ACTSA Statement on the use of Afrikaans tests for entry to the UK

ACTSA is appalled that Ryanair has decided to ask South African passengers entering the UK to fill in a questionnaire in Afrikaans.  Ryanair alleges that they are taking this action to prevent people entering the UK on false South African passports. The British High Commission in South Africa has denied that there is any UK government requirement for Ryanair to do this.  

There are eleven official languages in South Africa. Afrikaans is only one and by no means the most used by the people of South Africa. The others are Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa. Zulu and English. Ryanair’s focus on Afrikaans is racially discriminatory. It cannot be forgotten that Afrikaans was the preferred language of the racist, apartheid state.  On 16th June 1976, the children of Soweto, refusing point blank to have Afrikaans as the language of tuition, took to the streets in protest. Hundreds of those children were killed by the apartheid police. 16th of June now marks this day as National Youth Day in South Africa. Ryanair imposing this discriminatory process days before the commemoration of the massacre of school children is unbelievably offensive and insensitive.

ACTSA has written to the Home Secretary, asking her to intervene and call for Ryanair to withdraw this questionnaire.

ACTSA has also written to Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, calling upon him to withdraw the questionnaire immediately and to apologise to those South Africans, legitimately going about their business, who were forced to go through this discriminatory process.

Issued by ACTSA: 5th June 2022