Revival of dying San language suffers blow

THE revival of San language and culture has suffered yet another huge blow following the death of Mofatt Banini Moyo who was one of the native speakers of Tshwao language in Tsholotsho.

Moyo, 68 succumbed to tuberculosis on Friday last week. He is survived by wife and children and will be laid to rest in Tsholotsho tomorrow.  His death follows the loss of another elderly Tshwao speaker gogo Motshwa who succumbed to pneumonia at her home in Sanqinyana village early this year.

The two were among 14 San elders who had been assisting in the documentation of the dying San language.  Statistics show that there are about 1 630 San people in Zimbabwe, with 457 found in Plumtree, eight in Matobo and 1 165 in Tsholotsho.

Among these, only 14 could speak the language fluently. The death of Moyo and Motshwa has decreased the number to 12.

 Davy Ndlovu who is the spokesperson of Tso o rot so Tsholotsho San Development Trust an orgaisation championing the revival of San language and cuture in Zimbabwe said Moyo was one the first San elder to do language transcripts and recordings at the University of Zimbabwe under the African Languages Research Institute and was among the passionate volunteers to give free lessons to other San people.

"We have lost a dedicated language activist and culturist," Ndlovu said. He was one of the teachers willing to conduct Tshwao language for free and now that we have lost yetnaother native speak we must move hastily in collaboration with government to save the San language."

Ndlovu implored government to intervene swiftly so that the 12 remaining speakers are capacitated to pass on their knowledge to the remaining San constituency.

Khosian language otherwise known as Tshwao received official status in the new constitution together with other previously marginalized languages and all these language groups have all mooted efforts to have their languages taught in schools.

However government has so far not shown any wherewithal to develop these languages in line with new constitution with current education Minister Lazarus Dokora repeatedly pronouncing policies that educationists say are a portal to the demise of the education system.