tromboning n.— «A prime example is the historical monopolisation of the telecoms sector by Telkom. In order to deliver cheaper calls we have been forced to resort to a method called tromboning. Here, we actually re-route calls to international...
packing for Perth n.— «The onslaught of unsettling news has proved too much for some with the means to flee. No reliable numbers are kept on emigration, but “packing for Perth”—a phrase used to describe white flight, not necessarily to the...
play pump n.— «Two men in South Africa recognized that the average woman in rural Africa has to walk three miles to get clean water. And they created something called “play pumps,” which is a hydraulic system, in which they put a well in rural...
off-cube adj.— «In the end they went with the BBC’s ball-by-ball feed on Radio 2000, despite having local commentators on standby to commentate off television at the SABC’s Auckland Park studios. The practice—known as “off cube” broadcasting—is...
empathy belly n.— «The Cape Town sports journalist recently took on the arduous labours of a pregnant woman by donning a fake pregnant belly better known as an “empathy belly” for the last few months of his wife’s pregnancy.» —“Mark finds being...
spara-spara n.— «Soweto youths aren’t alone in their crazy train-surfing habits.…Typically spurred on by whistles and admiring female looks, young train surfers will…run noisily along platforms (“spara-spara”).» —“The Big Picture: Train Surfing” by...