There are approximately 40 million people living in South Africa.
Zulu is the home language of 8.5 million of them.
Nine of our country's eleven official languages are African languages. Of these, Zulu is the most widely understood and is the most common home language (22,4% of the total population) followed by a closely related language Xhosa (17,5%) and Pedi/Northern Sotho (9,8%).
The workplace and society are changing, and the importance of knowing (understanding, speaking) an indigenous local language other than English and Afrikaans has increased and will continue to do so. On a less self-serving level, perhaps, studying Zulu helps one develop insight and sensitivity to African culture and to the traditional systems of belief of 77% of our fellow South Africans - so necessary if we are to move forward together.
At present all learners who are taking Zulu as their First Additional Language are able to speak an African Language. Some of these learners had never been exposed to Zulu as an academic subject, and their literacy has improved dramatically. They comment on an increased confidence when they communicate in Zulu, knowing that they are speaking pure Zulu rather than 'slang' or a mixture of languages.
At this stage, the classes are small, and individual attention each learner receives enables them to make excellent progress.
The syllabus has both oral and written components, and includes the study of Zulu literature.
Perhaps most important, it gives the learners a sense of pride in being South African and a chance to explore and celebrate what it is to be 'African'.