The first Divine Liturgy of the Russian Orthodox Church was held in IsiXhosa in SA The service was conducted by the parish rector, Nicholas Esterhuizen, of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchal Church of Africa at the parish of St John Climacus in Cape Town. isiXhosa is spoken by about 18% of the country's population. It is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Subscribe to Sputnik Africa | X.