By Michael Nkalane and Zolani Sinxo
Teaching is challenging in any circumstances, but instruction in Sesotho is especially tough in the Western Cape, where English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa dominate.
Describing her daily grind, Ntomboxolo Nomxhego, a grade 3 teacher at Hopolang Primary School in Khayelitsha, says: “For hours in the evening, I have to prepare my lessons and translate English textbooks for my Sesotho first-language learners and prepare lessons for the next day.”
Hopolang is one of only two primary schools in the province offering Sesotho as a language of instruction. The other is Lehlohonolo Primary in Gugulethu. After primary school, Sesotho speakers can continue with Sesotho as a subject at Fezeka High in Gugulethu, Uxolo High in Khayelitsha or Ilingelethu Secondary in Malmesbury.
Lehlohonolo has 200 Sesotho speakers; Hopolang has more than 327, with 220 taught in Sesotho. Both schools are in predominantly isiXhosa-speaking areas, where isiXhosa home-language pupils make up 26% of grade 3 pupils in the province, Afrikaans 36%, and English 37%. Sesotho is negligible compared with its dominance in the Free State at 76%.
Nomxhego said, unlike in isiXhosa, English and Afrikaans, schools do not have books, learning materials and other content in subjects such as maths and science written in Sesotho.
Hopolang is one of only two primary schools in the province offering Sesotho as a language of instruction.
Lehlohonolo principal Nthabiseng Nduku agrees: “A teacher must read a physics textbook and then translate and make notes in Sesotho before class.”
Thabang Khoabane, deputy chair of the Lehlohonolo school governing body, adds: “Our language is neglected. Even the Sesotho reading books, which are the only textbooks we have, are written in a diluted language.”
The shortage of textbooks and quality Sesotho teaching affects many regions, but Sesotho’s marginal status in the Western Cape exacerbates the issue. The literacy crisis is starkly evident in the Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS) benchmarks released last week. Only 38% of Sesotho home-language pupils nationally have met the reading benchmark by grade 4, compared with 46% across all 11 official languages. Foundation years fare even worse — less than 32% achieve the overall benchmark in grades 1, 2, and 3, with Sesotho home-language pupils scoring just 31% in grade 1, then dropping to 18% in grades 2 and 3.
Across all home languages, 15% of pupils cannot read a single word by the end of grade 3.
The survey notes “significant inequalities in likelihood of reaching benchmarks by language, province, gender and socio-economic status”. Among provinces, the Western Cape ranked second-highest across languages overall at 60%, just below Gauteng’s 62%.
The National Reading Survey (2023) found that while 97% of English-speaking households own at least one book in their language, only 52% of Sesotho-speaking households do. English books make up 80% of national sales; Sesotho books barely 1%. Book publishing data from 2024 showed that 2,161 English textbooks were published, but only 64 in Sesotho; in nine African languages combined, just 1,675 textbooks were produced.
The marginal role of Sesotho in the province contradicts national policy of encouraging mother-tongue bilingual instruction in all 11 languages. While the Western Cape education department recognises Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa as the main provincial languages, it is committed to supporting marginalised languages, said spokesperson Millicent Merton. She confirmed two primary schools offer Sesotho as a home language in the foundation phase.
Uxolo High principal Khaya Bonani said Sesotho is in “crisis”. “Many Basotho live here. Their language is dying,” he said.
The presence of Sesotho speakers in the province is historically entrenched. Moshesh Primary School in Langa, built in 1941 and named after Lesotho’s first king Moshoeshoe I, taught Sesotho in the early grades and introduced isiXhosa in what was then standard 5. Sesotho instruction ended in the late 1990s due to demarcation and isiXhosa dominance.
Mark Khoabane, chair of the Western Cape Basotho Initiation Forum, said the school was once a proud Basotho institution. “Now we have to find alternatives for our children,” he said.
In Breede Valley, Worcester, the Basotho maintain cultural traditions like initiation schools and King Moshoeshoe commemorations. Communities such as Worcester, Langa, Gugulethu, Mfuleni and Nyanga have sizeable Sesotho- speaking populations.
This article has been produced with the support of the Henry Nxumalo Foundation
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