# Present day South Africa and the offensiveness of "kaffir" and "nigger" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833 "2016-04-21T17:23:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/21 "2016-05-04T12:27:55Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Used among South Africans or by people in other countries, where the term doesn’t have racial connotations or baggage? Local sites with the “co.za” domain, all of which are presumably dominated by SA contributors and viewers. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/22 "2016-05-04T14:08:08Z")
> [@WilyQuixote](#): > > What I was genuinely surprised to see was that judging by the number of google hits on reputable sites it appears to be still used, at least informally, in culinary […] circles Not mine, and I hang with a few chefs (and people who love Thai food). Of course, they may just not be using the word in front of _me_. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/23 "2016-05-04T16:14:21Z")
Getting a bit off the “kaffir lime” tangent – the thread reminds me of the decades-old South African (got quite well-known outside SA) humorous song _Ag Pleez Deddy_ – if I have things rightly, has come to be the unofficial anthem of SA’s poor whites. Song’s chorus is a lengthy list of kid-friendly unhealthy things to eat and drink. Last two lines, IIRC: “Ag, Deddy, 'ow we miss nigger-balls and licquorice, Pepsi-Cola, ginger beer, and Canada Dry.” If I have things rightly, “nigger-balls” refers (redundantly in the context) to licquorice-flavoured sweets. In this instance, nothing racist intended – it’s just an expression for that particular comestible. Would be interested to know from South African participants: are these sweets still sold under the name of “nigger-balls”? ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/24 "2016-05-04T17:45:37Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > If I have things rightly, “nigger-balls” refers (redundantly in the context) to licquorice-flavoured sweets. In this instance, nothing racist intended – it’s just an expression for that particular comestible. Would be interested to know from South African participants: are these sweets still sold under the name of “nigger-balls”? Not that I can recall from my own childhood. A bit of Googling suggests the sweet was renamed by the 1980s. No idea if its still around. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/25 "2016-05-05T06:25:40Z")
You can still get them at Sweets From Heaven, and I think they’re just called “black gobstoppers” or “licorice balls” or “aniseed balls” or somesuch now. They’re normal bobstaoppers with a licorice coating that makes your tongue black, before you get to the normal gobstopper part. Although some just have a single inside bit, not layered like a gobstopper. ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833/26 "2016-05-05T08:43:30Z")
Another cleaned-up name would seem to be needed – to fit both the rhythm, and sense, of the song ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/present-day-south-africa-and-the-offensiveness-of-kaffir-and-nigger/752833.md?page=1)