Ryanair abandons ‘inappropriate’ Afrikaans citizenship test

Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said his airline has dropped the controversial questionnaire for South African passengers requiring them to answer questions in Afrikaans.

Ryanair’s decision to quiz South African passport holders in Afrikaans before they boarded the plane was heavily criticised in South Africa.

The airline said it introduced the questionnaire in response to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports.

The move led to Ryanair being accused of racial discrimination. 

Afrikaans is spoken by less than 15% of South Africa’s population and is the country’s third-most spoken language after Zulu and Xhosa.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Afrikaans nationality test – ‘Racist’ Ryanair accused of discrimination

‘Backward profiling system’

“We didn’t think it was appropriate either,” said O’Leary. “So, we have ended the Afrikaans test, because it doesn’t make any sense.”

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs had criticised the test, calling it a “backward profiling system”.

Ryanair’s Afrikaans nationality test

The airline’s quiz contained 15 questions, such as the name of South Africa’s biggest city and the current president.

Other questions included:

• Watter van die volgende is Suid-Afrikaanse hoofstede? (Which of the following are South African capitals?)
• Wat is Suid Afrika see amptelike geldeenheid? (What is South Africa’s official currency?)
• Noem drie van Suid Afrika see amptelike tale. (Name three of South Africa’s official languages.)
• Aan water kant van die pad moet a mens bestuur in Suid Afrika? (On which side of the road should you drive in South Africa?)
• Wat is Suid Afrika se international landkode, om te bel op die telefoon? (What is South Africa’s international dialling code?)