FUN FACTS ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA
RELATIONSHIPS
- Achuz (Slang for ‘acquaintance’)
- Chommie (Slang for ‘friend’)
- Die man (Afrikaans word for ‘the man’)
- Grootman (Slang for a man you respect)
- Lobola (Dowry or bridal price paid by the husband’s family to the wife when they get married.)
- Magrizza (Slang for ‘grandmother’)
- Mamazala (Zulu word for ‘mother-in-law’, sometimes used as a word of endearment for an older woman.)
- Mjolo (Slang for ‘courtship’, when you are dating someone)
- Mpinji (Zulu slang for ‘friend’)
- Olady (Slang for ‘mother’)
- Skeem Saam/Saka (Slang for ‘friend’)
- Timer (Slang for ‘father’)
GREETINGS
- Awe (Slang for ‘hello’)
- Ayoba (Slang for ‘fine’)
- Fede (Slang for ‘how are you?’)
- Grand (Slang for ‘fine’)
- Heita (Slang for ‘hello’)
- Hela yalo (Sesotho phrase for ‘just like that’, used as a form of greeting)
- Howzit (Afrikaans slang for ‘how is everything going’, used as a greeting)
- Ola (Slang for ‘hello’)
- Sharp Sharp (Slang for ‘all is well’ or ‘fine’)
TRANSPORTATION
- Gusheshe (Type of BMW 325i from the 90s)
- Transi (Derived from English word ‘transport’, which refers to a car)
LIFESTYLE
- Bujwa (A type of a dancer in the township who dresses in tight clothes.They have a very distinctive way of dancing.)
- Go Monate (Sepedi phrase for ‘this place is nice, it’s a vibe’)
- Skhothane (A type of young person in the township who wears expensive, colourful clothes made in Italy, usually belongs to a clique.They dress up in colour-blocking clothes, always brags about how much their outfit costs, and they drink Ultramel custard.)
DANCES
- Gwara Gwara (Dance move created by DJ Bongz in Durban.Rihanna made this dance move go global.Nowadays, you cannot complete an afro-beat dance routine without incorporating this move in your choreography.)
- Majaivana (A person who can dance the latest dance moves)
- Pantsula (Popular dance move that originated in South African townships.You must wear an Allstar to become a Pantsula.Beyonce made this dance move go global when she performed it in her music video Girls who run the world.)
- Vosho (Type of dance move where you drop down.You need strong knees and medical aid to pull this dance off.)
SLANG
- Andizi (Xhosa word for ‘I am not coming’)
- Babalas (Slang for ‘hangover’)
- Bathu (Slang for ‘a show’)
- Belas (Slang for ‘a phone’)
- Cav (Slang for ‘knowing’, or ‘check out something’)
- Dala (Slang for daring someone to do what they want to do)
- Dololo (Slang for ‘nothing’)
- Now Now (In South Africa, when someone says, ‘I am coming now now’, it means they can be there immediately or hours later.Hence the phrase ‘South African time’)
- Shandis (Slang for ‘a thing’)
- Vaya (Slang for ‘go’)
- Zaaiya (Slang for ‘go’)
FEELINGS
- Gatvol (Afrikaans word for when you have absolutely had it and you cannot take it anymore)
- Haibo (Zulu word for when you cannot believe what you are seeing)
- SBWL (Xhosa slang for ‘Sabaweli’, used in the context of craving or yearning)
- Voetsek (Afrikaans word for chasing the dog away when you don’t want it next to you)
- Yho (It is an expression for when you are shocked)
PLACES
- Dladla (Zulu slang for ‘home’)
- Hosi (Derived from English word ‘hospital’)
- Mzansi (Zulu word for ‘South Africa’)
- Pozi (Slang for a place, especially a crib)
- Shebeen (A place where people buy alcohol, usually in the township in a residential area, mostly in someone else’s house)
- Stoep (In Bloemfontein they use this word to refer to downtown, when you are going downtown)
TYPES OF PERSONS
- Crack (Slang describing a bookworm, very intelligent person)
- Lenyora (Sepedi slang for a guy who is the real deal)
- Lepara (Sepedi slang for a guy who is the real deal)
- Makgata (Slang for ‘police’)
- Mpimpi (Slang for ‘snitch’)
- Ngamla (Zulu word for ‘rich person’)
- Pakistan (Slang derived from Sesotho, Setswana, and Sepedi, which describes a type of body shape, especially if the woman is built like a real typical African woman)
- Shanda pha (Slang for ‘a very attractive person’)
- Snaai (Afrikaans slang for ‘snitch’)
- Skhokho (Zulu slang for a guy who is the real deal)
- Yellow Pages (Years ago, before the days of Google, we relied a lot on the Yellow Pages book from Telkom.Its logo is two fingers, which describes a person walking.It refers to a pedestrian.)