OR Tambo District Municipality has begun training councillors and frontline staff in sign language to break communication barriers with deaf residents and improve their access to municipal services.
The first group of 70 municipal employees and councillors completed the training last week, marking the start of a wider programme aimed at ensuring people who communicate through sign language are able to engage meaningfully with local government.
District mayor Mesuli Ngqondwana said the initiative was inspired by his own experiences of struggling to communicate with deaf people.
“There have been moments in my life where I encountered people who communicated through sign language, and I remember feeling somewhat helpless because I could not respond or engage meaningfully.
“You quickly realise how a simple conversation becomes difficult when there is a communication barrier,” he said.
“Those experiences have stayed with me, because communication is the foundation of service delivery.
“If a resident cannot express their concern, or if we cannot understand them, then we are failing them.”
Ngqondwana announced the initiative in September, vowing that politicians, officials and staff at the Mthatha-based district municipality would learn sign language.
He told municipal employees at the time: “I speak to you not only as a mayor but as a father, a brother and a fellow human being.
“No-one deserves to live unheard, and no child should be silenced by barriers they did not create. No neighbour should feel invisible in their own community.
“Everyone has a right to be heard. Sign language is not just one of the 12 languages in SA. It is not just a law on paper, it is a lifeline of dignity, equality and hope.”
raining frontline staff is an important first step. It signals our intention to build a public service that listens, understands and responds to everyone who walks through our doors
— Mesuli Ngqondwana, District mayor
The training forms part of the municipality’s efforts to build a more inclusive public service and improve engagement with residents with hearing impairments.
“This training is therefore about restoring dignity and making sure that every resident, including members of the deaf community, can engage with their municipality with confidence,” Ngqondwana said.
“Training frontline staff is an important first step. It signals our intention to build a public service that listens, understands and responds to everyone who walks through our doors.”
Council speaker Nonkoliso Ngqongwa said the programme had been insightful and eye-opening.
“The training has strengthened my awareness of the barriers faced by persons with hearing impairments and highlighted the critical role that public institutions must play in ensuring that no community member is excluded from democratic processes and public participation.
“As the speaker of council, my responsibility is to ensure that council processes and community engagements are inclusive and accessible to all.”
Participants were introduced to aspects of deaf culture and communication during the workshops, including the importance of eye contact, visual attention, environmental awareness such as lighting and vibration, and respectful engagement with deaf people.
They also learnt basic sign language communication, including common signs, numbers, simple sentence construction and the use of facial expressions to convey tone and meaning.
I do not want to lie, I probably was also a bit impatient before when dealing with deaf people because I did not understand,
— Sinalo Mpayipheli, OR Tambo municipality staff member
OR Tambo municipality staff member Sinalo Mpayipheli said the training had changed her perspective.
“I had no clue I would enjoy the training this much. It was beautiful.
“I do not want to lie, I probably was also a bit impatient before when dealing with deaf people because I did not understand,” she said.
“We were taught sign identification and how deaf people have a way to identify someone beyond your name, like maybe if you have a beard, then they also use physical features to identify someone.”
OR Tambo Disability Federal Council chair Zilindile Hibana welcomed the initiative, saying SA had strong disability policies but struggled with implementation.
“We appreciate what the mayor has done. Even in society at large, disability is still not understood, and those with disabilities often find themselves being discriminated against,” he said.
“For instance, if people see five people with disabilities walking together in town, their first reaction is to ask if there was something happening, as if you cannot go to the shop like everyone else.”
Daily Dispatch
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