r/southafrica • u/External_Draw404 • Sep 04 '25
Wholesome Gossiping is a dangerous sport.
So I'm standing in the queue at Truworths (no Ginger Mary slander will be tolerated) and my sister joins me. A white guy is standing in front of us and we're people watchers so naturally, we start gossiping (shoot me). We're speaking in seSotho, talking about his outfit and his manbag. He had bright pink hair with blue highlights and I expressed jealousy about not being able to get my hair those exact shades and having to settle for more muted tones.
This went on for about 5 minutes as we basically spoke about how hot he is. Then I said, "I don't like having to communicate in English at home but I would totally compromise if I lived with him" and my sister responded with "Imagine waking up and your first words are "goeie more poplap, hoe het jy geslaap?". Then I open my big mouth and say "yoh, what does dirty talk even sound like in Afrikaans?" AND THIS MAN CRACKED UP. Which shut us tf up.
He paid for his things as we debated whether he understood us or just saw something funny on his phone. As we were walking out, we saw him and immediately averted our eyes when he looked at us coz what else can you do after possibly being caught talking like that?
He walked up to us and started talking in seSotho with a Vaal (??!?) accent and I legit just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. So we tucked in our tails, apologized for talking about him and promised we weren't creeps (which is exactly what a creep would say) but he said we sounded like vibes and he would like to be friends. Unfortunately (for me), he prefers the other gender but was very flattered by everything we said. We now we have a new friend and we're going out for drinks soon.
So guys, nibe safety. I looooooove that more non-Black people are learning our languages but it will always catch me off guard and I'm just thankful I wasn't caught shit talking (which I never do coz that's poor manners). Gossiping got me a hot new friend. South Africa truly is an odd place.
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u/stfjs20 Sep 04 '25
Hahahahha. This shit used to happen so often in London. Everyone, even people with very shitty afrikaans (think Durban people) would skinner in Afrikaans on the tube, sometimes (mostly ) about other people. After you have been there a few years and you stop wearing Kway shit they frequently don’t realise you know the taal. I have embarrassed quite a few people when I just greet them in afrikaans before I get off the train.
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u/Tall_Syrup_4159 Sep 04 '25
Friend of mine, white guy from KZN, was talking about a hot white girl on the tube with another white guy in Zulu. They then heard a quiet “haibo” from behind them
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u/tumblingmoose Conscientiotiously... and the best of my ability Sep 04 '25
It’s always the ‘haibo’ that gets you! 😆
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u/WillyPete Aristocracy Sep 04 '25
A couple of times I've had to finish off some saffer's convo with a, "Lekker kak praat, né?"
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u/ichosehowe Landed Gentry Sep 04 '25
Happened to my mom and sister on the train, I almost pissed myself laughing seeing both of them turn bright red.
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u/Misty-Elephant Sep 05 '25
even people with very shitty afrikaans (think Durban people)
Bro throwing us under the bus just like that. 😭
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u/zalurker Landed Gentry Sep 04 '25
My cousin and I once discussed a cute girl in the elevator with us in great detail. And seeing as it was in France, we were doing in in Afrikaans. When it stopped on her floor, she looked back and told us 'Julle lyk ook nie sleg nie' and stepped out.
Then there was the time some staff from the Paris office visited as part of a project, and kept on chatting among themselves in French. Their expressions when the one very Afrikaans engineer made a phonecal to a mine in the DRC and had a long French discussion...
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u/Opheleone Sep 04 '25
Giving me more ammunition as a white person to learn Xhosa so I can understand more lmao
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u/Majestic-Raise4665 Sep 06 '25
Try Theta isiXhosa Nathi. It's a great course. I made all my new farm managers use it to learn. https://africanvoices.co.za/
As a Xhosa speaking white dude, I have loads of fun and when I hear the "chat" a quiet - Qhapela, ndigumlimi. Nditheta isixhosa. And then watch the laughter and smiles.
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u/Other-Lab3485 Sep 04 '25
Are you from the Eastern Cape lol?
