Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents the definition of "pantsula" from the Dictionary of South African English.
This article also includes an excerpt from a 2018 article on Pantsula fashion from Esquire Magazine.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Jonathan Evans and all those who are quoted in this post.
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on South Africa's Pantsula dances.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/11/three-pantsula-dance-videos-from-south.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Three Pantsula Dance Videos From South Africa (2012, 2018, & 2021) & Two Article Excerpts About Pantsula Dancing (2017 & 2018)".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/south-african-pantsula-dance.html for a 2014 pancocojams post on pantsula that is entitled "South African Pantsula Dance: 2014 pancocojams post (information, videos, & comments)". That post showcases seven videos of pantsula dances that aren't found in this 2021 post as well as a few comments from those videos discussion threads.
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DEFINITION OF PANTSULA FROM THE DICTIONARY OF SOUTH AFRICAN ENGLISH
[retrieved on Nov. 2, 2021]
Dictionary of South African English
Forms: pantsola,
pantsula [Show more]
Also with initial capital.
Plurals: usually
pantsulas, ma-pantsula.
Origin: Isicamtho,
Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho, Zulu
slang
In urban (especially township) parlance:
1.
a. A young urban black person (usually a man) whose
attitudes and behaviour, especially regarding speech and dress, are of the most
popular current fashion. See also mshoza. b.
tsotsi sense 1 a. Also attributive.
Note:
Although the term seems not to have been used in general
Isicamtho before the late 1970s, it is now sometimes applied retrospectively to
the ‘tsotsis’ and ‘bras’ of the 1950s.
Note:
Among themselves, pantsulas normally speak general
Isicamtho. Their style of dress was formerly reminiscent of 1950s ‘tsotsi’
fashion, characterized by expensive clothing, particularly trousers with
turn-ups (usually worn above the ankles), fine shoes (often two-tone brogues),
and a felt hat; more recently a diversity of styles has emerged.
[1976 K.M.C. Motsisi in M. Mutloatse Casey & Co. (1978)
62I tell her I’m off to Kid Pancholla’s place.]
1982 W.O. KwaMthetwa in Staffrider Vol.5 No.2, 9There
were..Mapansula, Ma-Amerikane and what have you...These people are discerned
from one another by their way of dressing.
1982 Star 11 Nov. (Tonight) 4A pantsola, a custodian of
scamtho, explained his delayed arrival to his boss. ‘I come from London 727’ (I
come from Orlando East number 727) leaving the employer..trying to figure out
how the poor bloke travels...Capture the miasma of township life including the
heady dances of pantsolas and their intoxicating patois called ‘scamtho’.
1983 Drum Sept. 39It is ironic that these sexy female ‘pantsulas’
are the first to fill church seats on Sundays.
1984 M. Mthethwa in Frontline July 29Pantsulas and Mshozas
take great pride in their expensive clothes. Lizard-skin shoes and purses,
cashmere pullovers and cardigans, leather coats, jackets and berets are top
with them.
1984 M. Mthethwa in Frontline July 30The cheapest pair of
shoes you will come across worn by a Pantsulas will cost about R150.
1985 J. Khumalo in Pace Sept. 18 (caption)Is the Pantsula
style, with one-pleat trousers and Florsheim shoes, going out of fashion after
30 years of glory?
1985 L. Sampson in Style Dec. 44He wears..Panzolla trousers.
1986 T. Thoka in Eng. Usage in Sn Afr. Vol.17 No.2, 18The
label ‘Mapantsula’ is actually the newest word for the old term ‘tsotsie’,
which refers to an urban thug...Tsotsie-taal has become a street dialect, and
is not confined to thugs. The Mapantsula are the main users of this dialect.
1986 Drum Aug. 70Women pantsulas live far from a healthy
morality.
1987 Cosmopolitan Dec. 88Pantsulas..don’t want to wear their
father’s clothes, speak English and do not buy mbaqanga music. They buy
‘Hotstix’, Brenda Fassie, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Chicco and CJB.
1991 in Schmitz & Mogotlane Mapantsula 38Nathan: To what
extent were you influenced by the 1950s mapantsulas’ style? Mogotlane: Those
mapantsulas had style. They were influenced mainly by the American gangster
movies...Dressing in labels was very important, so, John Stevens of London,
Dobson and Stetson, was vital...Schmitz:..Why is this guy wearing old fashioned
clothes? Mapantsulas today don’t wear those sorts of clothes. Mogotlane: Those
who are criticising don’t know the mapantsula...That style of mapantsula still
lives today. Even the elderly..still believe in the turn-up
trouser,..Florsheims, and a straw hat maybe, or a Stetson. It does influence
the youngsters. Godfrey Moloi..has a handkerchief hanging out of his suit
pocket all the time...He is still a mapantsula of the 1950s...Nathan: The
music, dress and dance in the film all draw strongly on contemporary mapantsula
style.
1992 M-Net TV 19 Apr. (Carte Blanche)Didi calls himself a pantsula...They speak a special language called tsotsi-taal.
2. A dance-style in which each person performs a solo turn
within a circle of dancers doing a repetitive, shuffling step; the music
accompanying this dancing. Usually attributive.
1990 City Press 17 June 16Forget disco and pantsula jive,
move into the quiet world of waltzes, foxtrots and quickstep.
[Show more]
1991 Schmitz & Mogotlane Mapantsula 38We linked the
freedom songs with mapantsula music because the two are inter-related."
