Johannesburg - Who are some of the most 'memed' South Africans of them all?
City Press's Phumlani S Langa rounds up the culprits.
5. Emtee
Emtee went viral last month when he made the unfortunate mistake of using a urinal while live-streaming on Instagram. The rapper said he needed to pee mid-stream (as it were), but then used the hand clutching his phone to clutch something else. The moment he realised he’d just live-streamed his penis has been immortalised as a meme – and captions are encouraged.
4. Sello Maake Ka Ncube
Veteran actor Sello Maake Ka Ncube plays a gay man on Mzansi Magic’s The Queen. The actor’s portrayal of his character, Kgositsile, has provided many opportunities for awesome memes. The sassy Kgositsile only throws the best shade, and now meme enthusiasts can too.
3. Baleka Mbete
The fierce master of recognition, Speaker of the House in Parliament, honourable Baleka Mbete. Her stubborn assertions that “I don’t recognise you” have made watching Parliament that much more entertaining to suffer through. Mbete’s looks of frustration, impatience and exasperation make excellent fodder to feed into South Africa’s archive of magical memes.
2. Thamsanqa Jantjie
Thamsanqa Jantjie was infamous after he unleashed his own personal sign ‘language’ at a major event in South Africa’s history – Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. Jantjie was the sign language translator at the event, but made headlines (and memes) when it was revealed that he was actually signing gibberish.
1. Jacob Zuma
Ah, but no one can top the first citizen, President Jacob Zuma, who’s provided countless perfect meme-able moments. From laughing at inappropriate times to using his middle finger to push up his spectacles, strategic photos of the president have made for great memes. And they are incredibly effective, largely because the man is a walking meme himself. Props to South Africans for their ingenious use of humour to highlight the dire state of the head of state.