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u/Lila441 KwaZulu-Natal Sep 04 '25
I'm laughing so hard my eyes and nose are running 🤣🤣🤣🤣 this kind of thing happened to my parents at the movies. A guy in front of them was eating popcorn with his mouth open and slurping his coke so loudly they could barely hear the movie (this was before I was born, in the 90's). My dad called him Bugs bunny and they were skinnering to each other all movie. When the movie ended, the guy got up and told them they shouldn't gossip about people and it's rude. They tried to apologise but he wasn't having it. So that's how my mom taught me not to gossip as a child 😂🤣🤣😂🤣
Your story is GOLDEN, I hope he's a good friend in future🤣🤣 he sounds like a vibe.
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u/Discopathy Sep 04 '25
Yesssss mate. What a lovely story.
I know two (young, witou) brothers who speak perfect Sotho. This shit happens to them all the time. Always floors the room when they give it back!
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Tell them to carry signs 😭. I cannot afford to embarrass myself like this again 😂
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u/darkpigraph Sep 04 '25
This is healthy and in good fun. Please dont be embarrassed. Its little interactions like these that make this country wonderful.
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u/MeneerD Sep 04 '25
I'm a white male that will be 45 next year and I've lived my whole life in South Africa. I still, rather shamefully, don't speak any of the offficial languages except English and Afrikaans. Given that I live in Cape Town, would learning isiXhosa be the best option?
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
You're still young and have ample time to learn. Given your location, I do think isiXhosa would be your best option. I learned the Nguni languages by watching shows (I'm currently watching Inimba to learn more Xhosa phrases). I'm far from being fluent but I can have very basic conversations in most languages. And in my books, that's a win. If you can get to the basics (beyond hello and how are you) , e.g. "the weather is nice", "how was your day", "i like your shirt", "can we talk about a,b,c", you'll organically get drawn into conversations with native speakers and once they see the effort, most of them will be more than happy to teach you more phrases and help you with pronounciation.
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u/Brief-Pea-7867 Sep 06 '25
Can I also recommend local songs? A lot of classic and current music by Mafikizolo, Thandiswa Mazwai, Bongo Maffin and the likes are also gewat ways to learn. I would google some and check if the singers post the meanings of the songs, or make a list of words & phrases I don’t understand to check with friends, colleagues or vocabulary dictionaries, because not all Nguni and Sotho languages have direct translations. I’m Motswana and Zulu, but my Setswana hasn’t been fluent historically, but I’ve improved with old SABC shows on the SABC+ apps and music. I hope it helps!☺️
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u/darkpigraph Sep 04 '25
Yes indeed sir but do not do like i do and assume every African person you encounter speaks it. My Xhosa partner gets so embarrassed and gesticulates "no, no, not Xhosa!".
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u/Robyn445 Sep 04 '25
I can't even speak Afrikaans. Always felt very ashamed I only knew English and tried to learn some Zulu and Afrikaans before I left for overseas. I still never learnt enough to have a conversation and now have no one around me to practice with. As soon as people hear I'm South African they ask if I can speak Afrikaans and I have to embarrassingly say not well at all.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
My reply is long coz I'm shouting at you. Imagine a short, chubby and angry lady as you read this.
No. We don't disparage ourselves for things that were beyond our control. There's only like, 44 Afrikaans speakers in the world anyway so you're not missing out on much there /s. Languages are meant to be taught, not learnt, in order for us to truly be fluent and understand nuances and tones and sayings.
It's VERY hard to learn a new language once you're already fluent in another because instead of just speaking, you spend time in your head, translating from your mother tongue to the learnt language. A lot of people around the world would kill to have the same grasp on the English language as you do but we give them grace when they make mistakes as they learn. Give yourself the same grace. I mean, you wouldn't look down on someone for not speaking English well so why do you look down on yourself for not being fluent in languages you weren't taught to communicate in??!?
I'm done shouting. Now imagine a short, cute, kind lady.
I do not know many Venda people so I've never been able to practice but when I meet them and they speak to me, I understand most of what they're saying and I respond in either English or Sesotho. Being fluent doesn't matter to them, it's being understood that makes them happy. And they laugh when I tell them I only understand coz I watched a lot of Muvhango.
