News

S. African bank adds indigenous languages to ATMs

December 11, 2003

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Absa has added three of the country's indigenous languages to some of its ATMs.

According to a report on allAfrica.com, the initial multi-lingual pilot phase has been in development for 18 months. It will give the nation's Zulu, Xhosa and South-Sotho speakers the choice of banking on the ATM in their home language. Zulu and South-Sotho speakers will also have this option on telephone banking.

Alfie Naidoo, managing executive Absa e-channels, said that South Africa's population comprises 23.8 percent first language Zulu-speakers, 7.9 percent South-Sotho and 17.6 percent  Xhosa speakers.

"This is just another step towards addressing the gaps in the banking sector," Naidoo said.

Additional languages will be considered during the next phase of the multi-lingual initiative in line with customer requirements, according to the allAfrica report. The new language options will be available to the public from March 2004 after customer feedback and subsequent adjustments are made to the pilot system.

Naidoo said Absa has the country's largest ATM footprint, with 4,000 machines as well as the largest telephone banking base with some 420,000 customers.

As drivers of the Financial Services Charter (FSC), Absa is determined to smash any barriers to entry in the communities they serve. "By creating additional options on these services we will make banking easier for newcomers,"  Naidoo said.

The FSC requires financial institutions to make banking accounts accessible to more South Africans. According to an earlier report in Business Day, by 2014 South Africa hopes to add some 8 million new cardholders to its existing base of about 13 million South Africans with bank accounts.

As part of the charter, banks have agreed to provide an access point for finance such as an ATM or a branch within 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of 80 percent of South Africa's low-income earners. About 14 million South Africans, or roughly half the country's adult population, fall into this category. (See related story ATMs are key part of S. Africa's push to convert the unbanked)