Five things you should never ask a South African
There are certain things that we as South Africans are tired of hearing from visitors to our country.
South Africa is a beautiful country with favourable weather and a large number of attractions for people from other countries to visit.
And we locals, for the most part, enjoy sharing our culture and history with tourists. But there are just some questions that we are tired of answering.
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The same few questions seem to come up even in the time of Google and social media when everyone has access to the information they want at any given moment.
Here are some of the most popular questions.
- Do you have running water? - Not only is this an ignorant question, it is also very sensitive in the time of water restrictions. If you can't be bothered to do even basic research about the place you are planning to visit, maybe you should stay home?
- So, do you have an ostrich as a pet? - No, because we don't all live in the jungle and we are not all related to Tarzan. We are normal people, too, you know.
- Teach me something in South African. - "South African" is not a language. Try again when you have read up on this country's 11 official languages.
- What kind of accent is that? - Asking people why they "sound strange" is very rude. If you find yourself misunderstanding what a person is saying, politely ask them to repeat themselves without passing judgment on how they sound.
- Oh, you're from South Africa! Do you know x? - South Africa is a country of 55 million people. It may be a "small world", but the likelihood that the only two South Africans you know also know each other is still very low.
What are some of the strangest things a visitor from another country has ever asked you about being South African?
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