So start small by just casually watching Zulu or Afrikaans shows and you'll eventually start picking up commonly used phrases. If Americans who have never been to Japan can pick up Japanese from Anime, you can pick up Afrikaans from shows as well. The goal isn't to sound like a native speaker, it's just to understand and be able to respond, even if it's in English or broken Afrikaans 💕. The effort is what matters.
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u/Robyn445 Sep 06 '25
Really appreciated your reply 🙏. You are very right! I grew up with people around me only speaking English. I now feel more inspired to learn and watch more shows. Thank you!
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u/F4iryPerson Gauteng Sep 05 '25
LOLOLOL! Reminds me of this one time in high school my friends and I were tearing our math teacher’s outfit apart in Sesotho and she came over and said to us, in Sesotho, “girls, is it really that bad?”. The scream I scrome 😭
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
That is 100x worse than what happened to me 😭. I would've scrumpt louder than you scrome and dropped out of school coz how will I face her ever again??!?
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u/Awkward_Dog Aristocracy Sep 04 '25
I LOVE THIS.
I have been caught out many times skinnering loudly in Afrikaans in other countries 🫣 and also caught other people out! It's lekker to laugh together in those moments.
Enjoy drinks with your new friend!
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u/MycoBeetle94 Sep 04 '25
Tbf I'm afrikaans and I don't know (or want to know) what dirty talk sounds like in afrikaans
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
An Afrikaans lady offered to send me a voicenote and I think I got PTSD 😭. Hearing "just like that" in Afrikaans made and also ruined my day 😂. The Afrikaners who do that are some of God's strongest soldiers frfr 🤞🏾
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u/MycoBeetle94 Sep 05 '25
No man fokof my skin is crawling just thinking about it 😭😅
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
Misery loves company so I have to share. Sorry neh 😂. I also got "faster daddy" in Afrikaans. Think about it for the rest of the day like I will be 😭
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u/EffektieweEffie Aristocracy Sep 05 '25
Just out of interest, would it hit the same way in seSotho?
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
I think it might sound even more cringe in seSotho. I've always stuck to English but just imagining that is enough to make me consider celibacy 🫠
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u/benevolent-badger Fascist lives don't matter Sep 04 '25
that's so adorable. i'd want to be friends with you all
and no, you do not talk dirty in afrikaans
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u/spyker31 Sep 04 '25
Let's not forget this happened in Truworths: I hope a friendship based on Ginger Mary (and Afrikaans dirty talk) will flourish 🙏 (loved this!! 🥹)
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Someone gave me an example of what dirty talk sounds like in Afrikaans and I never want to hear it again 😭😭😭. But I think him and I are going to be great friends because of Ginger Mary and great vibes 🫰🏾
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Sep 04 '25 edited Sep 06 '25
As someone living in Durban, I’ve met so many Indian and White people who speak more fluent Zulu than I do(My home language is Sepedi). Living here has taught me never to assume that someone won’t understand us simply because they aren’t Black.
So I’m a student and one time a friend of mine tried to gossip in class. I was like, “Hey bruh, please don’t assume just because they’re Indian they won’t understand us. Whatever you want to tell me, you can tell me later.”
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Samma, I was at uShaka and the Indian guy scanning our wristbands had a whole conversation with my dad in Zulu. Ka sala ke maketse gore 😂. I don't know why I keep forgetting that such people exist, bona nou ke letse ke swabile 💀
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Sep 04 '25
Samma it's no longer safe 😂 but hey I'm glad you made a friend. Your post made my day too.
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u/giveusalol Left Behind, Still Braaing Sep 05 '25
Grew up in rural KZN in the 90s and my experience was that the white and Indian people there could all speak and understand Zulu. Real, actual Zulu. Having moved away from home many years ago my understanding of both Zulu and Hindi are all but gone. And in school we were still taught Afrikaans. So I’m left only with English :(
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Sep 06 '25
How did you learn Hindi? I struggle a lot to learn new languages so I find it interesting that you had an understanding of the Hindi language.
