These are the nominees for South Africa’s ‘word of the year’

·13 Oct 2018

The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has announced its shortlisted words for the South African word of the year for 2018.

According to PanSALB, the words capture the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of 2018.

The following three phrases have been shortlisted:

Thuma Mina (“Send me”)
Land expropriation without compensation
Commission

The official winner will be announced on International Dictionary Day (16 October 2018).

“The SA Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months,” said PanSALB acting CEO Angelina Netshiheni.

“To qualify for consideration we look for evidence that its usage was on everybody’s lips and that its usage has increased significantly across a broad range of media,” she added.

‘Thuma Mina” was used during president Cyril Ramaphosa’s inaugaral state of the nation address as he quoted lyrics from music and struggle icon Hugh Masekela.

Ramaphosa used Thuma Mina or ‘send me’ as a call for all South Africans to accept the call to selflessly serve the embattled nation. It has subsequently been used in various campaigns by the ANC and government – ensuring it has remained in the public conscious.

‘Land expropriation without compensation’ has also dominated public discourse over the course of 2018, coinciding with the announcement that government would seek to amend section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the redistribution of land without compensation.

‘Commission’ is likely a reference to a number of departmental, national and provincial commission’s which have sought to tackle graft and other social and political issues over the course of 2018. The ongoing Zondo Commission is currently tackling the issue of state capture in South Africa.

Some of the other words or phrases that were considered include: