service
20 February 2006
The Department of Social Development in partnership with the Department of
Arts and Culture will tomorrow launch a R31 million Telephone Interpreting
Service for South Africa (TISSA), which will reach out to as many beneficiaries
as possible.
The Northern Cape Premier, Ms Dipuo Peters, will officially launch the
project on 21 February 2006 in Kimberley, to commemorate the International
Mother Language Day.
Government has always been committed to alleviating poverty through
programmes, strategies and policies that seek to protect, promote and defend
the rights of the most vulnerable members of the society by ensuring that
people are serviced in their own languages.
The Telephone Interpreting Service for South Africa (TISSA) is an initiative
of the Department of Arts and Culture to promote the use of official indigenous
languages. TISSA renders a telephonic interpreting service, which enables the
public to communicate with the departments in all indigenous official languages
to access services.
Through Telephone Interpreting Service, the departments will fulfil their
constitutional mandate by taking positive and practical steps to promote and
develop official indigenous languages.
Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our
tangible and intangible heritage. The efforts to promote the dissemination of
mother tongue serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual
education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural
traditions throughout the country and to inspire solidarity based on
understanding tolerance including dialogue.
Enquiries: Blanche Masisi
Cell: 082 384 0048
Issued by: Department of Social Development
20 February 2006
