A University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) graduate, Akhil Hansrajh, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of translating South African Sign Language (SASL) into speech in real time, aiming to address communication barriers faced by people who are hard of hearing. Hansrajh developed the SASL-to-Speech Translation System as his final-year design project while completing his BSc Engineering in Computer Engineering. The computer vision-based system uses a custom-built artificial intelligence model alongside an established machine learning framework to track body landmarks and identify signs in real time, was trained using a custom dataset relevant to SASL, and can recognise individual letters and words before converting interpreted signs into speech through a text-to-speech model. According to his supervisor, Dr Sulaiman Patel, the project was among the first assistive technology projects in UKZN’s Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (EECE) discipline to focus specifically on the South African dialect of sign language. SASL was recently recognised as South Africa’s 12th official language, while many comparable sign-language translation systems internationally focus on American Sign Language. Hansrajh said both his parents were born hard of hearing and have experienced communication barriers in everyday situations, including banks, government departments, and municipal offices, and that he and his sister often had to accompany them to speak on their behalf. Patel said Hansrajh experienced mental health challenges during the second semester of 2025 and required an extension for his