South African Alphabetics Trivia Quiz

Answer: Afrikaans

South Africa has eleven official languages but the three most spoken first home languages are Zulu (23.8%), Xhosa (17.6%) and Afrikaans (13.3%). Amanzi is 'water' in Zulu. Africana means "artifacts or artistic or literary works of any of the nations of Africa". Anglikaans is Afrikaans for Anglican, as in the Anglican Church.

Answer: Bredie

A bredie always contains onions and potatoes. Boerewors is a sausage. Braaivleis is like a barbecue, but traditionally done on an open fire. Bobotie is a baked dish of lightly curried mince (ground beef) topped with an egg custard and traditionally served with "begrafnisrys" (funeral rice), which is rice cooked with turmeric and raisins.

Answer: Chakalaka

Chakalaka is a mixture of carrots, cauliflower/broccoli and baked beans simmered together with onion, garlic, chilli, green pepper and curry powder. It is served cold and enjoyed in shebeens (taverns), 5-star hotels and everywhere in between. Chokka and Calamari are the same thing - squid. Chardonnay is a white wine.

Answer: Domba

The Domba is also called the Python Dance. Dolosse are enormous branched concrete blocks used to protect sea walls and prevent erosion of beaches. Dingaan was a Zulu chief who murdered his half-brother Shaka. Dlamini is the surname of a Zulu tribe the best-known member of which is probably Dr Nkososana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa's current Foreign Minister (2008).

Answer: Ernie Els

"Big" because he is just that (220lbs, 6'3") and "Easy" because of both his gentle nature and his powerful swing that he makes look so easy, Ernie is a fiercely competitive sportsman. He excelled in several sports as a kid (tennis, cricket and rugby) and won the World Junior Golf Championship at the age of 14. He turned pro when he was 20. Other South African golfing greats include Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman. The other answers are all figments of my imagination.

Answer: Frederik

Frederik Willem de Klerk was born in 1936. In 1993 he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela. Frederik, Frans, Ferdinand and Francois are all popular names amongst Afrikaners.

Answer: Govan

Govan Mbeki (1910-2001) was one of the Rivonia Trialists and served 24 years on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela and others before being released in 1987.

Answer: Huguenots

The French Huguenots were Protestants (Calvinists) who fled religious persecution. Many Afrikaans families are direct descendants of the Huguenots, hence the surnames de Klerk (Le Clercq), de Villiers, Visagie (Visage), du Plessis, du Toit, TerBlanche, Fouche, le Roux, Lombard, and many others. The Hottentots were an indigenous people.

Answer: Impi

An impi is actually any groups of armed Zulu men or warriors. The first impis were organised by Shaka in about 1810. An impala is a buck. Induna is an advisor, a headman or a commander of a group of warriors (an impi). Indaba comes from the isiZulu word for business and generally means a conference or meeting of izinDuna (pl of induna) to discuss important matters.

Answer: Jonty Rhodes

Jonty shot to fame in 1992 when he dived full-length into the stumps during an ODI against Pakistan at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. He was appointed as the fielding coach of the Proteas (South Africa's national cricket team). Jacques Kallis is also a fantastic cricketing all-rounder. John Smit is captain of the Springboks (South Africa's national rugby team). Jomo Sono is a soccer club owner and coach and was quite the soccer star in the 1970s.

Answer: Khoisan

The motto: ǃke e: ǀxarra ǁke means "diverse people unite". Khoisan is the language of the San people but is not one of South Africa's eleven official languages. Kgalagadi is a district in Botswana that covers a large part of the Kalahari Desert. Karatara is a forest settlement in the Southern Cape and the Karoo (also a Khoisan word) is a vast semi-desert area.

Answer: Langebaan

Langebaan was founded in 1922 on the edge of the Langebaan lagoon about 120km north of Cape Town. A Lammergeyer is the Bearded Vulture. Lubombo is a district in Swaziland dominated by the Lubombo Mountains which stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province. Long Beach is the name of several beaches in the Western Cape, kwaZuluNatal and Namibia.

Answer: Malva

Malva Pudding is a baked sponge over which is poured a rich brandy and cream sauce. The pudding soaks up all the sauce and it is traditionally served with custard. YUMMY! The Malva flower is of the Pellargonium family and is also known in English as a mallow. A Moerbei is a mulberry, a Mielie is a cob of corn and Mopane refers to the worms considered by some to be a delicacy. UGH!