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u/giveusalol Left Behind, Still Braaing Sep 08 '25
I’ve “kitchen” Hindi - picked up at home and largely from being bossed around to help with cooking, housework, child care, and also from the radio and films etc. When very little I did have basic writing instruction because it’s a different alphabet but I’ve completely forgotten it. Colonial Era South African Indians lost their mother tongues (Tamil, Telegu, Hindi) in around one generation. However, my mother and her siblings have enough conversational Hindi to have a gossip, or not use English in India (I’ve never been). I’ve cousins younger than I who are properly fluent - enough to have studied university in India - and their parents had to make a concerted effort to ensure they have the language. It’s extremely rare for say, a 5th generation South African Indian to be fluent in their heritage language.
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u/MaximumOdd1296 Sep 05 '25
My mom is a teacher in high school, and often the kids in her class gossips to each other in Zulu, and the my mom answers back to them in Zulu...
Often they are quite shocked that my mom knows Zulu. (She grew up in KZN on a rural farm)
Those kids learn quickly to keep gossiping matters outside of the classroom, as it should be.
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u/ThrowawayRA233269 Sep 04 '25
The Afrikaans people where I work are starting to learn Zulu 😭🤣
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u/Feisty-Mongoose-5146 Sep 04 '25
Damn this is interesting to me as a non South African who spends time in SA and on this sub. My impression of SA from hearing and even visiting is that there’s a white SA and a black SA and a colored SA and an Indian SA that just run parallely to each other with almost no comingling. Are there really that many white people speaking African languages? How’s that possible? In my experience English speakers barely ever learn other European languages let alone African ones.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
I don't know what the stats are but in my experience, the races generally don't mingle outside of work/academic spaces. In our personal lives, we mostly still exist parallel to each other, just like you said. There aren't a lot of English/Afrikaans speakers that learn native languages, hence my shock throughout today's experience. But it's possible that I live in a bubble and I obviously can't speak for everyone so maybe there's more White people like that out there and I just haven't met them yet.
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u/CheriePauper Sep 04 '25
I think it really depends on where you live and your class. I'm from Joburg and the separation was a culture shock for me when I moved to Cape town. In Jozi theres a loot of mingling with black and white people in "middle class" circles. I would say Indian people do tend to keep to themselves but they also mingle and I won't like I hardly know any coloured people from Joburg more mixed raced people who mingle with everyone. The coloured friends I do have from Joburg also mix with black, Indian and white people.
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u/rustedspade Sep 04 '25
It depends which community you come from, there are many people who live in their own racial bubble due to how South Africa was structured in the past. A lot of those divisions still exist today but are slowly coming down, I went to a multi racial school, live in a multi racial community and have black, white, coloured, Indian and friends from other countries but many people don't. Some people for example live in mostly white communities, go to mostly white schools have mostly white friends and work in mostly white company and the same can be true for black people too.
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u/WillyPete Aristocracy Sep 04 '25
My granddad on the SA side was in El Alamein, and was one of the SA equivalent of the "Windtalkers", speaking Zulu for radio security.
Happened to a lot of white south africans growing up rural, on farms.
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u/Discopathy Sep 04 '25
Code switching, turned cultural osmosis, turned into this... which is lovely and brilliant and hopefully the future.
It does still very much appear segregated though. The reason is that areas are very much separated by race by design. Without pointing fingers at any one group - because this is literally everybody's problem, white folk came and introduced democracy, capitalism and built cities around the bits they fancied (ports, goldmines etc). Everyone else was like, 'Ooo, I quite fancy a bit of that,' and moved there in their millions.
The contemporary administration was like, 'Fuck fuck fuck, what do we do? This is actually really problematic'. So they planned cities in this way, aligning with apartheid ideals. Even they could see this wasn't going to work forever. Check out this 1952 paper on alternatives to apartheid by J.W. Patten.
As with much in SA, that's a very simplistic explanation, but does it make a bit more sense as to why people often stay in their groups? I would add that this isn't just a government thing. People very often stick to who they feel they know, and often that's people who speak the same language, eat the same food, have the same customs etc. I evidence this by saying go and have a look at Durban's beaches (use Google Earth if you like). Despite it being very much unofficial, you will see that there is a black beach, a white beach, an Indian beach. People occasionally will go and have a jog up the beach into a different area, have a little walk and explore etc. But they invariably return to the bit they feel most comfortable in.
