Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Act of 2023 | |
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Parliament of South Africa | |
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Passed by | National Assembly |
Passed | 2 May 2023 |
Assented to | 19 July 2023 |
Legislative history | |
Bill title | Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill |
Bill citation | B1—2023 |
Introduced by | Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development |
Introduced | 11 January 2023 |
Amends | |
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 | |
Status: In force |
The Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa (formally the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Act of 2023) made South African Sign Language an official language of South Africa. [1]
The bill for the amendment was introduced in the National Assembly on 11 January 2023 by Ronald Lamola, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. [2] It was adopted unanimously by the assembly on 2 May, [3] and signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 July of the same year. [1]
The 1993 Interim Constitution did not mention South African Sign Language at all. [4]
The South African National Deaf Association made a formal request to the Pan South African Language Board for South African Sign Language to become an official language in 1996. [4]
In February 2020, the President announced the government's intention to recognise South African Sign Language as the twelfth official language. [4] The National Assembly gave its approval on 2 May 2023. [4] The law was given assent on 19 July 2023. [5] On 19 July 2022, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services published the draft bill for comment. [6] In 2025, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) criticised the lack of readiness among state institutions to meet the requirements under the amendment. [7]