Zef
Encyclopedia
Zef is a South African counter-culture
movement. Die Antwoord
's personas are said to have it influence their style.
word, which roughly translates to the English word "common". Jack Parow
, in an interview, describes the movement as "It's kind of like posh, but the opposite of posh." It differs from the Australian term Bogan
, and the British term Chav
in that it is mostly a positive term used to describe oneself, rather than a derogatory term for someone else. It is also not typical of the poorest classes of the society, but rather a mostly white, lower-middle class subculture, albeit one that glorifies cheap stuff.
Yolandi Visser
of Die Antwoord
is quoted as saying, "It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style."
The word "Zef" is a contraction
of the name of the Ford Zephyr
motorcar that was popular worldwide from the 1950s to the 1970s. In South Africa, these cars at that time were more often than not owned by working-class
people especially from the then-upcoming East and West Rand
areas of Johannesburg
(due to gold mining
activity and the rising price of gold
after it was de-coupled from a fixed US Dollar price of USD30 per fine ounce) and when Ford was seen as a high-quality product to aspire to as a motorcar to own. The most distinctive and well-known feature of these cars were their hooters ("horn
" in the USA) that made a peculiar and amusing "A-hooo-haahhhhh" sound.
From the early 1980s onwards, the brand name Ford became more and more associated with "redneck
s" and bad build quality, because the bulk of Ford Zephyrs were now late into their life cycles and were starting to break down regularly and decay rapidly, at the same time that sanctions were starting to bite in South Africa and the gold boom
period of the 70's and early 80's declined. Jokes circulated about "Ford" being an acronym for "Found On Rubbish Dumps" and "Foute Oral, Reparasies Daagliks" in Afrikaans (loosely translated "Faults Everywhere, Repairs Daily.") The follow-up model in the early 80's, the Ford Cortina
, did little to break the stereotype
. To this day, South Africans joke about the "1-2-3 People" - folks who buy 1 litre of cheap and nasty brandy, 2 litres of Coca-Cola
and a 3-litre Ford Cortina. The average Zephyr driver, while relatively comfortable financially in the 70's, was still generally from a more working-class than elite and/or highly educated background, so owners of these cars were given the derogatory description of being "Zef" (Zephyr owner) by middle-class
and more well-to-do South Africans.
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
movement. Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.-Background:...
's personas are said to have it influence their style.
Origin of the term
The word zef stems from an 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...
word, which roughly translates to the English word "common". Jack Parow
Jack Parow
Zander Tyler, better known by his stage name Jack Parow is a South African Afrikaans rapper from Bellville in the Western Cape. He is well known for his contribution to the song Die Vraagstuk with Die Heuwels Fantasties. He also performed with Die Heuwels Fantasties at Oppikoppi 2009...
, in an interview, describes the movement as "It's kind of like posh, but the opposite of posh." It differs from the Australian term Bogan
Bogan
The term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....
, and the British term Chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
in that it is mostly a positive term used to describe oneself, rather than a derogatory term for someone else. It is also not typical of the poorest classes of the society, but rather a mostly white, lower-middle class subculture, albeit one that glorifies cheap stuff.
Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser
Yolandi Visser is a South African singer/rapper who co-fronts the rap group Die Antwoord. She was also part of notable music and art groups MaxNormal.TV and The Constructus Corporation.She has a child with Watkin Tudor Jones, named Sixteen Jones...
of Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord
Die Antwoord is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.-Background:...
is quoted as saying, "It's associated with people who soup their cars up and rock gold and shit. Zef is, you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style."
The word "Zef" is a contraction
Contraction (grammar)
A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters....
of the name of the Ford Zephyr
Ford Zephyr
The Ford Zephyr was a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom. Between 1950 and 1972, it was sold as a more powerful six-cylinder saloon to complement the four-cylinder Ford Consul: from 1962 the Zephyr itself was offered in both four- and six-cylinder versions.The Zephyr...
motorcar that was popular worldwide from the 1950s to the 1970s. In South Africa, these cars at that time were more often than not owned by working-class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
people especially from the then-upcoming East and West Rand
West Rand
The West Rand is the name of the urban western part of the Witwatersrand that is functionally merged with the Johannesburg conurbation. This area became settled by Europeans after a gold-bearing reef discovered in 1886 and sparked the gold rush that gave rise to the establishment of...
areas of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
(due to gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
activity and the rising price of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
after it was de-coupled from a fixed US Dollar price of USD30 per fine ounce) and when Ford was seen as a high-quality product to aspire to as a motorcar to own. The most distinctive and well-known feature of these cars were their hooters ("horn
Vehicle horn
A vehicle horn is a sound-making device used to warn others of the approach of the vehicle or of its presence. Automobiles, trucks, ships, and trains are all required by law to have horns...
" in the USA) that made a peculiar and amusing "A-hooo-haahhhhh" sound.
From the early 1980s onwards, the brand name Ford became more and more associated with "redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
s" and bad build quality, because the bulk of Ford Zephyrs were now late into their life cycles and were starting to break down regularly and decay rapidly, at the same time that sanctions were starting to bite in South Africa and the gold boom
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
period of the 70's and early 80's declined. Jokes circulated about "Ford" being an acronym for "Found On Rubbish Dumps" and "Foute Oral, Reparasies Daagliks" in Afrikaans (loosely translated "Faults Everywhere, Repairs Daily.") The follow-up model in the early 80's, the Ford Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
, did little to break the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
. To this day, South Africans joke about the "1-2-3 People" - folks who buy 1 litre of cheap and nasty brandy, 2 litres of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and a 3-litre Ford Cortina. The average Zephyr driver, while relatively comfortable financially in the 70's, was still generally from a more working-class than elite and/or highly educated background, so owners of these cars were given the derogatory description of being "Zef" (Zephyr owner) by middle-class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and more well-to-do South Africans.