Gurans

Gurans is a slang term used by Cape Town Xhosa speaking community that means war between rival gangs or individuals.


Ingathi ikhona igurans between lamajita.
It looks like there is some war/conflict between those guys.



Natubaaze

Natubaaze means let's go in Oshiwambo slang


Peter Natubaaze ko KONKA



Feleb

A name for someone who is famous than a celebrity on facebook.


1. My name is Feleb
2. I will rather be a feleb than a celeb



Afrikaaps

Afrikaaps is a slang version of Afrikaans, spoken in Cape Town.


I proudly speak Afrikaaps.



Tsotsi Taal

The term directly translate to "Criminal language". This is a vernacular derived from a variety of mixed languages, mainly spoken in the townships all over South Africa.

Each Kasi has its own tsotsi taal or its own way of speaking, meaning tsotsi taal from Soweto might differ from that of Pitori.


Teacher: You cannot speak that Tsotsi Taal in my class. Here we speak proper English.



Show me your number

Show me your number is a popular soccer/football skill in South Africa, where the player pretends to shoot the ball and the defender ducks, hence showing his/her number to the attacker.


They hit him with a “show me your number” and the crowd went crazy.



SBWL

Sbwl is a Xhosa shorthand for “sabaweli”. Sabaweli, which in turn is a shorthand of “andisabaweli, andisayibaweli, etc.”, is built from the root word “ukubawela” which means to crave, want, desire, wish for, fancy, yearn, etc.


1. Umntu wakho xa ebona mna, uthi sbwl. >> When your person sees me, s/he says sbwl.

2. Sbwl beer today.

3. Sbwl the coronavirus to just disappear. 



Kisumu

Port city on Lake Victoria known for fishing and vibrant lakeside culture.


Kisumu's Dunga Beach offers fresh tilapia straight from the lake.



Chalo

Literally meaning "world" or "country," but in Zambian slang, it is used to express excitement, enthusiasm, or to say something is excellent or the best. It's similar to saying "let's go!" or "it's on!"


The music festival last night was amazing. Zambia ku chalo!



Tyotyombe

A Xhosa term for mkhukhu, a house built from zink (metallic roof material).
Basically a shack.


Cape Town is full of amatyotyombe




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