In this paper we explore the relationship between English language proficiency and earnings
in South Africa, using new data from the first wave of the National Income Dynamics panel
survey of 2008. Much of the literature on this topic has studied the impact on earnings of
host country language acquisition among minority groups of immigrants to developed countries.
In our study we analyse the returns to language skills in a developing country context where
the dominant language of business, government and education is that of the former colony,
although not more than one percent of the African majority population group speaks English as
their home language. Our findings suggest large returns among Africans to reading and writing
English very well, and particularly among those who have a tertiary education. We also briefly
consider the implications of these results for language and education policy in South Africa in
the post-apartheid period.