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SASL Star: Lerato Sheila Thamahane

22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied

Lerato Thamahane may be able to speak and understand all nine of South Africa’s official African languages, but it is a tenth language she is devoting her life to: South African Sign Language (SASL).

With nearly ten years’ experience as a SASL interpreter in several settings – ranging from the medical and mental-health fields to that of conferences and Deafblind interpreting – Lerato is living her life’s purpose. “I regard myself as a member of the Deaf community and a servant at the same time.”

Lerato lives by the principle that the more perspectives she gains on the world, the better service as an interpreter she can provide. This is also part of the reason why Lerato decided to take on the role of student again to study BA Language Practice to provide her with an even broader perspective on the field.

But why does Lerato feel so strongly about SASL? It is only through Sign Language, Lerato explains, that one can bridge the divide between the world of the hearing and that of the Deaf. “SASL is the only way for the minority Deaf group to receive and transfer information,” Lerato emphasises. “Deaf people cannot communicate in any other way.” Now, consider for a moment the plight of a Deaf child in South Africa. To receive education in SASL, most Deaf children have to move far away from home at a very young age in order to attend a school for the Deaf. For many years, schools for the Deaf did not include other languages as subjects, which prevented Deaf school-leavers from entering higher education. Although this situation has largely changed, Deaf students are still fighting an uphill battle when entering higher education institutions where prejudice and ignorance still persist. This is where the work of the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) and the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies makes such a crucial difference.

“I firmly believe,” Lerato says, “that only Sign Language can open opportunities for all groups of the Deaf community – from Deaf children to adults, and from the uneducated to the most educated Deaf people.” It is for this reason, Lerato argues, that our constitution needs to recognise SASL in order to give Deaf people full and equal access to information, to education, and ultimately, to all the opportunities South Africa has to offer.

News Archive

UFS visits Namibian schools

2012-06-27

The Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, will leave for Namibia shortly to visit several secondary schools in the country and to speak to students.

The visit will be from Monday 25 June to Friday 29 June 2012.

A group of other staff members from the UFS, including Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs, Prof. Lucius Botes, Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities and Prof. Neil Heideman of the UFS’ Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, will also be part of the visit.

Prof. Jansen’s visit to schools in Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Windhoek and Rehoboth is aimed at reaching out to potential UFS students in Namibia.
Prof. Jansen’s visits to schools since 2010 were very successful and he decided to expand his visits to schools with other ambassadors of the UFS to Namibia.

There are currently a large number of Namibian students at the UFS and the UFS also boasts a significant Namibian Kovsie alumni.

During the UFS’ five-day-visit to Namibia, the group will visit the Walvis Bay Private High School, Namib High School, the High Schools of Jan Mohr, Dr Lemmer, M&k Gertze, Windhoek Gimnasium, MH Greeff, Technical High School as well as Windhoek High School.

On Wednesday 27 June, Prof. Jansen will address ex-Kovsies at an alumni reunion in Windhoek.

On Thursday 28 June, Prof. Jansen will speak to approximately 600 learners at the Davin Trust sports event and on Friday 29 June he will address about 150 business people at a business breakfast in Windhoek.

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