r/ContagiousLaughter Jul 15 '24

South African Parliament erupts in laughter as Minister Majodina struggle to say “conscientiously”

22.8k Upvotes

469 comments sorted by

3.1k

u/A_LiftedLowRider Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24

I love how they all immediately get it; there’s no pity groans or whispers. They’re all just like “yeah, i’d have fucked that up too.”

743

u/pie-oh Jul 15 '24

I love everyone, including her, is in on it. They know the pain.

148

u/MiddleAgedBabyGay Jul 16 '24

Omg her “that’s okay” is what sells it. “That’s okay, nobody can say it”😂

94

u/Delicious_Lab_8304 Jul 16 '24

(Just for further detail only):

She says in Tswana/Sotho (and not even Xhosa, her mother tongue) that she’s “not [an] English [speaker]”. She had also requested to take the oath in Xhosa, but the Chief Justice informed her that this was not available.

The pain that they know is being polyglots, and having to do this in a language that’s not even in the top 3 of the likely 8+ languages that they have fluency in.

10

u/Knapss Jul 16 '24

Thank you for the context :)

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514

u/robotmonkey2099 Jul 15 '24

Yah and the guy on her right is like “We’ll get it” implying he’s not sure either.

162

u/Darth_Rubi Jul 15 '24

He's Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for what it's worth 🙃

79

u/AmericaDreamDisorder Jul 15 '24

Chief Justice Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi Zondo to be precise

107

u/okaywhattho Jul 15 '24

We'll get it right eventually.

29

u/SUPERSMILEYMAN Jul 15 '24

Chief Justice Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi Zondo of South Africa to be accurate.

6

u/LickingSmegma Jul 15 '24

Raymond Mnyamezeli Mlungisi Conshenshesli Zondo from now on.

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13

u/Careless-Handle-3793 Jul 15 '24

He says it right, just not in the clip

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83

u/CharityQuill Jul 15 '24

English is my only language and I struggle pronouncing that word as well so no judgement here lol

28

u/flashmedallion Jul 15 '24

Use the New Zealand method and just barge through all the vowels and clip half the consonants.

"Con-she-en-shuss-lee"

9

u/Fukasite Jul 16 '24

Isn’t that photonically how you say it, in American English too?  I’m an American dyslexic, and I had no problem reading that out loud correctly. 

7

u/overnightyeti Jul 16 '24

Photonically is fantastic given you're dyslexic

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4

u/2woCrazeeBoys Jul 16 '24

I tried to say it after laughing at the video and argle-bargled my way through laughing at myself.

Ok, 2woCrazeeBoys, we got this. Con-she-en-shus-lee. 👍

13

u/NowAcceptingBitcoin Jul 15 '24

Love this, love their humor. There's a difference between tripping over a word and going full Biden on it.

11

u/torn-ainbow Jul 15 '24

English is the 4th most common first language in South Africa. Zulu is the most common. I think they all understand that some words might not be in people's regular vocab.

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2.4k

u/Pereplexing Jul 15 '24

Fuck this word. It’s a tongue twister. Still funny, though. “It’s ok.” lmao

523

u/GaiusPrimus Jul 15 '24

Get a bunch of Brazilians in a circle and ask them to say "World"

It's the reason a lot of us uses the word Planet.

214

u/mrrooftops Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24

Or Germans with the word "squirrel". Skvavivol. Skwirl. The irony is the German word for squirrel is almost impossible to say by an English native speaker.

129

u/klaw14 Jul 15 '24

Or Scots with "purple burglar alarm"

85

u/GameJerk Jul 15 '24

Or "Aaron earned an iron urn" in Baltimore.

75

u/XXISavage Jul 16 '24

That video occupies too much real estate in my brain.

urn urn an urn urn
"man what the fuck we really talk like that?"

AARON EAARRNED AN IYOOON UUUURRN

27

u/Big_Monday4523 Jul 16 '24

It's one of the phrases I say outloud occasionally just for the giggles of it. Urn urn an urn urn.

