DO YOU KNOW WHATOUR AFRICAN NAMES MEAN Hi my name

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DO YOU KNOW WHATOUR AFRICAN NAMES MEAN
Hi my name is Nonkululeko Ndlela.
This is me on the photo below.
I am one of the children supported by Sinethemba Trust.
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The first gift that we receive when we are born is a name.
In our culture, when a parent gives a name to a baby,
There is a story behind it.
This is because most of our African names have a meaning.
I would like to share with you the meaning of some of our
names here in South Africa. I will not manage to tell you
about all the names. Just some names now. Then, later
in the future, I shall tell you more.
NONKULULEKO MEANS FREEDOM
Let me start with my name. Nonkululeko means
FREEDOM. One starts gives this name to tell one’s
parents that one is now free from one’s parents. When
you are grown enough or you are married and then you
get a child, that child will be Nonkululeko or Nkululeko
because you are free from your parents.
In addition, most of the children who were born in South
Africa are called Nonkululeko. In South Africa, we
received our freedom from apartheid in 1994.
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ZUZILE MEANS TO ACHIEVE
Some married people wait for long time to have a child.
When you wait for long time to get a child while others of
your age have their own children, it becomes
embarrassing. When you later get a child, you call her
Zuzile because you have now got what you have been
waiting for long time. In the photo below, the name of
the girl who is carrying a baby is Zuzile. We are together
at Sinethemba Center.
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NOLUTHANDO MEANS LOVE
If the mother and father of a child are deep love when
they were expecting a child, they give their child a name
Noluthando if the baby is a girl. If the baby is a boy,
they call him Thando which also means love. Please,
meet Noluthando in the photo below.
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SIPHO OR NOSIPHO MEANS A GIFT
Every child is a gift that comes from God. If you get a
child and you feel it is a gift from God, you give him a
name Sipho if he is a boy and Nosipho if she is a girl.
ANELE OR ZANELE OR KWANELE MEANS ENOUGH
When you get many children, for example, you get seven
children, then you call your last born Kwanele if he is a
boy or Zanele or Anele if she is a girl because you will no
longer be expecting a child anymore.
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NOXOLO OR XOLANI MEANS FORGIVENESS
If you are still young and then you become pregnant, you
then disappoint your parents. When you give birth to
your child and you want to ask forgiveness from your
parents, you then call her Noxolo if she is a girl and
Xolani if he is a boy. On the photo below, the name of
this handsome boy is Xolani. The name of the girl in
white jersey is Noxolo.
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SIYABONGA MEANS TO APPRECIATE
The reason why people give this name to their children is
because the parents want to thank God for the child.
They also give this name if people want to thank one
another for something. They also give this name if they
want to thank God for everything that God has done for
them. Please, meet Siyabonga in the photo below.
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NDUMISO MEANS PRAISING
Praising is to go to Church and meet other people and
praise the Lord because God is the one who created the
world and everything that is on earth and even us. When
one receives a child and wants to praise God, one gives
him the name Ndumiso. Please meet Ndumiso in the
photo below.
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NHLAKANIPHO MEANS TO BE WISE
If you want to succeed in life, you have to be wise and
you have to give yourself time. Parents give this name to
their babies because they want their children to grow up
as wise people. They want them to follow the meaning of
the name that they have given them. Please, meet
Nhlakanipho.
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THEMBELIHLE MEANS A GOOD HOPE
They give this name to their baby because they have hope
that everything shall be alright. Sometimes, they have
hope that the baby will change everything in their lives
because they have hope in each other. Here is
Thembelihle.
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SIBUSISO MEANS TO BE BLESSED
They give this name because they want to thank God for
blessing them with a beautiful baby boy. They also call a
child Sibusiso because God has blessed them. This one
below is Sibusiso.
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THABANI MEANS TO BE HAPPY
They name a baby Thabani because they are happy because
God has given them a baby boy. They also call a child
Thabani because they are happy after many years of
waiting for a baby boy. The one in the middle of this
photo is Thabani.
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THENJIWE MEANS TO BE TRUSTED
Some give their babies this name to say they trust God for
giving them a trusted little girl. Sometimes they give a
baby this name because they feel the child shall grow up
to be trusted with everything. If you are a good person,
you have to be trusted with everything. The one carrying
a baby in the photo is Thenjiwe.
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KHULEKANI MEANS TO PRAY
If you want everything to go well in your life, you have to
pray to God to be always there for you when you need
Him. You have been praying for so many years to ask
God to give you a baby, you give the baby a name
Khulekani. The one who is on the right on this photo is
Khulekani.
That’s enough names for one day.
I shall bring you more names in the future.
Thank you for being kind and generous to us.