South African Local Slang

Local South African Slang Words

Abba – carrying someone on your back (origin: Khoi-San word)

Amasi – a popular drink made from sour milk, often used by soccer players as an energy drink (origin: isiZulu)

Aikona! – meaning no way/absolutely not.

Babalas (‘bub-ba-lars’) – even the most hardened soccer fan will feel like this after a victory celebration! Yes, this literally means a hangover from hell

Biltong – dried, salted raw meat. Very similar to beef jerky made in the USA

Braai (barbeque) – normally involves a lot of drinking and tons of meat that is grilled over an open fire

Bunny Chow – hollowed-out half-loaf of bread, traditionally filled with Malay curry

Diski – soccer or football

Durbz – the city of Durban

Eish (‘aysh’) – used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or outrage

Fundi (‘foon-dee’) – meaning expert

Grounds – is a stadium or pitch. This is where soccer teams will be battling for the World Cup

Howzit? – Greeting. Short form of “How is it going”?

Now now – term used for explaining that something will be done later (or maybe never), definitely not right now! Another term commonly used by South Africans is “just now” (“See you just now”), meaning that you will meet sooner than “now now” (but still there’s no guarantee that this will really happen at all).

Joburg/Jozi – the city of Johannesburg

Kwetla – dribbling the ball

Kwaito (‘kw-eye-toe’) – music of South Africa’s urban black youth. It is a mixture of disco, hip hop, R&B and a heavy dose of house beats

Laduma! – famous cheer to celebrate goals scored at soccer matches

Lekgotla (‘lek-ghot-la’) – is a strategy or planning session

Madiba – universal affectionate nickname for former President Nelson Mandela

Mzansi (‘m-zun-zee’) – a popular word for South Africa

Papsak – cheap box-wine sold in its foil container

Shebeen – a township tavern

Shibobo – passing the ball through the opponents’ legs

Taxi – popularly known in South Africa as a minibus used to transport a lot of people, unlike a regular metered taxi, however taxi refers to either

Vuvuzela (‘voo-voo-zeh-lah’) – most famous characteristic of all South African soccer matches. It is a large plastic trumpet, deriving from the isiZulu word for “making noise”. A must have accessory for any soccer fan in South Africa.