African National Congress (ANC) politician, Pallo Jordan, is to deliver the Doctor WB Rubusana memorial lecture in East London in the Eastern Cape on Friday night.
It coincides with International Mother Language Day.
Rubusana is credited with advancing the development of indigenous languages in the pre-apartheid-era South Africa.
Born in 1855, Rabusana’s work includes translating the Bible into isiXhosa.
He was also involved in one of the most important newspapers in the Eastern Cape, Izwelebantu, and he was also amongst the founders of the ANC.
“He was also on the Xhosa bible commission and then the second revision which was done and supervised by Rubasana himself in London; he also did a very important anthology a collection of pre-colonial African poetry and church history,” says Jordan.
Meanwhile, government says it has invested adequate research tools and resources to ensure South Africa’s mother languages do not disappear.
Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has joined hundreds of people in KwaMbonambi outside Richards Bay on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal to celebrate International Mother Language Day.
Mthwethwa says government is making means to preserve indigenous languages.
In this video below, Pallo Jordan is expected to deliver the Dr WB Rubusana memorial lecture