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ESQUIRE MAGAZINE ARTICLE EXCERPT
https://www.esquire.com/style/mens-fashion/a22804470/johannesburg-pantsula-dancers-style-fashion-clothing/ The Deeper Meaning Behind the Dress Codes of Johannesburg’s
Pantsula Dancers
In the townships of South Africa's biggest city, a thriving
style subculture is changing with the times.
By Jonathan Evans, Sep 25, 2018
Vuyani Feni, stage name King Gaba, is in his late 30s—too
young to have been part of the first generation of pantsula culture. But he
channels the look of those early dancers and dressers, with lace-up oxfords,
plaid trousers, an argyle sweater, and a newsboy cap. He describes classic
pantsula style, which borrowed from jazz musicians as well as classic American
and English styles, as a declaration of personhood and self-worth in the early
days of apartheid.
“Remember that when the pantsula was discovered during the ‘50s—the 1950s to the 1960s—was when apartheid was also developed,” he says. The pressed-and-polished look of first-generation Amapantsula was “more in the sense of like, ‘No, don't just treat us as criminals, don't associate us with people you think belong to the prison. No, we are smart; we can give you a smarter way of leading our country.’" (This attitude was complicated by the reality of gang violence in the townships, some of which was famously perpetrated by men and women dressed in a similar mode.)
Feni explains that while dance was a crucial element of the
beginning of pantsula, the narrative around the culture thus far has glossed
over other important elements. “It was more of politics, how we speak in our
language,” he says. “And it was more of how we dressed, how we presented
ourselves.” The idea of a group of self-actualized and vocal non-whites in the
townships was a dangerous one. The government, Feni says, adopted an informal
policy of, “No, these people need to be drifted away, because now they will
bring the corrupt mindset of giving people the way of how to express themselves.”
By the ‘80s and ‘90s, a second generation of pantsula had
arrived, still carrying a political banner in the face of apartheid by helping
contribute to a sense of black identity in a deeply divided South Africa. As
with any younger generation, its members adopted some elements of their elders’
style while rejecting others in favor of new ideas. “We were influenced by our
parents, who were raised a certain way, in the ‘60s,” Mdyoi says. “And, then,
from there on, things evolve; times, technology, and the environment start to
change.”
This new generation “related with our environment differently from our parents,” Mdoyi acknowledges, “but there will always be links and similarities in the way things appeal to us, and how we want to be represented.” So while the idea of standing out from a crowd by looking put-together was still a core element of pantsula style, new hallmarks of the look—ones that persist to this day—were introduced.
Workwear styles from both America and South Africa became part of the pantsula culture in the form of Dickies pants from the States and the notorious kitchen-suit worn by domestic workers in apartheid South Africa. “Pantsulas took it and made it into their uniform,” says Charles Mafafane, who wears a kitchen-suit to perform under the stage name Slender. “The guys just said, ‘You know what, we'll make it our costume.”
The adoption of workwear represents a sort of reclamation
and recontextualization in pantsula culture. “It might be a uniform to somebody
else, but when you're wearing it, you feel proud,” says Sello “Zilo” Modiga,
managing director of Impilo Mapantsula. “It's cheaper, and it's different than
other clothes. Wearing Dickies, like it's an American workwear. But to us, it's
something else, especially when you're wearing it with a crew. It becomes
nice.”
Affordability was another key concern. Co-opted uniforms were built to move and more attainable than the dressier styles favored by the first generation of pantsulas. Bucket hats—or spotis—were also rooted in function, offering a little shade on sunny days, but employed as much for their distinctive look and the ease with which they could be incorporated into dance routines.
But perhaps no single element of pantsula style is more important than the Converse All-Star. Introduced way back in 1917 in the States, the simple canvas sneaker—almost always in the high-top version—hit South Africa in the ‘70s and became more widely available in the ensuing decades. Aside from leather dress shoes, it’s pretty much the only thing you’ll see on the feet of a pantsula dancer.
“Always the All-Stars,” says Thomas Motsapi. Even when he’s not on stage. It’s a critical part of the look, and one that he says helps him identify other Amapantsula on the street. Samuel “Magesh” Moretsi attributes the sneakers’ popularity to a mix of comfort and style. “My All-Star, it’s formal and casual because I can wear it with formal trousers or even jeans. I feel comfortable in the All-Star because I can do many dance moves without complaining about my feet. It's good for me to wear this sneaker, because you grow up knowing that the pantsula must wear an All-Star.”
That this basic fact will change any time in the near future
seems unlikely. The All-Star is entwined with the fashion fabric of the
culture, and looks poised to stay that way. But a shift, even to a foundational
piece, isn’t inconceivable. Pantsula is ever-evolving. And like the sea-change
that brought in the instantly recognizable Dickies/Converse/bucket hat trifecta
in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the culture is currently at an inflection point.
As second-generation pantsulas become evangelists and elder
statesmen of the culture, a younger set of dancers is joining the fray—and
bringing change with them. Influential sub-sects like the skothanes pushed more
color and pattern into the mix, the influence of which can be felt in outfits
like Kgotsofalang Moshe Mavundla’s blaze-orange overalls. He refers to the
colors of the countryside, which fans out from the far-flung townships where
pantsula got its start. “We like to be visible, to be pride,” he says. “So
that's where the inspiration of colors came from.”…
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This article has photographs that aren’t included in the excerpts.
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