Lesetja Kganyago, governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), has clarified that there is no spelling error on the new banknotes that were released last week. Rather, the old notes were incorrect.
On the country’s new banknotes, which went into circulation on May 4, some Xitsonga-speaking communities pointed out that the Xitsonga translation of “South African Reserve Bank” should have been “Bangi-Nkulu.”
This translation is given as “Bangi Kulu” in the new notes.
Some Xitsonga speakers say the spelling on the new banknotes is inaccurate in light of the fact that eliminating the ‘N’ before ‘kulu’ changes the word’s significance and avoids specific Xitsonga tongues.
However, the Pan South African Language Board, which is in charge of translating SARB banknotes and coins, stated that the extra “N” on the old notes was incorrect.
The ‘N’ ought to possibly be utilized while alluding to an individual, not an association, similar to the SARB.
Dr. Arnold Mushwana, chair of the Xitsonga National Language Body, told 702 that the organization realized, as a result of recent research, that the additional “N” could not be explained. As a result, the organization requested that SARB correct the spelling on the new notes.
He stated that language is fluid and still developing, particularly African languages.
The SARB, according to Kganyago, is “not the owners or masters of language.” For this reason it talks with the Dish South African Langauge Board on the language that shows up on its notes and coins.
Additionally, in order to avoid favoring one language over another, the board advised the Reserve Bank to alternate the languages used on its notes and coins.
In this manner, not every one of the new banknotes have the Xitsonga interpretation.
Kganyago claims that when the Reserve Bank began working on the new banknotes and coins, it approached the board once more. At this point, the board informed them that a new Xitsonga code standard would be released in 2022.
When referring to the SARB, this code stated that the “N” preceding “kulu” was unnecessary.
