Daily Maverick

SA Proverbs – DM reader edition

When it comes to life in Mzansi, South Africans know that laughter is the best tonic. Inspired by the original Madam & Eve cartoon by Stephen Francis & Rico below, we called on Daily Maverick readers to share their South African proverbs:

“A watched kettle never boils, especially if it’s plugged into Eskom.”
– DM reader
“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel, except when there’s load shedding”
– DM reader
“Don’t burn your bridges (before you have won the tender to fix them)”
– DM reader
“Don’t hide your light under a bushel… share your pre-charged lamp with your loved ones”
Gail Charley
Is the glass half full or half empty? Neither, 'cause there's no water.
Gordon Knight
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water… that’s if you have a baby or water”
– DM reader
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it… if the bridge has actually been built”
– Jessica Biesman-Simons
“When days are dark, you probably forgot to check your load shedding schedule”
– DM reader
“Welcome to South Africa… but only if you don’t need a visa”
– DM reader
“All that glitters is not gold… tell that to the Zama Zama”
– DM reader
“Want not, waste not. Unless it’s just taxpayers’ money”
– Sean Wilkinson
“I am caught between a taxi and a pothole”
– Sylvia Lee Gabriel
“Be the light Eskom won’t provide”
– Katherine Ceruti
“It never rains but it pours… when another major water pipe bursts”
– Annalene Sadie
“Every man is the tenderer of his own fortune”
– John Cowan
“Lightning never strikes twice in the same place – except at Eikenhof Power Station”
– DM reader
“ANC cadres will always do well – the Lord helps those who help themselves”
– Kevin Andrew Potgieter
“The ANC ensures that all good things will come to an end”
– Kevin Andrew Potgieter
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel… only if you have your own solar system”
– DM reader
“Too many politicians spoil the broth”
– John Cowan
“It never rains but it pours… when another major water pipe bursts”
– Annalene Sadie
“All roads lead to Nkandla”
– John Cowan
“Isandla ziyaga zana (hands wash each other)... unless you have run out of water”
– Frederick Crawford
“Umkhuba uhlula ingqondo (Habit defeats the mind)... especially if you are an ANC politician on the take”
– Johan Herholdt
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, in case some of the eggs are fakes”
– Rod Bally
XiTsonga proverb: “U nga dyeriwi hi timpfuvu u nga rimanga ehlalukweni” (loose English translation: “Do not allow hippopotamus to eat your crops yet your fields are not by the river bank.” Meaning: Do not allow yourself to be robbed willy-nilly)
– Ephraim Christmas Hlatshwayo
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“A watched kettle never boils, especially if it’s plugged into Eskom.”
– DM reader
“There’s always light at the end of the tunnel, except when there’s load shedding”
– DM reader
“Don’t burn your bridges (before you have won the tender to fix them)”
– DM reader
“Don’t hide your light under a bushel… share your pre-charged lamp with your loved ones”
Gail Charley
Is the glass half full or half empty? Neither, 'cause there's no water.
Gordon Knight
“Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water… that’s if you have a baby or water”
– DM reader
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it… if the bridge has actually been built”
– Jessica Biesman-Simons
“When days are dark, you probably forgot to check your load shedding schedule”
– DM reader
“Welcome to South Africa… but only if you don’t need a visa”
– DM reader
“All that glitters is not gold… tell that to the Zama Zama”
– DM reader
“Want not, waste not. Unless it’s just taxpayers’ money”
– Sean Wilkinson
“I am caught between a taxi and a pothole”
– Sylvia Lee Gabriel
“Be the light Eskom won’t provide”
– Katherine Ceruti
“It never rains but it pours… when another major water pipe bursts”
– Annalene Sadie
“Every man is the tenderer of his own fortune”
– John Cowan
“Lightning never strikes twice in the same place – except at Eikenhof Power Station”
– DM reader
“ANC cadres will always do well – the Lord helps those who help themselves”
– Kevin Andrew Potgieter
“The ANC ensures that all good things will come to an end”
– Kevin Andrew Potgieter
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel… only if you have your own solar system”
– DM reader
“Too many politicians spoil the broth”
– John Cowan
“It never rains but it pours… when another major water pipe bursts”
– Annalene Sadie
“All roads lead to Nkandla”
– John Cowan
“Isandla ziyaga zana (hands wash each other)... unless you have run out of water”
– Frederick Crawford
“Umkhuba uhlula ingqondo (Habit defeats the mind)... especially if you are an ANC politician on the take”
– Johan Herholdt
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, in case some of the eggs are fakes”
– Rod Bally
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DM SA Proverbs 2000px

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