The 12th official language of South Africa is now sign language.
During a ceremony in Pretoria, President Cyril Ramaphosa legally signed the Sign Language Bill into law.
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Other languages spoken in the nation include English, Xhosa, Zulu, and Afrikaans.
After Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda, South Africa is the fourth nation on the continent to recognize signing as an official language.
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The law was deemed “long overdue” by the South African National Deaf Association. There are 1.4 million people with hearing loss and 600,000 people who are deaf in South Africa, according to estimates.