Theorising the Use of Indigenous Languages in South African Higher Education

Paulus Zulu and Bisimwa Timothee Makanishe

Published: 2026/06/01

Abstract

This paper interrogates the long-term educational, economic and political implications of the Language Policy of 2020 in higher education in South Africa. Drawing on experiences with language policies in three post-colonial countries in Asia and recent research on the language policy emphasising multilingualism in South African universities, the paper questions the effectiveness of teaching and learning in local languages that are still in the process of scientific cognitive development and examines the economic implications in the context of globalisation as well as the potential political outcomes in the context of nation-building. The paper argues that while enfranchising indigenous languages has immediate practical communication and psychological advantages, adopting them as languages of teaching and learning has far-reaching consequences and could result in what the authors call ‘the dark side of mercy’, where the potential negative outcome defeats the noble intentions. There are potential cognitive, economic, and political consequences. Cognitively, there is a glaring absence of conceptual equivalents in African indigenous languages that can constrain teaching and learning. The economic consequences could be a loss of competitiveness in a global economic environment dominated by English as the preferred language of the economy. Politically, there exists the potential for Balkanisation in a country like South Africa, where competitive ethnic formations quickly resort to primordial affiliations whenever convenient. Therefore, while developing indigenous languages as intellectual languages capable of mediating teaching and learning is plausible, the policy application calls for review in the light of authentic experiences.

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