Some of South Africa’s most famous faces who reportedly struggle with the English language PROPERLY
South Africa is a multicultural country with 11 official languages. English is used as the primary language of communication. However, there are a few South Africans whose English isn’t quite up to par with their original dialect. The following is a list of prominent South African celebrities that reportedly have trouble communicating effectively in English:
The Number One Spot Goes to:
The Gqom singer, well known for her song “Hololo,” was mocked online for her poor command of the English language, but the 27-year-old gave a hoot because all she cared about is her career.
To be clear, Babes Wodumo has made it abundantly obvious that she is not a native English speaker and did not attend an elite private school, therefore she has no obligation to anyone to have an excellent command of the language. Instead, she speaks Zulu and takes great pride in that fact. Many of her fans agreed with her and noted that she should be free to express herself in English however she wanted.
Makhadzi, No. 2
She hails from Mashamba, in the province of Limpopo, and is a genuine Venda. This 24-year-old woman, it has been reported, claims she cannot speak English and instead communicates in Sotho/pedi.
This Matorokosi singer and dancer was once on another chat program, and for some reason (I have no idea what it was about) Makhadzi pronounced the word “public relations” wrong. She didn’t care that it was being spoken about online.
Thuluka Mthembu, No. 3.
She became famous for her role as Nonka on the SABC 1 Zulu soap series Uzalo. A few months ago, this 21-year-old caused a stir on social media when she struggled to communicate in English.
Since Thuthuka made a grammatical error in a Tweet, she has been mocked for her alleged lack of English proficiency. She was pressured into deleting the tweet until she finally gave up. Wow! Residents of Mzansi!
Daddy Penny
Talented musician and TV star Papa Penny seems to take great pleasure in publicly displaying his awful grasp of the English language.
Social media users poked fun at his accent, but his defenders pointed out that it was reasonable to assume that someone who grew up speaking with Papa Penny’s dialect would have some difficulty with the English language. They should stop worrying about his English and pay attention to his performance and music instead.
Sana Mchunu, No. 5
To most people, she will always be “Zodwa” from the Mzansi Magic drama series Gomora. Nobody here needs to be reminded of how terrible “Zodwa” is at communicating in English. It’s clear that “Zodwa” isn’t a native English speaker; despite her best efforts, she consistently uses clumsy English.
The 44-year-old actress is a Soweto native who came to acting late in life due to her working-class upbringing. Due to her teenage pregnancy, Sana was unable to maintain a regular academic schedule. Her later realization that she possessed a more natural talent for acting spurred her into the industry.
None of the people mentioned in this post are meant to be offensive in any way. That “English is not the master of brilliance” should be a constant reminder to readers is the point. Failure to master English does not automatically indicate low intelligence or career potential.
Just curious, what did you think of the piece. Do you believe that famous people who are not yet proficient in English should take classes to improve their language skills? Would a celebrity benefit financially if they learned English? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.