- South African artist DJ Cleo has shared his perspective on his children’s language proficiency, specifically their lack of fluency in local languages
- The radio host discussed how his young son is only fluent in English, not in his native tongue
- This declaration has triggered a significant discussion on social media, attracting both supporters and critics of his viewpoint
DJ Cleo, a prominent musician in South Africa, has expressed his position on the ongoing discussion about language, clarifying which language his children predominantly speak.
Recently, social media has been abuzz with thoughts from individuals concerning parents who prefer their children to be fluent in English over their native languages.
Cleo, known for his academic credentials as he holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Wits University, has now contributed to this dialogue, prompting a noteworthy online debate.
Cleo’s Perspective on English
During an appearance on the podcast hosted by Penuel Mlotshwa and his brother Penson, the Radio 2000 presenter mentioned that he is comfortable with his sons solely communicating in English.
“I look at my 6-year-old, and he says things that make me go, ‘ Okay, my school fees are not killing me for nothing.’ When I have to pay, I cry, but when he talks, I’m like ‘alright.’ It’s okay if he can’t speak vernac. I am fine with that,” Cleo said. “I only saw a model-c school in my last three years of high school,” he added.
Cleo further explained his reasoning, emphasizing that he does not want his children to endure the same challenges he faced growing up. He highlighted the importance of English as a primary language of education.
“In fact, throw French in there. What is the most spoken language in Africa? French and Swahili. We will see SeSotho later on in life. As long as he knows how to phahla then that is fine.”
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