South Africa is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with 11 official languages enshrined in the constitution — the highest number of official languages of any country. Zulu and Xhosa, both Bantu languages known for their click consonants, are the most widely spoken. Afrikaans evolved from 17th-century Dutch spoken by settlers, enslaved people, and indigenous communities at the Cape Colony; it diverged substantially from Dutch over the following centuries and was recognised as a distinct language in the early 20th century. English, though spoken natively by only about 10% of the population, serves as the dominant language of government, business, and higher education. The apartheid era (1948–1994) imposed Afrikaans as a compulsory language of instruction, a policy that triggered the 1976 Soweto uprising. Post-apartheid South Africa elevated all 11 languages to equal constitutional status.
