South Africans LOVE a good nickname!

John Perlman speaks to TimesLive columnist Ndumiso Ngcobo.

Listen to the discussion below.

Whether it's a person or an object, South Africans love a good nickname.

In his recent article, Ngcobo writes there is something unique about South African nicknames, which relate to our history. 

“People deal with trauma with a lot of humour and many of these nicknames are extremely humourous.”

- Ndumiso Ngcobo, Columnist - TimesLive

From calling a BMW a 'gusheshe' and referring to South Africa as 'Mzansi', to chicken feet known as 'walkie-talkies' or 'amanqina' – we have it all.

Nicknames often relate to a personality type or appearance, explains Ngcobo, and they're usually funny, lighthearted, and less-than-flattering.

“You really do grow a thick skin around it. I grew up very scrawny, but my cranium size wasn’t so small [so] I got called 10 over one, headmaster, or even watermelon… A lot of nicknames come from a place of fondness, even when they don’t seem to be very flattering.”

- Ndumiso Ngcobo, Columnist - TimesLive

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.