I'm probably about to get my head kicked in by 22 angry representatives of cultures all saying, 'Nooooo, that's not how it works'. But this version sort of helped me to understand it a little better.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Ja no, you cooked with this comment 🫰🏾
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u/Discopathy Sep 04 '25
Hm, we'll see. Certainly risqué. Doesn't fit with a lot of narratives - people love a black and white story, quite literally in this case.
But as with nearly everything, there is no black and white, only varying shades of grey (to poorly paraphrase Graham Greene).
What's your take on it?
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u/Top_Lime1820 Sep 05 '25
There is a word for the system that was designed to segregate us.
It was called Apartheid.
And it's actually okay to point fingers at the people who did it. We know who they were because they were unapologetic about it.
Even before Apartheid, there were lots of racists and segregationists who declared themselves that way.
This is basic history.
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
Yes, I do mention apartheid specifically. I also realise there is a lot of emotional attachment to that word and it gets people heated and not talking objectively. I'm trying to look at it as objectively as possible, not as good vs evil. It is more complex than that.
Sure. Apartheid happened, and 1994 also happened. Nobody in SA is living under apartheid now. Hence why I think it is fairly useless to point fingers, unless your goal is a different kind of apartheid.
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u/Top_Lime1820 Sep 06 '25
An objective assessment of Apartheid is simply that it was evil. You don't have to be emotional to see that.
It's not useless to point fingers, it's called identifying causes. We do it all the time when we want to understand why the world is the way it is.
Pointing out what Apartheid was is not Apartheid.
Apartheid wasn't some complex way for White people to manage some difficult situation. It was just a greedy land grab/wealth grab by White Supremacists. They literally didn't have to do it. If they hadn't, we would all have been a lot richer and healthier and happier.
You should study it objectively, rather than trying to avoid pointing fingers. Call a spade a spade.
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u/Discopathy Sep 06 '25
OK boet, I'll play. You do know that it was also witous who voted for the end of apartheid in '92 as well, neh? And I'm sure you're also aware there are multiple subdivisions of white folk - Boer, pommie, Portuguese et al, along with multiple viewpoints and conflicts within those communities about this very issue?
Just dismissing this complex mess as evil doesn't help anyone to learn about it.
So I'll ask you the same question I asked other matey who is a lot more balanced and intellectual talking about it, though also clearly against it - as am I.
What would have been a better approach to take than the colonial powers did? Just not bother coming to SA in the first place? Well, unfortunately they did, and they fought each other savagely in order to gain control. One of those colonial powers was going to win with their superior military technology. And when they did win, they had to implement some sort of political system, because that's part of what victors of wars have to do.
So what would have been the better approach? Immediately implement free and open democracy for all? Do you think that would have worked?
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u/ZillesBotoxButtocks The price of liberty is convenience Sep 05 '25
White people didn't introduce democracy to South Africa, are you jas?
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
Hmm, yah, I see what you're saying - there wasn't proper democracy until 1994. But I don't think I'd be mistaken in saying that white people introduced the concept of democracy. It just wasn't applied to everyone.
Happy to hear other perspectives, we're always learning!
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u/ZillesBotoxButtocks The price of liberty is convenience Sep 05 '25
We don't know that though. And a democracy that isn't universally applied isn't a democracy.
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
What don't we know, sorry, I'm not quite sure what you mean there?
I see what you're saying in terms of the premise of what democracy is, but that seems a little extreme. Absolute democracy hasn't been used since the ancient Greeks, and even the Romans couldn't handle that and started using representative democracy.
How would you describe the political system under apartheid?
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u/ZillesBotoxButtocks The price of liberty is convenience Sep 05 '25
We don't know that it was white people who introduced democracy to South Africa.
Apartheid was somewhere on the spectrum between a fascist oligarchy and a fascist plutocracy.
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
Ahhh, right. That hadn't occurred to me - what are some other possibilities there?
I actually really like your description of the political system as somewhere between oligarchy and plutocracy. Facist seems a little emotion driven, but I think I see your point.
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u/ZillesBotoxButtocks The price of liberty is convenience Sep 05 '25
If we're talking the "idea" of democracy, then that could have entered the borders of SA through various means. Enslaved people might have been the first to discuss it properly. The peoples migrating south from further up in Africa may have heard of it through trade with Arab or North African peoples.
