The main focus of this paper is on the triangulated work of the 1996 South African Constitution, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), and one of the latter's eleven language subsidiaries: the English National Language Body (ENLB), with special reference to the ENLB's likewise triadic projects on literature; on variation and standardisation; and on language in education. It thus deals with both macro- and micro-policy issues. My choice of title is predicated upon the proposition that discourse in language is evidently much like the traditional African cooking pot, standing firm on three legs. An explication of the title's invocation of a holographic triad follows, with examples of triple categorizations of usage from Randolph Quirk, Stanley Ridge and Braj Kachru. Informed by the medieval educator's emphasis on acquisition of the 3Rs and the 2008 Oxford Round Table's call for a three-pronged approach, the discussion explores aspects of proficiency, education (multilingual rather than bilingual) and acquisition, shifting from practice to policy making and implementation in South Africa, including Richard Ruiz's three types of orientation to language in policy and planning: language as problem, language as right, and language as resource. The paper makes early reference to and ends with references to Judge Albie Sachs's sage caveat and his injunction for all to take part in the language discussion, respectively. I close with my own plea for a paradigm shift from prescription to choice and from rigidity to balance.