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The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has announced the 2023 South African word of the year.
The word that has been used the most during the year has been revealed as "Kuningi".
It is and isiZulu word that means "it's a lot" and is frequently used by social media users to express feeling overwhelmed with too much information or dealing with multiple challenges at once.
Other words and terms that were submitted and considered include Inflation, Hita Hlula, Zama Zama, iSigaxa, and Yoh, among others.
According to a statement by PanSALB, the word was chosen from a list of other potential candidates including Danko, Cima, Ivale Mfana, Bathong and 10 past 4.
"Kuningi" emerged as the winner, followed by "Bathong" at 27%.
"Russia-Ukraine" emerged as the most dominant keyword in the media, making 44% of the total clip count and mentions, followed by "BRICS" at 27%.
The prominence of the "Russia-Ukraine" war in South African public discourse can be attributed to various factors, including the country's official stance on the war, the mediation envoy of African leaders led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, its impact on the hosting of the BRICS summit, and political pressure to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Word of the Year reflects the preoccupations of South Africans for a given period and is an essential indicator of the cultural and social landscape of the nation.
In 2022, load shedding was the word of the year while the previous year saw "vaccination" come out on top.
