short course aimed at staff members with a beginner’s knowledge of isiXhosa. It is the ideal follow-up course if you have completed the original Masabelane course and would like to further your knowledge of the language. If you haven’t attended Masabelane but you already know a bit of isiXhosa, you’re also welcome here. This is a fun-filled course offering you a linguistic and cultural taste of isiXhosa as a language in a wider cultural context. By the end of the course you should be able to speak social isiXhosa with confidence and identify the gist of social conversations. You will also have knowledge of basic isiXhosa grammar, vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.

2025 course dates

Masabelane Beginner A1
4 February – 26 March 2025
8 April – 28 May 2025
15 July – 3 September 2025
16 September- 5 November 2025

Masabelane Elementary A2
24 March – 12 June 2025
18 August – 6 November 2025

Contact Us

Sign up now

Downloadable documents

– 2025 Beginner A1 info page
– 2025 Elementary A2 info page

Presenter

Bongiwe Dlutu is an isiXhosa facilitator, and she loves sharing the isiXhosa language and culture with others. She is currently pursuing a PhD in African Languages, with a research focus on indigenous knowledge systems and the preservation of oral traditions. Her journey in education has been shaped by a deep passion for language, culture and empowering others through learning. She is committed to promoting multilingualism and using inclusive, humanising pedagogies in her teaching. Her work allows her to contribute meaningfully to the development of culturally responsive learning spaces where students feel seen, heard and valued.

Location

All sessions will be offered in Stellenbosch at the University campus.

At the end of Masebelane Beginner A1, you will be able to do the following:

Greet and introduce yourself
Provide basic personal information
Ask and respond to basic questions
Have a basic conversation with other isiXhosa speaking individuals
Communicate socially on a basic level, and
Use basic vocabulary related to everyday life

Masebelane Elementary A2 will enable you to:

Communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities Read short, simple texts.
Write short, simple notes and messages.
Handle very short social exchanges.
Identify the gist of social conversations.
Identify the gist of short texts.
Demonstrate knowledge of basic grammar, vocabulary and idiomatic expressions.

This course is presented face-to-face over eight weeks (Beginner A1) or twelve weeks (Elementary A2). We use a communicative approach to teaching, which means that you will learn isiXhosa in a fun and exciting way.

We love interacting with you to give you the practice you need so that you can become confident in speaking the language. There will be speaking tasks at a lower beginner level as well as group interaction with the presenter.

Depending on the delivery mode of this course, you might also be given access to our online learning platform so that you will have access to course resources and will be able to complete certain activities.

The primary language of teaching and learning of this course will be English (instruction), with occasional switching to isiXhosa for learning purposes.

IsiXhosa for staff level 1 (Masabelane A1)
Face-to-face contact time = 16 hours (2 hours per week for 8 weeks)
Online and autonomous learning = 12 hours (1 hour per week of autonomous learning)

IsiXhosa for staff level 2 (Masabelane A2)
Face-to-face contact time = 24 hours (2 hours per week for 12 weeks)
Online and autonomous learning = 12 hours (1 hour per week)

You need to attend all the sessions; there are no tests, but you will be continuously assessed on the basis of your participation in class.

We recommend a computer with internet access and a microphone to participate in live sessions on MS Teams, if there are any, and to complete the online activities outside of class.

Any Stellenbosch University staff member with no previous knowledge of isiXhosa can attend Masabelane A1 (Beginner).

Masabelane A2 (Elementary) is a brand-new short course aimed at staff members with a beginner’s knowledge of isiXhosa. It is the ideal follow-up course if you have completed the original Masabelane course and would like to further your knowledge of the language.

Click on the ‘Sign up now’ button if you are interested in doing this course, and fill in the form. We will then send you a link to enrol for the course.

You will receive a certificate of attendance after you have completed the course successfully. You will have to attend all the sessions and take part in the activities.

You will not only learn a new language but will also be empowered with multilingual and multicultural skills. You may also find that you can connect better with students and colleagues in basic isiXhosa conversations. In addition, you will be able to start appreciating isiXhosa as a regional language and its position as an official language in South Africa.