South African slang for the girlfriend or mistress of a married man — specifically used in township and Black South African communities to describe an extramarital romantic partner. It's a loaded word with real cultural weight: it acknowledges a widespread social phenomenon while carrying a mix of condemnation, gossip, and sometimes dark humor. The term is widely understood across South Africa and appears in music, literature, and everyday conversation as shorthand for a complicated and often painful situation.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew she was his nyatsi, even though he'd never admit it to his wife.
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(South Africa) The mistress of a married man.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.