South Africa clocked 348,646 visits from American tourists in 2013, and given the lure of a favorable exchange rate, screaming airfare deals, and winery tours and wild animals, there’s probably no chance of those numbers dropping off. South Africans have also gained a reputation as some of the friendliest people in the world, and well worth getting to know better. So, beyond calling a barbecue a “braai” and having enough diversity to warrant 11 official languages, here are a handful of less obvious socio-cultural traits that set inhabitants of the Rainbow Nation apart from their U.S. visitors.
-
South Africans are committed to ironing their clothes. School uniforms, t-shirts, jeans. Women iron. Young men iron. Everybody irons. Whereas Americans have mastered the art of buying wrinkle-free fabrics, and are willing to risk looking rumpled when they don’t, South Africans still place an immense value on precision pleats.
-
Americans carry guns to exercise their constitutional right. South Africans carry guns because they have a legitimate reason to be concerned for their safety. Regularly featured on lists of countries with the highest murder rates, South Africa is also struggling to contain climbing numbers for armed robberies, burglaries and carjackings. If you’re planning to join the millions of international tourists who visit each year, have a read of these smart safety guidelines issued by the British government so you can be armed with knowledge.
- Unlike the dull walking (or standing, or walking and then standing) style of American protests, when South Africans want to demonstrate, they do a special dance called a “toyi-toyi.” Usually accompanied by music, toyi-toying is a peaceful form of protest, used when the masses want to draw attention to unfavorable government policies or social issues. And in this hilarious step-by-step instructional YouTube video, you can learn to toyi-toyi too.
-
Despite temperatures that regularly hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit in many parts of South Africa, refrigerating dinner leftovers is considered optional. Americans fret over bacteria to the point of compulsiveness, but South Africans are more cavalier, leaving pots of chicken, rice and veg out overnight without a second thought.
- Founded in California, and purchased by Facebook in 2014, the Internet-reliant, multi-media instant messaging service WhatsApp claims its largest user base in South Africa. So while Americans text away—either enjoying plans with unlimited texting, or free-text utilities like iMessage—South Africans, many of whom rely on pre-paid phone plans that charge for texting, have jumped on board so heavily that they’ve racked up a 78-percent user adoption rate, compared to 8 percent in the United States.
-
South African motorists allow other drivers to pass them on the highway. In America, signs that read “Keep Right Except to Pass” go largely ignored. In South Africa, not only will drivers move to the shoulder if necessary to allow faster cars by, it’s standard etiquette for the driver who did the passing to flash their hazard lights twice to say thanks, something Americans can only dream about.
For all the South Africans reading this, PLEASE add on! I’d love to hear from you.
Val says
I enjoyed this, Laura. Thanks! I miss the vivid friendliness and spontaneity of South Africans!
Laura Zera says
Meeeeee toooooo! They really know how to have a laugh, hey?
Johnny utah says
Thanks for a informative and very well written article
Laura Zera says
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for reading!
Kathy @ SMART Living 365 says
Hi Laura! I love reading about different cultures and seeing how others live, so I really enjoyed this post. And yes, oh yes, I do wish American drivers would PULL OVER if someone wants to pass. I would love any country that made that routine. ~Kathy
Laura Zera says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Kathy. Yeah, I don’t get why people think that it’s cool to plug up the passing lane. So not cool.
Keryn Clark says
It’s true, we are obsessional ironers. I have two irons and can’t sleep on a bed where I haven’t ironed the sheets. True about the leftovers too!
Laura Zera says
Haaa! I love that you’re coming clean about it here! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Keryn.
Johnny utah says
My mom would leave left overs from dinner on the stove… she new I was hitting the disco and I would get home late and hungry.
Laura Zera says
Aw, that’s more about being sweet than unhygienic. 🙂
Johnny utah says
I never got sick
Laura Zera says
Exactly! So maybe North Americans are overly anxious about refrigeration.
Geoff Manasse says
Hmmm. I’ve gotten sick plenty o times by eating unrefrigerated food in Vietnam and other tropical locales. I hesitate to call my request for refrigeration ‘obsessive’.
Laura Zera says
Maybe it’s the length of time it’s been out? Like, a day vs. three days?
Gavin says
Cool article, just a few things your rose-coloured US glasses didn’t spot. I like the ironing thing. What most don’t recall is that ironing clothes became a thing here to stop Putzi fly eggs. There is a species of fly (more in the north than south) that lays eggs on washing hanging outside on a washing line (yeah we call it a washing line as opposed to a drying line, weird huh?). The eggs would turn into maggots that burrowed under your skin when you put the clothes on. Ironing the clothes would kill the eggs. Pretty cool, hey! This is still a thing in the rural areas, not really an urban concern anymore. Also Toe Porn is a local brand of socks, whodathunkit! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordylobia_anthropophaga
Laura Zera says
Yowsa. Okay, that’s an interesting origin, all right! And I think I need to come back and get some Toe Porn socks. Thanks for sharing this, Gavin!
Marilyn says
That’s a good list. Also mention that stopping at STOP signs is optional here!
Laura Zera says
Yes, very true, Marilyn. And we should probably include that that’s the case so as to limit car-jackings. 🙁
Jeri says
I love cultural tidbits like this. I often find myself wondering about expiration and use by date and whether or not something needs refrigerated. But ironing? I really, really, really do not like ironing.
Laura Zera says
My guess is that expiration dates are often more like “cover your butt” dates to prevent lawsuits. And I hate ironing, too. Rayon is the enemy.
Johnny utah says
Expiration dates are to cover you….and I live to see the expiration date on bottled water……I am a fan of ironing because my dad was a tailor.