---
title: "Ryanair orders South Africans to take Afrikaans quiz to enter UK"
description: "(Bloomberg) --Ryanair Holdings Plc is ordering South Africans traveling to the UK to complete a list of questions in Afrikaans to prove their identity -- only one of 11 official languages spoken in the country."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Ryanair"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-06-06-ryanair-orders-south-africans-to-take-afrikaans-quiz-to-enter-uk/"
published: "2022-06-06T13:57:21"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 194
---

# Ryanair orders South Africans to take Afrikaans quiz to enter UK

> (Bloomberg) --Ryanair Holdings Plc is ordering South Africans traveling to the UK to complete a list of questions in Afrikaans to prove their identity -- only one of 11 official languages spoken in the country.

By Bloomberg · Published 6 June 2022, 15:57 SAST

## Content

Europe’s largest low-cost airline imposed the measure to prevent the use of fraudulent passports, the company said in a statement on Monday.

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

The quiz contains 15 general knowledge questions about South Africa, including a multiple choice to identify the nation’s capital, according to a copy published by the Beeld newspaper. Others asked which side of the road people drive on and the name of the country’s highest mountain.

Afrikaans is the third-most spoken first language in South Africa, behind Zulu and Xhosa. It is a legacy of the earliest colonists from the Netherlands in the 17th century, and was a cause of contention during the apartheid era over attempts to enforce its use in schools.

News of the measure prompted a backlash on South African social media over the weekend. Alex Macheras, an independent aviation analyst, called it “categorically insane and discriminatory.”

--With assistance from Rene Vollgraaff.

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.

By John Bowker and Siddharth Philip
Jun 6, 2022, 11:50 AM - Updated on Jun 6, 2022, 11:50 AM
Word Count: 197