Skip to content
  • The Joekels Story
    • The Joekels Story
    • Joekels Catalogue
    • Awards and Accreditations
    • Partnerships
    • Meet Our Staff
  • Our Brands
    • Tetley
      • Tetley Black Tea Range
      • Tetley Green Tea Range
      • Tetley Herbals
    • Laager
      • Laager Pure Rooibos
      • Laager Rooibos Herbals
      • Laager Tea4Kidz Rooibos Range
    • Other brands
      • Phendula
      • Tea Time
      • Teeco
      • Southall’s
    • Society Cappuccino
  • Shop Joekels
    • Tea
    • Society
  • Recipes
    • Drinks & refreshment
      • Warm drinks
      • Immune Boosters
      • Smoothies & health drinks
      • Iced teas
      • Cocktails & Mocktails
      • Lollies
    • Meals & Snacks
      • Breakfast
      • Tea Time treats
      • Lunchbox snacks
      • Healthy meals
      • Lunches & Dinners
      • Dressings & toppings
      • Dessert & after dinner treats
  • Tea Health & Info
    • Rooibos Health Benefits
    • Black Tea Health Benefits
    • Green Tea Health Benefits
    • Kids Tea Health Benefits
    • Tea Info
  • Parenting Portal
    • Child Nutrition
    • Child Behaviour
    • Indoor Activities for Kids
  • Contact Us
Log in
    Joekels Tea Shop
    • The Joekels Story
      • The Joekels Story
      • Joekels Catalogue
      • Awards and Accreditations
      • