Google’s popular YouTube video service is now available in Zulu and Afrikaans. The SA version of the site, at www.youtube.co.za, was launched in May 2010 and was the first localised YouTube edition in Africa.

The Internet giant took the wraps off the Zulu and Afrikaans versions at its second annual Google SA event in Johannesburg.

The company says more than 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute globally — a 100% increase in the last year — and that it’s seeing far greater usage of the service in SA, too.

Luke Mckend, country manager at Google SA, says there has been a 175% increase in SA YouTube views in the past year and the company is “looking forward to seeing more SA videos uploaded, including content in Zulu and Afrikaans”.

SA users can also use Google’s voice search in English, Afrikaans or Zulu. They have the option to use a less bandwidth-demanding version of YouTube called “YouTube Feather” which is designed for slow connections.

YouTube Feather is still being tested, but can be found at www.youtube.com/testtube.

Google also announced on Thursday that its Get African Business Online initiative would bring a basic drag-and-drop website builder, called Google Business Sitebuilder, to SA soon. The company says this is part of its efforts to increase its localised online content and get businesses listed and mapped on Google. — Craig Wilson, TechCentral