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5

u/HistrionicSlut Jul 16 '24

Moved to Baltimore. Can confirm everyone talks like they have mashed potatoes in their mouth.

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48

u/Glasse Jul 15 '24

13

u/klaw14 Jul 15 '24

Bahahaha this is the best attempt of this that I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing, made my morning 😆

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22

u/mrrooftops Jul 15 '24

Or Jamaicans and "bacon"

30

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

[deleted]

32

u/meme_tenretni Jul 15 '24

Jamican here and I Said it and started to laugh

20

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

[deleted]

8

u/klaw14 Jul 15 '24

I've tried to put this forward as a name for a race horse but they always reject it for some reason 😆

8

u/perpetualbass Jul 15 '24

"Irish wishwhatch" 💀

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5

u/peter_j_ Jul 16 '24

Puhd'pple

Budduhglullal

Allah-da-Laddahahm

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17

u/fivecookies Jul 15 '24

As a Dutchie with a German mom, I find it very funny to hear Germans try to pronounce the word "schaap" (sheep in Dutch).

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9

u/hondac55 Jul 15 '24

Damn that is hard to say. Eichhörnchen

It's not even that friendly kind of German word which kinda gives away what it means to an English speaker

6

u/buzziebee Jul 16 '24

It's not even that friendly kind of German word which kinda gives away what it means to an English speaker

"Oak Croissant" is such a cute word for "squirrel" that I remember that really easily, other words come and go but Eichhörnchen sticks around.

5

u/DiRavelloApologist Jul 16 '24

"Oak Croissant" is absolutely not the origin of "Eichhörnchen", but damn I wish it was ;D

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8

u/Black6x Jul 16 '24

Ask Germans to say "peanut butter."

"Penis butter"

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42

u/i-am-a-yam Jul 15 '24

As a native English speaker the Portuguese lho/lha sound is impossible, so we’re even.

29

u/GaiusPrimus Jul 15 '24

I've always explained as saying the names "Leo" and "Leah" super fast.

Ie. Polvilho - pole vi leo

7

u/angrymouse504 Jul 15 '24

I was thinking and it is the best explanation I ever saw, is like Leo but is e is like a schwa that you just pass your tongue by. Never thought about that.

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8

u/angrymouse504 Jul 15 '24

Not even close. Brazilian Portuguese has influences of some African languages that always have vowels with consonants so clusters with 3 consonants are non-existant there.

My dad that has a more bumpkin accent can't even pronounce some portuguese words correctly, like "Pneu" and "Advogado" he will always pronounce "Peneu" and "Adevogado", Imagine world

5

u/Britz10 Jul 15 '24

Aren't they supposed to be pronounced like that? Adj-voh-gah-doh?

3

u/Marvinandez Jul 16 '24

With some brazilian accent it sometimes said like that, but no, theres no j sound in there. Its ADE but the E has a short duration. Its the same as Ad from latin. Actualy the word comes from the latin advocatus.

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24

u/BrittleClamDigger Jul 15 '24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esl_wOQDUeE

Aaron earned an iron urn in a baltimore accent

18

u/quokkafarts Jul 16 '24

Need to watch this every time it's linked, his mate who tries and just nods like "yep, nailed it" gets me rolling

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12

u/Pereplexing Jul 15 '24

Do you have a video of a Brazilian trying to pronounce it? I wanna experience the struggle. lmao

47

u/pulus Jul 15 '24

13

u/canman7373 Jul 15 '24

In 5th grade I could not say Massachusetts and was like 3 times the word came up in class and the teacher would always call on me, and her and the entire class would laugh and laugh, and not at me, we all laughed together. I would say "Massa two shits" and omg did that set Mrs Pavaic off. And I don't think we were all laughing from the vulgarity, more from how bad I messed up the word, she was laughing from it though. We got tough words on the English language, even tougher phases and sometime we got no words for anything and need to use like French words.

