THE term “load shedding” has been declared South Africa’s Word of the Year 2022.

The Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) in association with media research company Focal Points has proclaimed load shedding as the 2022 South African Word of the Year.

The South African Word of the Year is a word, term or expression that most reflects the passing year in language. Other terms that were shortlisted were Inganekwane, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, and Phala Phala.

“Candidates for SA Word of the Year were reviewed by Pansalb and shortlisted, and through media research company Focal Point keywords were tracked for the period October 2021 to September 2022. This media data was analysed to determine the prominence of the keywords within the media and to identify the frequency with which they were used in credible print, broadcast and online media,” said Pansalb CEO Lance Schultz.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter. File picture: Sumaya Hisham/Reuters

“It should come as no surprise to many South Africans that load shedding has been the most used word/term in South Africa as the dreaded rolling blackouts instituted by Eskom have largely defined our lived experience in 2022.”

He added that the term load shedding beat the first runner-up, Phala Phala, which in Tshivenda translates to impala impala (Aepyceros melampus).

“Ultimately, the SA Word of the Year reflects the preoccupations of South Africans for that given period, and this year South Africans had to contend with the impact of the energy crisis in the country. The term load shedding has superseded the first runner-up, which is Phala Phala, with over 40,000 clip counts and mentions across a broad range of media,” he said.

The term “Phala Phala” was thrust into the public discourse after former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa for crimes which allegedly took place at Phala Phala Farm. File picture

Other words/terms that were submitted and considered include: Immigrant, Gender-Based Violence, iSigaxa sendaba, and Wishy-wishy.

On different occasions, Eskom has unleashed crippling Stage 6 load shedding across the country, leaving South Africans frustrated and in the dark.

Eskom has announced that it will be implementing Stage 2 load shedding today, Tuesday and Wednesday from 4pm to midnight. Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said this was to help manage emergency generation reserves in the evenings.

“Eskom will publish a further update on Wednesday, or as soon as any further significant changes occur,” he said.

Mantshantsha said on Saturday, two generation units at Grootvlei as well as a unit each at C power station was taken off-line for repairs.

“We currently have 5 244MW on planned maintenance, while another 15 612MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns. Load shedding is implemented only as a last resort in view of the shortage of generation capacity and the need to attend to breakdowns," Mantshantsha said.

On the other hand, the word “Phala Phala” was thrust into the public discourse after former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser laid criminal charges against President Cyril Ramaphosa at a Johannesburg police station, accusing the president of keeping about $4 million (more than R60m) at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. The money was later stolen.

Ramaphosa is accused of using law enforcement agencies to pursue the criminals, torture them and later paying them to conceal the matter.

Fraser accuses Ramaphosa of defeating the ends of justice, kidnapping suspects who were allegedly interrogated on his property at Phala Phala farm, in the Waterberg district of Limpopo.

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‘Load shedding’ beats ‘Phala Phala’ and voted as SA’s Word of the Year 2022