ABSTRACT
Although the concept of a new language policy for a post-apartheid South Africa is currently being debated, only Afrikaans and English are at present regarded as official languages in the Republic of South Africa. Government is thus officially bilingual, but due to the vast majority of bureaucrats (including the police, armed forces, railways, etc.) being Afrikaners and the fact that the traditional power base of the ruling party (in power since 1948) has been Afrikaans, Afrikaans dominates in that sphere, whereas in the sphere of commerce English dominates. In rural areas, with the exception of most of Natal, Afrikaans is more commonly spoken, whereas in the cities one hears more English.
