Smartless podcast, where she spoke with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett about growing up in South Africa. She said during the interview that she became proficient in English after arriving in the country at the age of 19. It was effortless for Theron, she claimed, to “forget” her South African accent.

She added that just “around 44 individuals” “still speak” Afrikaans, making it a rare language:

Social media users harshly criticized Theron when her remarks spread online. The actress was also reprimanded by the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB), which described her remarks as “disheartening,” “disturbing,” and “inaccurate”:

The common misconception that Afrikaans is only spoken by white South Africans known as “boere” is promoted by Ms. Theron’s statements. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth considering that 60% of Afrikaans speakers are black.

Theron Charlize

It is one of the most widely spoken languages in South Africa, with a market share of around 14%. About 8.4 million people worldwide speak Afrikaans as their first tongue.

The Independent reports that the 2018 Community Survey from Stats South Africa reveals that Afrikaans is the third most spoken language among family members, with 12.2% of people in the country using it.

Twitter reacts to Charlize Theron’s comment in Afrikaans

After stating that only “44 individuals” now speak her original language of Afrikaans, Charlize Theron has found herself in hot water. Along with criticizing her, the PanSALB noted that Charlize Theron is held in “high regard by the country of her origin” and urged her to use her position to stress the importance of using one’s mother tongue in public:

We beg her to uphold the constitutional requirements that support social cohesion and to carry on the admirable work of utilizing her position to draw attention to some of the pressing socioeconomic problems facing the continent, such as the value of speaking one’s home tongue in public.

The actress’s comments sparked an immediate backlash, with numerous people disputing her allegations on Twitter:

South African actor-director Tim Theron commented on Charlize Theron’s words from her podcast on Instagram, writing:

“We are so proud of Charlize and everything she has accomplished… However, we also take great pride in our official languages, which include the excellent Afrikaans.

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