The director of Language Directorate at the North-West University (NWU) has been appointed as chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), placing one of the language scholars of the university at the centre of South Africa’s efforts to advance multilingualism and indigenous language development.
Dr Keaobaka Seshoka said the appointment represents both a personal milestone and a national responsibility to promote and protect linguistic diversity in South Africa.
“This appointment is therefore not only a personal achievement, but also a responsibility to build on the important work already undertaken by PanSALB in promoting multilingualism and protecting linguistic diversity in South Africa,” she said.
Dr Seshoka said her years in academia and language practice at the NWU prepared her for bridging language policy, research and community engagement.
“As someone who has worked extensively in language policy, multilingualism, interpreting, translation and African language development, I bring both institutional experience and a passion for innovation,” she said.
Her academic journey began at the University of Pretoria, where she obtained a BA in information sciences (publishing) with languages as core modules. She later completed her honours, master’s and PhD degrees in African languages at Rhodes University. Her master’s degree was awarded cum laude.
She also completed a Master of Business Leadership at the UNISA School of Business Leadership, strengthening her expertise in governance, organisational management and institutional leadership. She is currently studying towards a Doctor of Business Leadership with the aim of developing a leadership model for the African context.
Dr Seshoka said one of her priorities at PanSALB would be to close the gap between language policy and implementation.
“I intend to advocate for making multilingualism fashionable and the norm,” she said. “The main issue has been the gap between policy and its implementation.”
She said official indigenous languages must also be positioned within digital and technological spaces to remain relevant in the future.
“If our official indigenous languages are not intentionally developed and integrated into these spaces, they risk marginalisation,” she said.
Her plans include advancing language technologies, digital corpora and artificial intelligence-assisted language services for African languages.
Dr Seshoka added that partnerships between universities, communities, the government and research institutions would be central to strengthening multilingualism and linguistic justice in South Africa.
She said her vision is for PanSALB to become “a dynamic, innovative, and impactful institution” where indigenous languages are “visible, valued, technologically empowered, and fully integrated into the economy and the future of South Africa”.
Dr Keaobaka Seshoka.
