The German Language is in the top 10 of the most widely spoken language in the world. It is the language of business and science. About 100 million people speak German as their mother tongue or home language, mostly in Europe, but also in North America, South America, Africa and Asia. An additional 55 million people are actively learning German.
In South Africa, German is a highly sought-after and rare skill that is needed in business as well as culture and education. With more than 600 German companies in the country, the industry has an ever-growing need of German language speakers and people that are familiar with the German culture. Bayer, Lufthansa, Siemens and Volkswagen are only a few of them.
Find out more about the German industry in South Africa at the German Chamber of Commerce.
You can take German as an additional language in more than 80 high schools around the country or as the language of instruction in the three German Schools:
The German School Johannesburg has just been awarded the prize for the best German school internationally – that would mean it is the best German school in the world outside of Germany.
Read more about the German School Johannesburg's achievement here.
Furthermore, you can take German as a subject in 9 of the 25 South African universities, for example at the University of Cape Town, North West University, Rhodes University, University of Pretoria, University of the Free State, University of the Western Cape, University of the Witwaterstand, University of Zululand and Stellenbosch University.
Many of these universities offer exciting exchange programmes with German universities. The University of the Witwatersrand regularly sends students to Germany for summer or winter courses.
Stellenbosch University also offers a joint degree programme in German as a Foreign Language, German and other subjects with Leipzig University. Read more about the partnership here.
