The role of Indigenous South African languages in sustainable economic advancement

In this article, we discuss and explore the participatory role of indigenous South African languages in driving sustainable economic development, which addresses the problem of linguistic marginalism that obstructs access to knowledge, economic opportunities, globalisation and innovation. Hinging on (post)colonial theory, we ask two interlaced questions. First, how do historical and contemporary privileging of hegemonic languages accelerate structural disparities in the context of indigenous South African languages and economic advancement? Second, how are local languages active participants of economisation? In terms of findings, we observe that indigenous language publishing and communication, in fact, solidifies economic development, sustainability and knowledge dissemination, while integration of these languages into small, medium, and micro enterprises and local markets maximises entrepreneurship and economic inclusivity. This article contributes to the advancement of indigenous South African languages and sustainable economic practices, demonstrating their interdependent role in knowledge economies and local development. This article’s contribution is nested in the rejection of the oppressive ideology of reducing South Africa’s ancestral languages to the peripheries of exceptionalism, without acknowledging their active role in economic advancement.