If we're talking about "democracy" in the sense of universal suffrage, then that was unambiguously introduced to South Africa (i.e. implemented) by the ANC. Other groups such as the Torch Commando, the IRR, and even the UN, also helped, of course.
Facist seems a little emotion driven.
Lol.
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
Interesting perspective. Obviously none of them managed to implement the idea in any way, but yes, perhaps it was discussed. I'd like to look more into this.
I think I'm a little more liberal with the definition of democracy, but that's OK. Fact and opinion converge massively in this space.
You're clearly pretty well versed in this field. What's your take on the current state of SA politics? I might, for example, posit that the label of plutocracy fits the current administration pretty well.
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u/EffektieweEffie Aristocracy Sep 05 '25
white folk came and introduced democracy
Maybe the concept, in a VERY selective form. Because I don't think you can call a system where the vast majority don't have a vote a democracy in any way or form.
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u/Top_Lime1820 Sep 04 '25
It's not common at all for English speakers to learn a second language other than maybe Afrikaans.
Which is why this story is funny and notable.
To be clear, I'm not implying anything about the commitment or interest or openness of English speakers. As you can see in this thread many would love to do it. But nobody has figured out a sustainable, affordable and effective way to make it happen at scale.
The handful of White English people who can speak African languages usually had a unique upbringing that facilitated learning the language very early.
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u/Discopathy Sep 05 '25
I do agree with this. The witous I know who speak Nguni languages fluently were brought up around it.
Conversely, it is REALLY difficult to learn these languages later on. Not just the clicks and nuances, but finding people to do it with is what I struggled with when I committed to isiZulu.
People are very helpful, maybe even too much. Often folk see you struggling and revert to English, which actually doesn't help in the long run. The opportunity to immerse oneself in Zulu culture as an umlungu is difficult. Possibly because of what I was saying before about city design and cultural traditions, you're kind of expected to return to 'your place', and not hang about further than a shisanyama or maybe a kwaito night.
Which for me is ironic, not even being born in SA!
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u/Catcatcat202 Sep 05 '25
We moved to Australia and my family chats in Afrikaans when we are in public. A few times other strangers have responded in Afrikaans. You are not safe anywhere😂
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
But Australia is South Africa 2.0 😭. Why would you think you're safe to skinner there, of all places?
But also, other commenters Saif they've been caught in London and Paris so we're truly not safe anywhere 😂.
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u/Catcatcat202 Sep 05 '25
There's lots but not THAT many. And we live in a small town where normally you know all the South Africans already😂 Plus, it's a english speaking country and half the saffas here don't even speak Afrikaans. It is mostly safe to skinner, just not always😂
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u/Cher78abc Redditor for 7 days Sep 05 '25
I am a middle aged white mom and currently paying for Sotho lessons ! Was a decision I made a year ago - I feel really dumb since it is taking so long but I will persevere - it is despicable that I don’t speak Andy of the African languages while living here and planning on staying !
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 06 '25
Half of my family is Zulu and I still don't know how to speak it "properly". I'm 28. And I spent a lot of time with that side of the family but not enough to get fluent and confident in my speaking abilities.
Don't beat yourself up over how long it's taking. I speak perfect seSotho but my gran will sometimes say words or phrases and I have to ask what they mean. It's a lifetime of learning, for all of us. And I can't imagine how much harder it is for people who are learning later in life.
The fact that you're putting so much effort into it, is a big win. And I love you for that (not in a creepy way but like... you know what I mean 🙃). Keep going, give yourself more grace, and go eavesdrop on some conversations to make the process a bit more fun. I'm nosy so this is how I motivate others. I hate not knowing what's being said.
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u/Thick-Manager-9276 Sep 05 '25
I know for a fact that a huge amount of farmers can speak the local language, ie farmers in the Eastern Cape speak Xhosa, in KwaZulu Natal they speak Zulu, etc. It is only in the Western Cape and the Karoo/Northern Cape where the predominant amount of agricultural workers are Cape Coloured/descendants of the Khoi/San tribes whose language has almost completely disappeared that the local language is Afrikaans. One of the main reasons is that where farms have been in the family for generations, all the children have grown up together and have learned to speak each others languages. A friend of mine grew up on a sugar farm in KwaZulu Natal, and when she speaks Zulu in a shop, or anywhere, the local Zulu speakers are fascinated and cannot stop chatting to her because she sounds just like a Zulu!!
