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HomeUK NewsRyanair under fire over Afrikaans tests for S. Africans

Ryanair under fire over Afrikaans tests for S. Africans

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Irish budget airline Ryanair is being accused of discrimination after it admitted Monday that it required South Africans flying to Britain and Ireland to fill out a questionnaire to test their knowledge of Afrikaans.

“Due to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports, we require passengers travelling to the UK to fill out a simple questionnaire issued in Afrikaans,” the carrier said in a statement.

“If they are unable to complete this questionnaire, they will be refused travel and issued with a full refund.”

Critics point out that Afrikaans is only one of 11 official languages in South Africa and played a controversial role in the oppression of black citizens during apartheid. The languages of Zulu and Xhosa are the first and second most widely spoken languages in the country.

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In response to the uproar on social media, Britain’s ambassador in South Africa took to Twitter to clarify that such language and general knowledge tests were “not a UK government requirement” for South Africans entering the United Kingdom.

(AFP)

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