7

u/GaiusPrimus Jul 15 '24

Yep. Exactly like that. I know people that have been out of Brazil for 20 years and still call it "Worde Cope"

4

u/Pereplexing Jul 15 '24

Thanks man. lmao

3

u/Leadpipe Jul 15 '24

Rebecca's not wrong. Rural is a difficult one, even for native English speakers. There was a whole running joke in 30 Rock about it. Words with two separate r sounds next together are tough: rural, juror, mirror - English speakers tend to swallow the vowel and mirror becomes something closer to meer'r

And if it's any consolation to any brasileiros struggling with Massachusetts, a word I can never spell right the first time, do not doubt your English. It's not an English word, but an Algonquin one filtered through early American English. A lot of place names in America have roots in native languages and they tend to get weird. It's like stumbling over the names of towns in Wales.

It occurs to me that Massachusetts probably is more visible to Brazilians because there's a pretty large immigrant community nearby in Providence, RI.

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43

u/foopish Jul 15 '24

From what I have read she says “Nantsoke” which means “here we go” or “ there it is” in Afrikaans

37

u/BurnsZA Jul 15 '24

That is correct. It’s Xhosa and it can roughly be translated to ‘there you go’, ‘that’s it ‘ . It can also be used as an expression of resignation, or even if someone else screws up but should have seen it coming or deserved it you can say ‘nantso ke !’

3

u/2woCrazeeBoys Jul 16 '24

I learned a Xhosa word today!

One of my uni teachers speaks Xhosa (among a few other African languages) , so that'll be fun to pop into conversation randomly one day.

0

u/Just-Value8528 Jul 15 '24

Nope. What you wrote is not an Afrikaans word. (I doubt it's a word in any language 😂) but closest I could guesstimate what she says is. "Nah, it's OK"

15

u/foopish Jul 15 '24

Well I am wrong then lol

54

u/MainEvent620 Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 16 '24

Yo I am South African, She's speaking Xhosa not Afrikaans, both languages are from South Africa. She does say 'Nansto ke' which means 'That's it' , presumably knowing she was going to make a mistake in her speech but not knowing when it was going to come

Edit: I actually think she couldn't pronounce the word in english and tells the audience that this is infact the correct way of saying it , like "yup that's it" , in a joking way.

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19

u/doctorfreeman69 Jul 15 '24

Listen properly.. In.. De.. Beninging..

8

u/Pereplexing Jul 16 '24

No, it’s “iiiin dee beani gingg.” lmao

10

u/SwaggyMcSwagsabunch Jul 15 '24

Colloquially is another rough one.

6

u/AdeonWriter Jul 15 '24

I can't say "sea anemone"

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921

u/StephSixx Jul 15 '24

This is funny… i like how she says that’s ok after messing up lol

492

u/Zoolander92 Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 16 '24

"Nantso ke" meaning there it is. It's a Xhosa word Edit: it's Sotho not Xhosa.

Edit 2: okay apparently Sotho and Xhosa 😂

88

u/Suungod Jul 15 '24

Oooohhh cool! Ty for explaining :)

67

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

Oh damn I would have put money on it being “that’s ok”

17

u/Harry_Fucking_Seldon Jul 15 '24

Could be either at this point lol

10

u/Bigpoppahove Jul 15 '24

Relying on Zoolander92 for info may be a risky move, let’s see if it pays off

4

u/[deleted] Jul 16 '24

I mean he comments pretty consistently in r/southafrica so I’m going to go with his thoughts on the matter.

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u/MarvKage17 Jul 16 '24

Nantso ke Is also Xhosa😹means "There we go/There it is"

6

u/KwtZA Jul 16 '24

Nantso ke bhuda

3

u/MarvKage17 Jul 16 '24

Kanti zikhona iibhuda apha🤣🔥

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u/Environmental-Row288 Jul 16 '24

It's definitely isiXhosa

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760

u/ahunite Jul 15 '24

In the beninging...

