by Deon Meyer
Coloured: See ‘bergie’ above.
Cooldrink: South African English, referring to most fizzy drinks.
CATS: The ‘Crimes Against the State’ group, a subdivision of the DPCI – the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations of the South African Police Service.
Dagga: Afrikaans word for Cannabis (marijuana).
Daais ’n anderstorie: Afrikaans for ‘that’s another story’.
Darem: Afrikaans for ‘at least’.
DPCI: The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations of the South African Police Service, popularly known as ‘The Hawks’.
Eish: Originally from Xhosa, now widely used as an expression of exasperation or disbelief.
Ewe: Originally from Xhosa and other Nguni languages in South Africa, now widely used as an expression of agreement.
Fok, Fokken, Fokkol: ‘fuck’, ‘fucking’, and ‘fuck all’. (Afrikaans.)
Fokkof: ‘fuck off’. (Afrikaans.)
Fokkofpoliesiekar: Name of a former popular Afrikaans rock group. Literal translation: ‘Fuck off, police car’. (Afrikaans.)
Grote Griet: ‘Good Grief!’ (Afrikaans.)
Hayi: IsiZulu for ‘No!’
Hendrik Verwoerd: Dutch born Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966), Prime Minister of South Africa from 1958 until his assassination in 1966. He is (not fondly) remembered as the ‘architect of Apartheid’.
Icilikishe: ‘Lizard’ (Xhosa.)
IMC: Information Management Centre, the technology support group of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations of the South African Police Service.
Ja: ‘Yes’. (Afrikaans, widely used.)
Jirre: ‘God’. (Exclamation, Cape Flats Afrikaans.)
Jis: ‘Yes’, mostly used in greeting. (Afrikaans, Cape Flats Afrikaans, widely used.)
Jissie: Mild Afrikaans expletive, similar to English ‘jeez’. Jissis: ‘Jesus’. (Afrikaans expletive.)
JOC: Joint Operational Centre – group heads and detectives of the various Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations units, organised under one operational leader to investigate a case.
Jukskei: A sport unique to South Africa. Jukskei is believed to have originated around 1743 in the Cape, South Africa, developed by ‘transport riders’ who travelled with ox-drawn wagons. They used the wooden pins of the yokes (Afrikaans: Skei) of the oxen to throw at a stick that was planted into the ground. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukskei)
Julle: ‘You guys’, plural form of ‘you’ (Afrikaans.)
Kak: ‘Shit’. (Afrikaans, but used by all 11 official South African languages.)
Klippies: ‘Small stones’ (Afrikaans), often used to refer to diamonds.
Kouevuur: ‘Cold fire’, the title of an achingly beautiful Afrikaans song composed by the late Koos du Plessis, reinterpreted by singer/songwriter Theuns Jordaan recently.
Laaitie: Afrikaans slang, used to refer to a boy, or a son. Sometimes used as ‘lighty’. (‘He is still a laaitie’ – he is still a boy. ‘He’s my laaitie’ – he is my son.)
Lekker: Very versatile Afrikaans word (but widely used in South Africa) meaning luscious, or tasty. Often used in reference to good food, but also any pleasurable experience.
Liewe Vader: ‘Dear Father’, a milder form of ‘Dear God’.
Lize Beekman: South African (Afrikaans) singer/songwriter: http://lizebeekman.co.za or watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yer2pGae-rA
Lobolo: (Or Lobola, a Zulu, Xhosa and Ndebele word, sometimes translated as bride price.) A traditional Southern African custom whereby the man pays the family of his fiancée for her hand in marriage. The custom is aimed at bringing the two families together, fostering mutual respect, and indicating that the man is capable of supporting his wife financially and emotionally. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobolo)
Madiba: The nickname of Mr Nelson Mandela, derived from his Xhosa clan name.
Manne: ‘Guys’. (Afrikaans.)
Mannetjie: Diminutive of ‘guy’. (Afrikaans.)
