Load shedding has been declared South Africa’s Word of the Year 2022.
This was decided by the Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) in association with media research company Focal Points.
The South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression that most reflects the passing year in language.
“Candidates for SA Word of the Year were reviewed by Pansalb and shortlisted, and through media research company Focal Point keywords were tracked for the period October 2021 to September 2022.
“This media data was analysed to determine the prominence of the keywords within the media and to identify the frequency with which they were used in credible print, broadcast and online media,” said Pansalb CEO Lance Schultz.
“It should come as no surprise to many South Africans that load shedding has been the most used word/term in South Africa as the dreaded rolling blackouts instituted by Eskom have largely defined our lived experience in 2022.”
He added that the term load shedding beat the first runner-up, Phala Phala, which in Tshivenda translates to impala impala (Aepyceros melampus).
“The term load shedding has superseded the first runner-up, which is Phala Phala, with over 40 000 clip counts and mentions across a broad range of media,” he said.
The word Phala Phala was thrust into the public discourse after former State Security Agency director-general Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the president of keeping as much as $4 million (more than R60m) at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
The money was later stolen.
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