October 13, 2010. Oxford University Press Southern Africa officially launched the first new IsiZulu-English bilingual dictionary in 40 years at a glittering event at Zimbali Lodge – and handed more than R200 000 worth of dictionaries and other books to underprivileged KZN schools to help students affected by the August teacher strike prepare for their year-end exams.
The event at Zimbali Lodge was attended by a host of prominent IsiZulu academics, language and education specialists, and was addressed by IFP leader and IsiZulu cultural figure Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi (pictured above with Oxford University Press Managing Director Lieze Kotze).
The launch celebrated the commitment by Oxford University Press Southern Africa to boost multilingualism in South African schools through its publications.
Prince Buthelezi handed over the Oxford dictionaries and other curriculum-compliant resources to the Khanyisa Development Trust, a non-profit organisation working to improve the quality of education in rural KwaZulu-Natal.
The Trust, founded in 2007 by Ukhozi FM presenter Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie, selected four primary and seven secondary schools to receive the Oxford dictionaries, atlases and study guides.
“Most of these schools do not have school libraries, and are situated in rural areas so therefore have little or no access to public libraries,” McKenzie noted. “These books will assist the Khanyisa Development Trust in our foremost mission – equipping learners with the fundamental skills necessary to achieve their goals and change their lives for the better.”
** The word Zimbali is in fact IsiZulu for “valley of flowers”.