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International Mother Language Day Celebration 2021

23 March 2021 | Story Mbali Moiketsi

The Office for International Affairs recently celebrated International Language Day. This year, we invited all faculties to submit the names of people who would be willing to contribute video clips to educate us about their mother tongue. The videos submitted were from diverse academic staff members and postdoctoral fellows currently based in different parts of the world. Extensive research has created this edutainment video, featuring famous language quotes, indigenous languages across the African continent, and business languages used across the African continent. Some of the indigenous languages on the African continent are fading away, caused by colonial influence.

Fun facts:
From 1994 to 2013, South Africa was in the Guinness Book of World Records for most official languages. These are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu.

Since the adoption of the 2013 Constitution, Zimbabwe now holds this title with 16 official languages, namely Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shangani, Shona, Sign Language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa. Zimbabwe therefore now holds the Guinness World Record for the country with the largest number of official languages.

Albeit the main languages in Zimbabwe are English, Shona and Ndebele, the minor languages are Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Kunda, Lozi, Manyika, Nambya, Ndau, Nsenga, Tsonga-Shangani, Sotho, Tjwao, Tonga, Tswa, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa.

WATCH: International Mother Language video

News Archive

Deputy Governor of SA Reserve Bank inspires students

2016-08-19

Description: Deputy Governor of SA Reserve Bank Tags: Deputy Governor of SA Reserve Bank

Dr Lyndon du Plessis, Head of Department of Public
Administration and Management, Francois Groepe,
Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank,
Prof Philippe Burger, Head of the
Department of Economics and B.Com Hons student,
Mosoeu Mabote.
Photo: Siobhan Canavan

Students from the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences had the opportunity to learn from the best in the field when the Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Francois Groepe, presented a seminar on the changing roles of central banks.

According to Groepe, we are currently living in challenging times as central banks are called on to do more.

“Central banks have limits, and these limits are not always understood,” he said on 11 August 2016 in the Equitas Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus.

How central banks contribute to inflation

There are two main generally-expected roles from central banks: the obvious one of providing bank notes and coins, and the other, maintaining price stability.

According to Groepe, the aim of keeping prices stable is to ensure easier planning for the future, and to assist the poor.

“The poor are the ones more vulnerable to higher inflation because they hardly have enough to get by,” he said.

A negative impact on monetary policies could affect the economy negatively. This is as a result of higher inflation caused by the increase in food prices.

Furthermore, the 12% government debt renders a negative yield in the economy.

The stability of finances in South Africa

Financial stability is not an end in itself, but, like price stability, is generally regarded as an important precondition for sustainable economic growth, development, and employment creation.

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