Goffal
Encyclopedia
Goffal is a term used for people of mixed race from Zimbabwe
and Zambia
, the former Southern
and Northern Rhodesias
respectively, particularly white people of British & Dutch descent with black people.
It cannot be pinpointed exactly when coloureds started referring to one another as Goffals but it is widely accepted that it evolved in the late 1970s to early 1980s in goffal communities around the country.
and Ndebele), and white settlers. Goffal surnames are of European origin e.g. Brown, Staal, Green, Orange, Britto, Soutter, Mckop, Hassam, Green, Van Helsdingen, and Van Heeden. They have also been nicknamed "vazukuru", which means nephew or niece born of a sister, by ethnic Shona people, referring to the wide belief that they were mostly born of relationships between white men and black women.
all children resulting from inter-racial relations were separated from their families and put into race-specific schools and restricted to living in coloured designated neighbourhoods. As a result the mixed race offspring began to marry and have families within their racial group which already included the Cape Coloureds. The Goffal community began to grow and gain an identity. Specifically suburbs mainly in Bulawayo
(Thorngrove nickname
d Groove, Barham Green nicknamed B.G., Forrest Vale, Queens Park, Morningside) and Harare
(Arcadia, Braeside) began to grow and gain a significant population but in recent years many have gone in diaspora with large groups in London
, Milton Keynes
, Dublin, Canada
in cities and towns like St.Catharines/Hamilton
/Burlington
/Toronto
and New Zealand
.
In addition, goffals traditionally worked in jobs that were below those reserved for white people but just above the menial jobs reserved for black people in colonial times. Post-independence male goffals were found working predominately "grease jobs"; e.g. mechanics, boiler makers, welders, fitter and turners and females as secretaries in the governments, particularly the lower courts.
Ironically it is these trades that are in high demand in most first world countries leading to success for many goffal men and women who have the needed experience.
Goffal community stereotypes are characterised by very jovial way of life which are characterised by loud parties, extremely social attitudes, loud and fast cars, colourful attire and of course, the love for street fighting amongst the younger members of the communities. It was not uncommon to see groups of Goffal youngsters going to nightclubs just to get a thrill out of fighting with others to prove their superiority. They also love Fundays, Car Races, beerfests and soccer games along with the communities having places set up for games like bingo and darts for the elderly.
Goffals have had to prove their identity to Southern Africa and therefore have pride in their background and sense of culture.
, the main language is a mixture of mainly English
with some Afrikaans, local Bantu
and slang made up over the years to produce a unique accent which is easily identifiable.
Goffals can also be identified by their accents that are very distinctive with the word "ekse" (Afrikaans "Ek sê" or "I say") used at the end of each phrase or sentence e.g. "How's it, ekee?" to which the reply is "lekker, ekse".
Zimbabwean Slang Dictionary
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, the former Southern
Southern Rhodesia
Southern Rhodesia was the name of the British colony situated north of the Limpopo River and the Union of South Africa. From its independence in 1965 until its extinction in 1980, it was known as Rhodesia...
and Northern Rhodesias
Northern Rhodesia
Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...
respectively, particularly white people of British & Dutch descent with black people.
It cannot be pinpointed exactly when coloureds started referring to one another as Goffals but it is widely accepted that it evolved in the late 1970s to early 1980s in goffal communities around the country.
Racial composition of goffals
Goffal can refer to a mixture of any race but is predominantly a mixture of local black tribes (ShonaShona people
Shona is the name collectively given to two groups of people in the east and southwest of Zimbabwe, north eastern Botswana and southern Mozambique.-Shona Regional Classification:...
and Ndebele), and white settlers. Goffal surnames are of European origin e.g. Brown, Staal, Green, Orange, Britto, Soutter, Mckop, Hassam, Green, Van Helsdingen, and Van Heeden. They have also been nicknamed "vazukuru", which means nephew or niece born of a sister, by ethnic Shona people, referring to the wide belief that they were mostly born of relationships between white men and black women.
Goffal communities
During the white minority rule in then RhodesiaRhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
all children resulting from inter-racial relations were separated from their families and put into race-specific schools and restricted to living in coloured designated neighbourhoods. As a result the mixed race offspring began to marry and have families within their racial group which already included the Cape Coloureds. The Goffal community began to grow and gain an identity. Specifically suburbs mainly in Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
(Thorngrove nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d Groove, Barham Green nicknamed B.G., Forrest Vale, Queens Park, Morningside) and Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
(Arcadia, Braeside) began to grow and gain a significant population but in recent years many have gone in diaspora with large groups in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, Dublin, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in cities and towns like St.Catharines/Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
/Burlington
Burlington, Ontario
Burlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
/Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
In addition, goffals traditionally worked in jobs that were below those reserved for white people but just above the menial jobs reserved for black people in colonial times. Post-independence male goffals were found working predominately "grease jobs"; e.g. mechanics, boiler makers, welders, fitter and turners and females as secretaries in the governments, particularly the lower courts.
Ironically it is these trades that are in high demand in most first world countries leading to success for many goffal men and women who have the needed experience.
Goffal community stereotypes are characterised by very jovial way of life which are characterised by loud parties, extremely social attitudes, loud and fast cars, colourful attire and of course, the love for street fighting amongst the younger members of the communities. It was not uncommon to see groups of Goffal youngsters going to nightclubs just to get a thrill out of fighting with others to prove their superiority. They also love Fundays, Car Races, beerfests and soccer games along with the communities having places set up for games like bingo and darts for the elderly.
Goffals have had to prove their identity to Southern Africa and therefore have pride in their background and sense of culture.
Language
Unlike their South African counterparts who speak AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, the main language is a mixture of mainly English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with some Afrikaans, local Bantu
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
and slang made up over the years to produce a unique accent which is easily identifiable.
Goffals can also be identified by their accents that are very distinctive with the word "ekse" (Afrikaans "Ek sê" or "I say") used at the end of each phrase or sentence e.g. "How's it, ekee?" to which the reply is "lekker, ekse".
Ancestors
There is no fixed genotype to classify the average Goffal. Over thee years there has been the development of several types of Goffal. Categorically they would break down to various mixed races that would include Anglo/Shona, Anglo/Ndebele, Asian/Shona and many mixed race derivatives. Many are unable to trace their direct ancestry.Goffal Slang
Goffal DictionaryZimbabwean Slang Dictionary