Ryanair forces South Africans to do Afrikaans test to prove nationality

South Africans were forced to take a test in Afrikaans in order to board flights from the UK and Europe.

The budget airline is facing criticism for conducting the general knowledge test in a language that is the third-most used in the country and had a role in the oppression of black citizens during apartheid.

The questions on which side of the road South Africans drive on wouldn't determine whether someone was a genuine passport holder, according to some.

The author was barred from returning to the UK.

The airline was contacted for comments. Due to the high prevalence of fraudulent South African passports, the airline requires passengers travelling to the UK to fill out a simple questionnaire in their native language. They will be refused travel if they can't complete the survey.

The test appears to have been put in place by the airline after the South African government raised concerns over the issue of ID fraud.

The first and second most used tests in South Africa are Zulu and Xhosa, but it's not clear why they're not used in the same way as the Ryanair test.

A passenger from South Africa told the Financial Times that the test was exclusionary and that the airline did not consider the implications of the test. They said that it does amount to racial discrimination.

The policy caused a backlash on social media, with one user saying that it would restrict the movement of South African people if they spoke the language of the white Afrikaner minority. A bad look. It's pretty Racist.

The test is not required by the British government, according to the UK high commission.