Words by Yanga CPT
Contributor
How South Africans say “traffic lights” because “traffic lights” is too long and doesn’t sound futuristic enough.
Example
No one:
Passenger in a taxi: After robot, driver.
Street kid is a term used in South Africa to refer to homeless kids, living on the streets.
Example
I almost a became a street kid when I lost my mother.
Bherhi is a Xhosa term for a homeless person.
Example
Did you see Thabo left home, ngu bherhi ngoku.
Ngqaya is a term mostly used in Cape Town that means to buy.
Example
Ekse, ndifuna ukungqaya lewey.
Ekse, I want to buy this thing.
Skoli is a term mostly use in Cape Town that means a thief.
Example
You should be careful when walking here, there's a lot of skolis.
Khayelitsha is a township in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, on the Cape Flats. The name is Xhosa for New Home. It is reputed to be one of the largest and fastest-growing townships in South Africa.
Example
I was born and bred in Khayelitsha.
Hun is a South African slang term for a girl or chick.
Example
Khayelitsha huns will finish your money and leave you.
Baps is a South African slang term for sex.
MD is an abbreviation that has recently been used for Matric Dance. This is the farewell function for Matriculants or grade 12 learners in South Africa.
Example
My school's MD was lit.
Gurans is a slang term used by Cape Town Xhosa speaking community that means war between rival gangs or individuals.
Example
Ingathi ikhona igurans between lamajita.
It looks like there is some war/conflict between those guys.
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