Parliament, Friday, 9 April 2021 – The Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture notes with sadness the passing of Professor Sizwe Churchill Satyo, who passed away this week after a long illness.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Beauty Dlulane, said it was sad to lose such an outstanding scholar, at a time when his academic acumen was so relevant and necessary.

Ms Dlulane said Prof Satyo will forever be remembered as the father of isiXhosa grammar. His sterling work and courageous quest for knowledge, research and teaching in indigenous languages is now an integral part of South African teaching and academia. “This is a person who embodied what it means to be a public servant, working for the people by means of language. Sadly, he departed at a time when the country needs him most, when government policy has moved to empower indigenous languages and at a time when his knowledge could have been called upon.”

Prof Satyo had a clear vision of how decolonisation of education should work, a vision that appeared strongly in his academic work. Prof Satyo was a former head of African Languages at the University of Cape Town and also a former secretary of the African Association for Lexicography. He leaves a shining impression in South African education, particularly the education of African children.

The committee sends its heartfelt condolences to the Satyo family, relatives and friends. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE, MS BEAUTY DLULANE.

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