CULTURE SHOCK - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

out of a 100, it is worth the effort, because a visitor’s overriding impression is thatSouth African culture is marked by friendliness.Any traditionally western person is quite accustomed to the quick “good morning” or“good afternoon” as you rush by. In the more traditional African societies much moreimportance is placed on greeting someone and exchanging a few pleasantries, so itmay well be necessary to say a bit more than a rushed “good day” by adding a fewquestions like ‘Is all well today?’ or ‘Is your family well?’ or anything else thatcrosses one’s mind - and one should remember to await the reply and to answer thequestions that are put to you. It costs very little time, yet this kind of communicationbuilds strong bridges and working relationships in a culture where these things arevalued.The Handshake And BeyondWhen meeting a person for the first time in South Africa, men are almost alwaysexpected to shake hands - just grasp right hand to right hand and shake. More oftenwomen meeting men follow this ritual too, while women meeting women may shakehands or may just nod an acknowledgement.In a social situation, once one is more familiar with people, you may find that menwill greet women friends with a kiss on the cheek, while they will greet each otherwith a handshake, and the more daring will give each other a hug. In a businessenvironment it is appropriate for women to greet male colleagues with either a nod ora handshake. A kiss would be a little too familiar for the business community.ChristmasChristmas is a major South African celebration especially because it falls in themiddle of the school and summer holidays. Even the most irreligious tends tocelebrate it by giving gifts and enjoying a special meal with family and friends.18