South Africa has 11 official languages, but English is the most widely spoken language for business and tourism. Afrikaans and isiXhosa are also common, depending on the region. You’ll find that most people working in tourism speak excellent English. Learning a few phrases in local languages like isiZulu (“Sawubona” for “hello”) or Afrikaans (“Dankie” for “thank you”) is greatly appreciated and always brings a smile!
