Johannesburg - The foundation of President Jacob Zuma will partner with the Roman Catholic Church to improve the existing translation of the Bible into isiZulu, the foundation said on Saturday.
“This new version will be more accurate and closer to the original manuscript,” the JG Zuma Foundation said in a statement.
“As a speaker of isiZulu, President Zuma has long felt that the existing isiZulu translation of the Scriptures is inadequate and a new version will now be directly translated from Biblical languages, such as Hebrew and Aramaic, straight into isiZulu.”
The foundation said that the last translation was that of the Bible Society which was done in 1959.
In any case, this version, leaned on other languages rather than isiZulu, said the foundation.
“This work will culminate in a more relevant Zulu Bible, which is considered a critical evangelisation tool for both worshippers and scholars,” the foundation said.
As patron of the foundation, Zuma was expected to hand over a R500 000 cheque towards the project at the St Joseph Cathedral in Mariannhill on Sunday. - Sapa