Language and education planning issues and democratic policy implementation in the post-apartheid era in South Africa encompass a range of language-related issues and dilemmas that have counterparts in many countries, within the emerging global education system. The issues in South Africa were and continue to be shaped by the historical legacy of colonial rule and apartheid. Contemporary developments present new challenges alongside persistent problems inherited from the apartheid era. Critical issues in education and language planning are reviewed in global context. These are followed by an overview of language transformation policies that created the potential for democratic multilingualism and language equity in the new South Africa. An array of critical issues for the coming decades of the 21st century, with illustrations from research and practice, provides insight into the persistent problems and new challenges facing South Africa as language issues and needs compete with a complex assemblage of crucial development issues.