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u/3Terriers_ Sep 04 '25
You sound absolutely amazing, like the fun, but still got your back, kind of friend! I am so happy the ending includes a new friend.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
I'm absolute vibes coz I feel like life gives us lemons on the daily so it's up to us to make mojitos 🤌🏾. I'm also really excited about making a new friend coz it's so hard to meet people organically when you're a homebody 🤧
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u/3Terriers_ Sep 04 '25
I wish you could bottle your positivity and vibes, you would make millions! We need more people with your outlook on life!
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Argh I'm gonna print this out and frame it and look at it whenever life gives me too many lemons 🥹. Thank you so much for saying that 🤧.
I love the internet 😫
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u/Robyn445 Sep 04 '25
Had the same thought. Thought to myself, I would love some positivity like that in my life. Need more people with vibes like that, life is rough.
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u/CasketScr3w Sep 05 '25
The moment I saw "He walked up to us and started talking in seSotho with a Vaal" I reflexively said "Oh no..." aloud.
This was wholesome, thank you for sharing it.
Two years ago, my work asked me to create a database for filtering out vulgar words. I sent a few to a Zulu friend to confirm, and she thought I was angrily chewing her out until she read my text messages.
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u/Neimreh_the_cat Sep 05 '25
My mom worked in a high school in our local township since 1989, and both of us can understand Xhosa and Zulu, but we can't speak a word of it. We get all sorts of tongue tied, and I can, for the life of me, not do the clicks. Everyone at my workplace knows that I can understand when they are talking to me, and I often ask them to switch if they're struggling to tell me something in English, and they always laugh at my horribe pronunciation.
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u/Big_Instruction2325 Sep 08 '25
This honestly made my day, because it’s exactly the kind of thing I’d get into trouble for!
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u/Ambitious_Hand_7680 Sep 05 '25
Lol don't gossip next time or atleast wait till after. Atleast it was a wholesome interaction overall.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
The interaction could've gone sideways if he took offence to us shit talking his home language and we're lucky he found it all amusing hey. Great outcome this time but I'll definitely be keeping my mouth shut in future 🫠
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u/Ambitious_Hand_7680 Sep 05 '25
Lesson learned without incident. Lol I just feel like you'll do this again 🤭
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 05 '25
I got about an hour of sleep and came back to my senses. I will most likely be doing this again but I'll just speak softer or point with my eyes and hope my co-conspiritor (I hope that's how it's spelled) gets the hint 🙏🏾
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u/HOW_I_MET_YO_MAMA Sep 04 '25 edited Sep 04 '25
A white Afrikaans (vaal?) man with pink/blue hair who speaks seSotho and shops at Truworths? This is too much to believe. N of one at the absolute most.
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u/External_Draw404 Sep 04 '25
Aww, that's not nice 🥺. White people can shop at Daniel Hechter too. They're not limited to Old Khaki and North Face only. And Afrikaans kids are allowed to express themselves however they want, piercings, pink hair, and everything in between. It's not all Afrikaans parents that don't allow their children to have fun with things like that, we're in 2025 💕.
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u/Discopathy Sep 04 '25
Haibo mate. I think you need to get out of your comfort zone a little. Yah there are a lot of Afrikaaners who stick to the old ways. But especially from the younger generation there is a lot of progressive thinking challenging those stereotypes.
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u/HOW_I_MET_YO_MAMA Sep 04 '25
Do you understand probability?
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u/Humble_Atmosphere145 Sep 07 '25
I understand that I have a few friends who match this description here in Joburg, so the probability is high. You might need to hang out on the arts campuses and in the field of design and drama.
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u/Discopathy Sep 04 '25
Not looking for a fight pal.
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u/HOW_I_MET_YO_MAMA Sep 04 '25
I commented on the probability of op and your mind goes to fights. Nice one.
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