The art of the diss still raising heckles in parliament
● Parliamentarians spend hundreds of hours talking as part of their jobs, and sometimes South Africans sit up and take notice of what they’re saying.
More often, however, it’s the jibes, jokes and insults that stick. In 2017, parliament coined new terms, resurrected old ones and kept South Africans laughing.
EFF MPs — who do not acknowledge President Jacob Zuma as head of state — have come up with creative ways to avoid referring to him as such. This year they coined “uBaba kaDuduzane”, “Duduzane’s dad”. It was first used during the no-confidence vote in August, and it wasn’t long before it was trending.
EFF leader Julius Malema also had a hand in the reintroduction of the antiquated insult “dunderhead”, again for Zuma. The word, which dates from the early 17th century, is enjoying a bit of a revival among South African Twitter users as a result.
Zuma himself had people scratching their heads as he coined his own term in parliament in November.
As Zuma tried to explain why he was not answering questions, he told MPs: “You come with meandos, I answer with meandos.”
Whether or not he meant “innuendos” remains unclear, but the public wasn’t letting it go and it entered the lexicon.
When Nando’s picks up on it, you know it’s been cemented into history — and it wasn’t long before the popular chicken chain released a social media campaign with the tagline: “Meandos — for those incapable of saying it like it is.”
South Africans have long been pissed off, but few thought they would ever see the day the phrase was used in parliament — and by a presiding officer.
Deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli told MPs, who were arguing over whether cold drinks should be permitted in the house, to tell the truth “even if it pisses you off”.
Challenged by DA chief whip John Steenhuisen, who pointed out it “has to do with urination”, Tsenoli seemed appalled, saying: “It means it makes you angry, it makes you mad.”
ANC MP Pravin Gordhan, meanwhile, had the country “joining the dots”.
“Connect all the dots and ask ourselves who did what where, in service of what cause, at the end of the day,” he said in his very first meeting as a backbencher in May, in which Eskom and Minister Lynne Brown were grilled on state capture.
It has duly become the catchphrase of the parliamentary inquiry, with MPs across party lines vowing to “connect the dots”.