Ndebele community in SA marches to Embassy over Grade 7 exam

PRETORIA - A group of concerned Ndebele community peacefully charged into the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria to demonstrate their dissatisfaction and disapproval on the controversial Grade 7 Ndebele examination paper.

The South African based citizens handed over two petitions to ambassador Phelekezela Mphoko and asked him to hand them over to their intended destinations. The printed online petition was directed to ZIMSEC director Esau Nhandara whilst the hardcopy to the Minister of Education Lazarus Dokora.

The petitions are a direct response to the statement issued by Nhandara defending the said to be degrading paper. The  community feels denying and continuity might spark fears of a potential cultural genocide.
They think the language experts showed gross incompetence and negligence so they had to issue petitions calling for urgent resignation of those responsible or a dialogue with the community shall they deny any wrong-doing.

"The community has made it clear where we stand in this matter, many who signed expressed their desire to see those responsible replaced because despite showing disrespect to the Ndebele community, they have lowered the standard of ZIMSEC. The old Ndebele syllabus has to be revived to uplift ZIMSEC standards and the community has to be involved because the experts have reflected that it is not easy for them to know everything that is part of the Ndebele culture. Words like 'isifebe' are restricted for 12 year olds to know their meanings. Time will come when they wil be old enough to know these words," said Mayibongwe Nkala, historian and a member of Inqama; a non-profit cultural organisation  that advocates for cultural uplifting.

"This is our language and our way of life, comprising the upbringing of our children and the community at large. We urge you not to infiltrate the originality of our language then teach our children vulgar language. Thus taboo, a degradation of our values and norms. This scenario mustn't repeat itself and the examiners must be replaced if they can't cope," added Mzamo Tshabalala from Abalobi Bakithi; a group that aims to empower, preserve and cherish the Ndebele language.

The concerned community is looking forward to a far much better response either through the ambassador or their contact details.
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