Official languages of South Africa

South Africa’s official languages are isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga, siSwati, Tshivenda, isiNdebele, and South African Sign Language. The Constitution recognizes them for public use and requires measures to advance historically marginalized languages.

Constitution of South Africa: South Africa’s supreme law, adopted in 1996, which establishes the state’s structure and fundamental rights. Section 6 establishes the official-language framework and duties of government.
Apartheid: South Africa’s system of legally enforced racial segregation and white minority rule from 1948 to 1994. Apartheid entrenched unequal access to language, education, and public institutions.
Language policy in South Africa: The laws and practices governing language use in South African government, education, and public life. It translates constitutional language commitments into institutional rules and choices.
English language: A West Germanic language that became a global lingua franca through historical expansion and modern institutions. English has disproportionate public and economic use despite sharing formal status with eleven others.
Section 6 of the Constitution of South Africa: The constitutional provision governing South Africa’s official languages and language policy. It names the languages and sets out measures for their use and development.
South African interim Constitution: South Africa’s 1993 constitution, which governed the transition from apartheid to democratic rule. It first established eleven official languages in the democratic constitutional order.
Language of instruction: The language used to teach academic content in schools or other educational settings. Choosing languages of instruction tests how recognition becomes practical access to education.
Language endangerment: The process by which a language loses speakers and domains of use, increasing its risk of extinction. Constitutional recognition alone does not ensure that a language remains widely used or transmitted.
Pan South African Language Board: A statutory body established to promote multilingualism and develop South Africa’s official and other languages. It supports language development and monitors respect for language rights.
South African Constitution of 1996: South Africa’s final post-apartheid constitution, adopted in 1996 and effective from 1997. It retained the eleven-language framework before sign language gained official status.

Linked from 6 pages