Maties: Refers to the University of Stellenbosch, students of this institution, or its rugby team. (‘I study at Maties’ or ‘My son is a Matie’ or ‘The Shimlas beat the Maties in a rugby match’.)
Mies: ‘Ma’am’ or ‘madam’, a relic of apartheid, when black and coloured people were expected to call their female white employers by this ‘respectful’ title. Now strongly discouraged, but still in use.
Moered: ‘Moer’ is a wonderful, mildly vulgar Afrikaans expletive, and could be used in any conceivable way. Its origins lie in the Dutch word ‘Moeder’, meaning ‘Mother’. ’Moer in’ means ‘to be very angry’, but you can also ‘moer someone’ (hit somebody: ‘I moered him’), use it as an angry exclamation (‘Moer!’, which approximates ‘Damn!’), call something or someone ‘moerse’ (approximates ‘great’ or ‘cool’), or use it as an adjective: I have a ‘moerse’ headache – I have a huge headache.
Moffie: Derogative term referring to a gay man. Similar to ‘faggot’.
Molo: ‘Hello!’ Xhosa greeting to one person. (‘Molweni!’ to more than one person.)
Ngawethu: ‘To us’, Xhosa word, widely used in response to the rallying cry ‘Amandla’ (see above). (Amandla! (Power!). Ngawthu! (To us!))
Nooit: ‘Never!’ (Afrikaans.)
Nè: ‘Yes.’ (Afrikaans.)
Njaps: Cape flats Afrikaans slang for ‘having sex’, similar to ‘bonk’
Oke: ‘Guy’. (South African English.)
Oom: Respectful Afrikaans form of address to a male ten or more years older than yourself. Means ‘uncle’.
Ou: ‘Old’. (Afrikaans.)
Outjies: Diminutive form of ‘guys’.
Parow: Northern, middle class suburb of Cape Town. (Also the surname of ‘Jack Parow’, the stage name of Afrikaans rapper Zander Tyler (born in 1982 in Bellville, adjacent suburb).)
Rag: Originally, a student-run charitable fundraising organisation at most South African (and UK) universities, the word has come to represent the colourful annual student festival held to raise funds.
Rand: (R) The South African currency. The value is more or less $8 or €10 or £12.
PCSI: The Provincial Crime Scene Investigation unit, an elite forensic science team of the South African Police Service.
RICA: The Regulation of Interception of Communication Act is a recent South African government law, making it compulsory for all citizens to register all new and existing mobile phone numbers.
SARS: The South African Revenue Service – the tax authority.
Seunie: ‘Sonny’. (Afrikaans.)
Shici: ‘Nothing’. (Xhosa.)
Theuns Jordaan: Popular Afrikaans singer/songwriter, and actor. (www.theunsjordaan.co.za) or watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_vurV79pHk
TOMS: The Tactical Operational Management Service, a subdivision of the DPCI – the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations of the South African Police Service.
Uithaal en wys: ‘Deliver the goods’, an Afrikaans expression.
Ukuphupha: ‘Dream’. (Xhosa.)
Unjani: ‘How are you?’ (Xhosa.)
Uxolo: ‘Sorry!’ (Xhosa.)
Uyesu: ‘Jesus!’ (Xhosa.)
Vrot: ‘Rotten’. (Afrikaans.)
Yebo: ‘Yes!’ South African slang, widely used by all language groups.
DEON MEYER lives near Cape Town in South Africa with his wife and four children. Other than his family, Deon’s big passions are motorcycling, music, reading, cooking and rugby. In January 2008 he retired from his day job as a consultant on brand strategy for BMW Motorrad, and is now a full-time author. Deon Meyer’s books have attracted worldwide critical acclaim and a growing international fan base. Originally written in Afrikaans, they have now been translated into several languages including English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, Slovakian, Bulgarian, Japanese and Polish.
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Deon Meyer, 7 Days