In all the change and chaos this week brought to things in general, what with last-minute about-turns and an 11th-hour resignation, there was one little gem that I choose to pick out. It involves hippopotami, crocodiles, and isaga sesiZulu (a Zulu proverb). You see, just before 18:30 on Wednesday (usuku lwezithandani, futhi) I was on […]
Tag: Zuma
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Sholoza, Msholozi
I couldn’t help but see you, on my drive home. There, the size of a building, is the message in yellow and black and green. And there you are, your face many times its actual size, staring out. I could see you, but I presume that you couldn’t see me. Unlike many political adverts, such […]
I understand it now. When you’re faced with guilt, the automatic response is complete and utter denial. That explains Mr Shifty’s (aka Msholozi’s) actions of late. He’s issuing a programmatic response in accordance with this bit of wisdom, this isaga. Here’s how it works. First, icala (3.2.2-8.9): anything wrong, deserving of complaint; a defect. a […]
I was 10. I remember that, because so many things happened that year. I remember you, in your first version – the A4 Interim Constitution of 1994. I still have it, sitting in my bookshelf – a pale blue cover, printed on the same paper as the last Apartheid laws. I wonder who was commissioned […]
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Poison?
Last weekend saw the breaking of an interesting story, about how one of the president’s wives allegedly poisoned him. It also saw a very interesting response from the Office of the Presidency, via our arch-Newspeaker, Mac Maharaj. I didn’t hear the response in English, but ngesiZulu (paraphrasing except for the important bit at the end): […]
You may know him by many different names, some more flattering or familiar than others. JGZ. JZ. Jacob. Msholozi. (Dis)honourable Mr President. In my classes, many of my students ask me what his name means, and it’s a side-track on which I am happy to embark. So let’s have a look. Jacob. Biblical Name. Treacherous […]
You know why I was prompted to look this word up. You know what’s recently been in the news. This word is mentioned once in Vilakazi & Doke’s dictionary, and it is prefaced by (Mod.), meaning that in 1958 it was a ‘Modern’ term. Here’s what the entry says: a private lover (of either sex); […]
Every Monday morning, Mr Magic’s show has a section called Hlaziya ipolitiki ngolimi lwakho (Analyse Politics in your Language). This morning, I caught the show in time to record it, and have since transcribed it, selected some choice bits, and translated them here for you (with some attention to discourse, as usual). Each of these […]
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Operation Vimbezela
The other night, as I was listening to Abasikibebunda on uKhozi FM, uMongameli Zuma announced to the world the name of the ill-fated and ill-considered mission of the SANDF to the Central African Republic – Operation Vimbezela. So, like any linguist with a political upbringing, I checked the meaning. (As a side note, it’s wonderful […]
I found a cartoon by Qaps Mngadi from the 4th of December, which you can find on my ‘Political Zulu’ blog here: http://politicalzulu.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/zuma-do-you-feel-lucky-punk/
uMabhengwane 