‘State capture’ has been named the South African word of the year for 2017, according to the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) and media research companies Focal Points and Newsclip.

This announcement was made based on research conducted by Focal Points and Newsclip on statistics within the South African media between January and October 12 of this year.

PanSALB CEO Dr Mpho Monareng said for the first time in history, PanSALB and its Lexicography unit have decided to endorse this international practice. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if State capture becomes one of the defining words of our time,” said Monareng.

State capture has been widely associated with the controversial Gupta family’s alleged influenced in government dealings. 

“Candidates for word of the year were reviewed by PanSALB and its structures which then debated their merits, choosing one that captures the philosophy, mood, or obsessions of that particular year,” Monareng explained.  

Findings

State capture was used 20 231 times in over 11 000 South African newspaper articles with the majority of the coverage found in daily newspapers. This accounted for 68% of the total coverage mentioning State capture, followed by Sunday newspapers at 19%.

Monareng did not expect the use of State capture to slow down in the near future, especially owing to the African National Congress conference in December.

“We are happy with the choice, as it echoes a year dominated by highly-charged political and social discourse,” Monareng added.
 
Other words shortlisted were 'blesser' and 'white monopoly capital'.