12 June 2026
The South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR) proudly congratulates Professor Langa Khumalo, Chief Director and Mr Juan Steyn, Operations Director, on their appointment to the National Task Team Towards a Unified National Language Action Plan by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie.
The appointments follow resolutions adopted at the National Language Summit held in Cape Town in March 2026, which underscored the urgent need for a coordinated national intervention to address challenges affecting the effective implementation of multilingualism in South Africa.
Professor Khumalo has been appointed as a member and deputy chairperson of the National Task Team, while Mr Steyn has been appointed as a member of the Task Team. The appointments recognise their extensive expertise and long-standing contributions to language development, digital innovation and multilingualism in South Africa.
The National Task Team comprises experts drawn from government, academia, business and civil society who will work collaboratively to develop and guide the implementation of a unified national language action plan.
Professor Khumalo has been at the forefront of language policy development, implementation and monitoring in various sectors, digital language technology advancement, higher education transformation, and the overall intellectualization of African languages. His appointment as deputy chairperson of the National Task Team reflects national recognition of his leadership and commitment to language transformation and multilingualism.
Together, Professor Khumalo and Mr Steyn bring a wealth of expertise that will strengthen and contribute to the work of the National Task Team in line with SADiLaR’s vision to ensure a transformed participative digital future for our official languages for people in all walks of life.
SADiLaR extends its best wishes to Professor Khumalo and Mr Steyn as they continue their valuable work in advancing multilingualism and language development for the benefit of all South Africans.
Written by: Lihle Sosibo