Answer: Nkosi

Nkosi means God or Lord. Nkosi sikilel' iAfrika = God Bless Africa. Namaqua is the old name of the Nama, the largest group of the Khoikhoi people. Nguni refers to a group of Bantu languages (including Zulu and Xhosa), the tribes who speak those languages and also a breed of cattle indigenous to southern Africa. Nahoon is a river in East London.

Answer: Outeniqua

The name Outeniqua is from the Khoisan language and means "man laden with honey". The Overberg is that part of the South Western Cape between the Hottentots-Holland Mountains in the west and the Garden Route in the east. The name literally means "over the mountain". Onderstepoort is a veterinary institute in Pretoria and Olifants is the name of three separate rivers found in the Western Cape, Southern Cape and Mpumalanga. Olifants literally translates to "elephants".

Answer: Pilanesberg

The Pilanesberg National Park is in the crater of an extinct volcano that last erupted about 1,200 million years ago. Pietersberg is the former name of Polokwane, the capital city of Limpopo province. Pelindaba is a nuclear research facility to the west of Pretoria. Pietermaritzburg is the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal.

Answer: Qunu

Qunu is a tiny rural village between Mthatha and Butterworth in the Eastern Cape. Queenstown is also in the Eastern Cape and is the centre of a prosperous farming district. Qwa-Qwa is a very small region on the border between Lesotho and the Eastern Free State.

A Quagga is an extinct animal closely related to horses and zebras. It was last seen in the wild in the 1870s and the last captive quaggas died in the 1880s.

Answer: Rhodes Memorial

The memorial was built by public subscription in 1912 as a tribute to Cecil John Rhodes and his accomplishments and contributions to South Africa's development and prosperity. The incorrect answers are completely made up, although there may well be a Rogues Memorial one day to commemorate some of our current politicians.

Answer: Skilpadjies

Skilpadjies are popular at a braai and are very good served with a dash of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Sosaties are another popular braai dish. They are traditionally lamb kebabs (although any meat or poultry can be used) marinated in a curry sauce. Souskluitjies are sweet dumplings in cinnamon syrup. Sousboontjies are dried beans (kidney, sugar or butter beans) cooked in a sweetish sauce and served hot or cold as a side dish at a braai.

Answer: Tokoloshe

It is believed that a Tokoloshe can make himself invisible by swallowing a pebble. Tokkelok is the nickname given to theological students. A Toktokkie is a kind of wingless beetle named for the tapping sound it makes. Tonteldoos is the Afrikaans word for "tinderbox" - I just like the sound of the word.

Answer: Umqombothi

Umqombothi usually contains less than 3% alcohol but is considerably cheaper than commercial beer. At the beginning of the film "Hotel Rwanda", you can hear Yvonne Chaka Chaka singing about this "magic African beer". Umfaan is a young Zulu man who has completed the initiation rites into adulthood but is not yet married. Umphokoqo is a crumbly maize meal porridge seasoned with sour milk. Umngqusho is another traditional African dish consisting of samp (dried corn kernels) and beans.

Answer: Vetkoek

When my grandmother baked bread, she always made extra dough so that she could fry up some 'vetkoek', which we always ate with butter and homemade apricot jam. They can also be served with a savoury mince filling. A Vleispastei is a meat pie. Velskoen are shoes made from animal hides - made famous by musician David Kramer who always wears a red pair. A Viskoekie is a fishcake.

Answer: Waterblommetjie

Waterblommetjies grow in the marshes of the Western Cape and are harvested in winter (July-August). They are delicious stewed with lamb. The Waterboom is an indigenous tree also known as Cape Holly (Ilex Mitis). Waterbos, or Water Heath, is an indigenous shrub (Erica curviflora).

The Waboom is a protea (Protea arborea) so named because the early settlers used its wood to make wheels for the wagons ('wa' is Afrikaans for wagon and 'boom' means tree).

Answer: Xhosa

The Xhosa people refer to themselves as amaXhosa and to their language as isiXhosa. Xalanga and Xolora are both minute little hamlets in the Eastern Cape (north east of Queenstown). Yzerfontein is a delightful seaside village on South Africa's West Coast about 80km north of Cape Town.

Answer: Zulu

Lance's nickname comes from the fact that he speaks fluent Zulu as a result of growing up on a sugar-cane farm. He was declared Man of the Tournament in the 1999 Cricket World Cup series. Zambezi is the river that forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and its most famous feature is the Victoria Falls. King Zwide was a 19th century chief of the Ndwandwe clan. Zoar is a village (formerly a mission station) on Route 62 which takes one through the Little Karoo.