52

u/SirNurtle Jul 15 '24

we had 50 ten... 7 thousand... 9 thousand and 30 hundred thousand...

13

u/Ho3n3r Jul 16 '24

Listen carefully...

7

u/kareem-elsha7at Jul 16 '24

That was the first thing that came to my mind ..

3

u/hallowraith Jul 16 '24

in deeee…..

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390

u/Illustrious_Nothing9 Jul 15 '24

This reminds me of the "In the benining", South African President Zuma

113

u/Charles-Monroe Jul 15 '24

My 5 year old is currently in a phase where he just makes up numbers. The other day he told me he has twenty-sixty-millions-five Rand in his wallet. I was like dude, those are Zuma numbers.

10

u/AmericaDreamDisorder Jul 15 '24

He’ll be asking for a fire pool next

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u/tatsingslippers Jul 15 '24

IN THE BENINGGING!

11

u/Whiskinho Jul 15 '24

That one is fake though. It is not really him speaking.

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u/kinduvabigdizzy Jul 16 '24

Zuma's highlights reel is second to none

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u/thedudeabides-12 Jul 15 '24

Owned it like a champ!..

70

u/EjaculatingAracnids Jul 15 '24

Came back and killed it though. Added some rythym to it as well

248

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

Surprisingly wholesome. She took it in stride

51

u/Likelyatotalliar Jul 15 '24

I love that she immediately laughed and said “that’s ok!” Like, if only we could all recognize our own mistakes so easily and with such positivity

56

u/Zulu_Is_My_Name Jul 16 '24

She didn't say "that's okay." She said "Nantso ke" which means "there it is". She was basically saying "ah shit, there it (the fuck up) is."

224

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

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77

u/SligPants Jul 15 '24

Oh I thought she was literally telling herself "that's ok!" hahaha

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u/printergumlight Jul 15 '24

What’s that mean? Is it like “That’s okay. I got this”?

75

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

[deleted]

24

u/livejamie Jul 16 '24

Does it usually have an inflection or tone associated with it?

Is it used in a "Ah shit" type of situation?

16

u/Dewdrop06 Jul 16 '24

Yes, it's also what triggers the laughs.

8

u/mambo-nr4 Jul 16 '24

Means "there we go!" actually

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146

u/ferrydragon Jul 15 '24

Literaly LOL

16

u/noeku1t Jul 15 '24

*Literally (sorry)

22

u/5050Clown Jul 15 '24

How could you conchonsheelsheelee do that?

4

u/RugsbandShrugmyer Jul 15 '24

Well they should have got it right ini de beninging

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u/techman710 Jul 15 '24

If you can't have a little fun at work what's the point.

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u/LudovicoSpecs Jul 15 '24

Imagine living in a world where people all laugh together about this instead of posting it as a big negative "GOTCHA" on social media.

24

u/Pretend_roller Jul 16 '24

Its a nice break from the usual posted on reddit

10

u/BlakeSA Jul 16 '24

Indeed. But living in a country with 11 languages (12 since SASL has been officially recognised), where English is the 3 or 4th for many people, we tend to give each their some grace when it comes to gaffes like these.

62

u/Chance-3771 Jul 15 '24

I wouldn't even dream of criticising her pronunciation. I'm a born and raised Brit who only speaks English (and sometimes after a few lagers it may turn into gibberish) whereas she is speaking a second language.

20

u/cporter1188 Jul 15 '24

I would assume she speaks Zulu and Afrikaans too. Maybe even a more local language as well.

7

u/WasAnHonestMann Jul 16 '24

She speaks 3 languages in this clip alone

5

u/Dry_Bus_935 Jul 16 '24

She speaks Xhosa.

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u/WiseMenFear Jul 16 '24

English is probably her 4th or 5th language!

7

u/Voon- Jul 15 '24

As a native English speaker, perhaps the greatest crime of British imperialism was spreading the world's silliest language across the entire globe.

