IsiZulu is a rich and diverse language with numerous dialects and nuances. Duduzile Zuma, uMkhonto weSizwe member and daughter of former president Jacob Zuma recently announced that she can’t speak the native language.
The politician blamed apartheid for not being fluent in the language. This left tongues wagging as it has been 30 years since the dawn of democracy and laws have been put in place to protect all South African languages.
Duduzile, her twin brother Duduzane and three other siblings were born in Maputo to their Mozambican mother, Kate Montsho. They also lived in Harare during exile and would later grow up in Joburg's leafy suburbs when their parents finally returned to the country when Apartheid was defeated.
Should you find yourself in the same position or are just interested in learning isiZulu, here is where you can do it:
Unisa
The University of South Africa (Unisa) offers a free isiZulu course.
“The isiZulu language takes its name from a clan founded in the 16th century and which King Shaka raised to prominence in the early 19th century. The isiZulu language is spoken as a home language by more than 10 million people and as a second language by approximately 16 million people in South Africa.
“There is mutual intelligibility of the languages belonging to the Nguni group, which isiZulu forms part of. As such, a Zulu person would, for instance, understand SiSwati and isiXhosa and a Swazi and Xhosa person. IsiZulu is understood by people from the Cape to Zimbabwe,” its website states.
Duolingo
Duolingo is a language learning programme that is simple to use, enjoyable, and, if you are determined, you can learn quickly. It has bite-sized courses that allow you to earn points and unlock new levels while learning real-world communication skills.
Taalkor
This South African learning platform claims that its isiZulu language course is meant to produce effective outcomes in only 15 minutes per day with proper pronunciation, accent, and tempo of speech.
“Learn isiZulu the same way you learned your mother tongue at home, with all four basic language skills.”
Learnio
Learnio offers an economical accessible, and pleasant approach to language learning. This is a video learning model.
“Our desire is to help all learners overcome the misconception that learning Zulu and Afrikaans has to be difficult and that it is a barrier to them achieving academic success in their school career.
“This is why Learneo has created a simple, affordable and high quality solution that allows learners of various ages to better understand and become more proficient in a second language,” says the programme.
IOL