24 February 2009
Lehurutshe: Today, 24 February 2009 marked a historic moment and turning
point in the provision of services by courts in the North West province. The
magistrate court in Lehurutshe, for the first time in the region, heard and
conducted court proceedings in Setswana.
Historically, court proceedings continue to be heard in various African
languages, and are then translated into either English or Afrikaans. What has
happened today is to give effect to a 2003 cabinet resolution to develop and
promote equality amongst all South African languages.
âThe proceedings at Lehurutshe mark a first step in rolling out similar
initiatives to other courts in the province,â said the regional head Mr Tsietsi
Malema
In support of this project, the chief magistrate, Mrs Johanna Ikaneng,
mentioned that we have already identified other similar sites in the province,
all what we are waiting for is to see how the Lehurutshe project unfolds.
The Judge President, Mogoeng Mogoeng, threw his weight behind the project by
reminding all of the equality of languages within the Constitution.
Media enquiries can be directed to:
Mr Isaac Mokaila
Tel: 018 389 8355
Cell: 073 742 3906
Issued by: Department of Justice and Constitutional Development
24 February 2009