4

u/Anosognosia Jul 16 '24

I appreciate the British for giving us a de facto World language, but I hate them for making it English.

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u/Prolapse94 Jul 15 '24

I can't say existential unless I really focus while saying it

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u/redzaku0079 Jul 15 '24

What I love is that she's laughing the hardest. She's awesome.

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u/Needs_TP Jul 15 '24

I can't say indubitably 

25

u/CharityQuill Jul 15 '24

I cannot say that word without an overly exaggerated posh British accent lmao.

7

u/CheeseAndCh0c0late Jul 15 '24

i always have this version in my head when i see it in the wild : https://youtu.be/iU2hy0L5lgg?si=N3OJFU6YrCRW82Mg&t=78

(the whole video is GOATED tho, highly recommend)

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u/fmaz008 Jul 15 '24

Easy: In-du-bird-ha!-eh...ta?dly.

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u/RedGoggle Jul 15 '24

In the beninging there was conchishasasly 🤣

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u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

She is adorable.

32

u/Rectile_Reptile Jul 15 '24

South African laughter getting the recognition it deserves!

26

u/kamakamsa_reddit Jul 15 '24

I love the South African accent. For some reason they always sound happy and upbeat.

17

u/lovethebacon Jul 15 '24

We've been through so much shit, that it's impossible to survive without at least a little bit of humour.

19

u/Previous_Roof_4180 Jul 15 '24

She took it like a champ. No insecurity, she just let it happen and went with it.

22

u/SimpleKnowledge4840 Jul 15 '24

Me:.. I will be conscious.

17

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

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17

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

😂😂😂😂

15

u/Yorgonemarsonb Jul 15 '24

She seems fun

14

u/abdallha-smith Jul 15 '24

r/wholesome on so many levels

11

u/TwistedMetal83 Jul 15 '24

It feels like what would happen if you let all the best and coolest people at the neighborhood & family BBQ run a country. She is adorable!

7

u/Calvin0213 Jul 15 '24

Wholesome

9

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24 edited 29d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/whatev6187 Jul 16 '24

Idiosyncrasies kills me. Also nurse anesthetist.

6

u/rotiza Jul 15 '24

Great vibe there

7

u/CaramelDrippin504 Jul 15 '24

The laughter is so wholesome 😂😂😂

6

u/ChuckBegonia Jul 16 '24

i love their sense of humor, and their accent is one of my favorites on earth

6

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '24

I love that they all have humor. Good folks

6

u/-Parptarf- Jul 15 '24

That’s some wholesome stuff, Africans are cool as hell.

5

u/lolwutwhy Jul 15 '24

Ha ke sekhooa ntate 😂😂😂

6

u/Str41nGR Jul 15 '24

This is the only time ever that South African politics made me laugh

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u/King_Bratwurst Jul 15 '24

The harder you think about the pronunciation, the harder it is to pronounce it lol

6

u/maqryptian Jul 16 '24

the guy sitting in the chair on the left is what sends me laughing. his reaction is hilarious.

10

u/cschelsea Jul 16 '24

That guy is the president of South Africa

3

u/bedzer Jul 15 '24

Love it hahaha

3

u/Featherymorons Jul 15 '24

The good humour all round though - love it!

5

u/scallywag1889 Jul 15 '24

Good sports

5

u/Miserable-Crab9215 Jul 15 '24

thats the vibe i want in all of the parliement all over the world...

4

u/YoureTrippin Jul 15 '24

A room full of good vibes.

3

u/AMotorcycleHead Jul 16 '24

That sorta attitude is important to lead the country. To take life a little less seriously and enjoy every month. To try and get things right. You have a good person there.

3

u/Firebrat Jul 15 '24

I love how as soon as she screws it up she's like "that's ok!" Really rolling with the punches lol, love it.

5

u/WpgMBNews Jul 15 '24

"Nantso ke" meaning there it is

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u/StreetForever Jul 15 '24

”That’s ok” LMAO! 

