Was it G20? Potholes? 67? Rage Bait? Corruption? What ‘Word of the Year’ really defined us in 2025?
South Africa (28 December 2025) – When PanSALB announced “G20” as South Africa’s Word of the Year, it felt like déjà vu. Another official choice that echoed the news cycle but not necessarily the lived experience of the country. People laughed, debated and disagreed, not because the term wasn’t relevant but because it didn’t feel like the heartbeat of 2025.
It didn’t sound like the queues, the WhatsApp groups, the Saturday volunteer shifts, the neighbours helping neighbours. And it made us wonder: if this is the word that’s supposed to define us, then who gets to decide what story…
Heritage Sites: The country boasts UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including
Robben Island, the Cradle of Humankind, and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Palomino Cake
Bobotie – a spicy mince dish [buh-boor-tee] This delicious dish originated in Malay cooking and is made with spicy minced meat, baked in the oven with an egg custard topping. It is usually served with yellow rice and raisins.
Pitfall Whiskers
Fun South African Fact: Mandela’s house on Vilakazi Street is now a museum. The man who the street was named after, Dr BW Vilakazi, was a poet, novelist and intellectual. He helped develop the written form of both isiZulu and siSwati and helped put together the isiZulu dictionary.