South Africa Slang Dictionary

South African slang is a rich, multilingual mix that borrows freely from the country's eleven official languages - isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho and more - plus street languages like tsotsitaal and Sepitori. It's the language of the townships, the taxi rank, kwaito and amapiano, and everyday Mzansi life from Joburg to Cape Town to Durban. Words like eish, howzit, lekker, sharp sharp and yebo are woven into how South Africans speak every day. Explore the community-built dictionary of South African slang below - and add the words you know.

GNU

GNU, or Government of National Unity, is a government that was proposed by the ANC after they failed to achieve above 50% in the 2024 Elections. It entails forming a broad coalition government consisting of all parties represented in the national legislature.
Example

I don't know how to feel about this GNU.

Sinazo 07 June 2024
Mamzo is a kasi slang term for mom or mother.
Example

Eish sorry mamzo, I won’t do it again.

Siya 13 June 2024
Daka Boy is a derogatory term for someone who mixes the cement during construction.
Example

He lied to you, he’s not the foreman, he’s the Daka Boy.

Siya 13 June 2024
A very strong strain of dagga or weed grown in Durban.
Example

This is not your normal shit, this is Durban poison.

Siya 13 June 2024
A Mzansi slang for guy or friend or boy.
Example

What’s up boyzin.

Siya 13 June 2024
This is Zulu for masturbation.
Example

Uyayishaya indlwabu mfana wami.

Masiya 13 June 2024
Brakpan is a mining town on the East Rand of Gauteng, South Africa. It is known as the Alabama of South Africa, or the armpit of South Africa.
Example

If you divorce your wife in Brakpan, she remains your sister.

Maps 13 June 2024
Mambisa is an informal name used to refer to Tembisa township.
Example

I was born and bred in Mambisa.

Maps 13 June 2024
Tembisa or Thembisa is a large township situated to the north of Kempton Park on the East Rand, Gauteng, South Africa.
Example

Tembisa is my Kasi. 1632 for life.

Maps 13 June 2024
1632 is the area code of Tembisa, a township in Gauteng, South Africa.
Example

I represent 1632 till I die!

Maps 14 June 2024
The East Rand is a major urban area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. It includes the towns of Bedfordview, Benoni, Boksburg, Brakpan, Edenvale, Germiston, Kempton Park, Linksfield and Modderfontein.
Example

I grew up in the East Rand.

Maps 14 June 2024
Bedfordview is an affluent suburb in western Ekurhuleni, sharing an administrative boundary with the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa. Bedfordview has been part of the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000.
Example

We are going to Eastgate mall in Bedfordview.

Maps 14 June 2024

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