The expressions "ni hoa", "al salaam a'alaykum" and "namaste" might not mean much to most South Africans, but as the new world economies develop rapidly, the value of being able to greet people in Mandarin, Arabic and Hindi is rising.
The South African Department of Higher Education and Training says it remains concerned at the slow development of African languages in the country's universities and has set up a Ministerial Advisory Panel to look into the issue.
Minister says both wealthy and poor black children lose out from a lack of mother tongue education.