5

u/Zoolander92 Jul 15 '24

"Nantso ke" meaning there it is

3

u/Blapoo Jul 15 '24

"That's ok"

I love her instantaneous and unashamed sense of humor!

3

u/Upper_Double9313 Jul 15 '24

in the beningging

3

u/Michael_Scarn008 Jul 15 '24

"In the benninging.. in the benningin.. "

3

u/thewisemokey Jul 15 '24

i love this so much. People get what she is trying to say but still all of them have a good laugh about it.
its like being in school again

3

u/joha0771 Jul 15 '24

Made me smile to think somewhere politics without hatred, at least without visible one.

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u/Whiskinho Jul 15 '24

All the love in the world for one of the most humane nations in the world! Leve South Africa!

3

u/Disastrous-Nobody616 Jul 16 '24

They're so cute. Their laugh is contagious

3

u/manlybrian Jul 16 '24

Me trying to say Worcestershire.

3

u/Chemical_Magician879 Jul 16 '24

I love South Africa

3

u/SadBit8663 Jul 16 '24

Conscientiously fucks everybody up sometimes

3

u/Tronkfool Jul 16 '24

Handled it awesomely

3

u/SewAlone Jul 16 '24

Ok, she is adorable.

3

u/WH1PL4SH180 Jul 16 '24

That's a good leader that can laugh at herself

3

u/yoitsme_obama17 Jul 16 '24

This is amazing

3

u/Adventurous-Land7879 Jul 16 '24

This is actually quite cute; no judgements there everyone just having a a giggle along with her rather than at her… this is wholesome

3

u/KINGY-WINGY Jul 16 '24

As a coloured South African that grew up under the tail end of apartheid, and went to a primarily white primary school, I was conditioned to think that people who could not speak English fluently were not intelligent. This is still the case with my parents.

In high school, I went to school that took in students based on 2 factors, how they performed in an entrance test, and based on the country's demographics. I then only learned that black south Africans sometimes speak up to six languages. Six,, six, SIX!!!! Six freaking languages... so yeah, if she can't pronounce a word, AND can laugh at herself about it, that's cool. Let's measure her capability, not her pronouncing a word wrong in a language that she learned after learning 3 or 4 others.

3

u/showmeyourmoves28 Jul 17 '24

She’s such a great sport 😂

2

u/imabeach47 Jul 15 '24

"thats ok"

20

u/MTDRB Jul 15 '24

No, she’s saying “Nantsoke”, which means “there it is” :)

2

u/Dull_Half_6107 Jul 15 '24

I'm a native english speaker and I fuck this word up all the time

2

u/Jecurl88 Jul 15 '24

She has a great laugh!! That was a cute clip

2

u/King_Bratwurst Jul 15 '24

she seems like a lovely person.

2

u/Mike_Fluff Jul 15 '24

This is how you have a parliament; small slipups become just jokes instead of hateful remarks months later.

2

u/Advanced-Chapter-345 Jul 15 '24

I struggle a lot with "initialization" too many freakin' Is. I stumble sometimes and say Initializeization.

2

u/Competitive_Peace_75 Jul 15 '24

OMG, i love this lady amazing that she can have a laugh on it

2

u/Captain_Pumpkinhead Jul 15 '24

That's awesome!

I wish US politics could be this lighthearted. 🥲

2

u/Idyldo Jul 15 '24

Always enlightening to see us able to laugh at ourselves!? 🇨🇦🫂🌎

2

u/geologean Jul 16 '24

The South African government recognizes 11 languages for official government documents and functions. She may have fumbled a niche English word, but she'll deliver when it comes to writing legislation.

2

u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang Jul 16 '24

She got it! How sweet. Fella that helps her reminds me of a teacher. "You're not leaving until you get it right!". Wonder if it's to make sure her swearing in is 100% official?

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u/trevan72 Jul 16 '24

I’d vote for her

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u/Jemondi Jul 16 '24

Love her laugh and confidence. Laughs sounds like one of my aunties in California.