Modules Offered
Why study Afrikaans?
UNDERGRADUATES HOWARD COLLEGE & PIETERMARITZBURG

Afrikaans, the language which originated in Africa mainly from Dutch, Malay and African languages is the third most widely spoken language in which  South Africans express their first words, live life to the fullest and breathe their last. Afrikaans is a national asset. It is an important source of knowledge and of empowerment. That is why our department is home to all varieties of Afrikaans.

We want everyone to share in the creation and enjoyment of Afrikaans culture, specifically literature, and the development of the language as an intellectual instrument. There is a vast warehouse of indigenous knowledge on all subjects available in Afrikaans. With our special courses, we open the doors widely to non-Afrikaans-speakers. Our courses in Dutch are, likewise, aimed at empowerment and African and other international connections are there to be transformed into opportunities for our students (enquire about our bursaries and travel opportunities for students studying Dutch).

All the courses offered by the department are open to students of all faculties. No prior knowledge is required for Afrikaans for Beginners (AFRN101) or Dutch for Beginners (AFRN110). For AFRN130 the requirement is for students to have done Afrikaans as first additional language up until grade 12. Those with a D and lower symbol will slot into the Afrikaans for Beginners group. Our AFRN130 group will be split into two groups, the one group will cater specifically for law students and the other group will cater for students from all faculties.

Afrikaans remains one of the most widely used languages in South Africa. It is interesting to note that according to the latest census it was only Afrikaans and English that had grown percentage wise as home languages nationally compared to the previous census. The 2011 census showed that 13, 5% of South Africans have Afrikaans as their home language. This translates into 6, 85 million people of all races. (Only 9,6% of speakers have English as their home language.)

Afrikaans is most widely spoken in the Western Cape followed by Gauteng. These two provinces are the two economic powerhouses of the South African economy. In short, studying Afrikaans will increase your prospects of a job, be it as a lawyer, business person, healthcare practitioner or media specialist. Moreover there currently is a dire shortage of teachers of Afrikaans, and having Afrikaans virtually guarantees you a job in some of the most scenic towns in SA.

A wide variety of courses for prospective teachers, lawyers, translators, journalists and language practitioners from undergraduate to Ph.D. level in Afrikaans and Dutch are on offer. All modules are flexible to allow students to specialize in Afrikaans, Dutch, Literature or Language.

For more information contact:

Mr D. David, Room F253 (Howard College Campus), MTB, tel. 031 260 7543, Miss Loraine Prinsloo, Room F250b (Howard College Campus), MTB, tel. 031 2607218 or

Prof D.Z. van der Berg (Pietermaritzburg), Room 2, OMB tel. 033 260-5561. Webpage: 


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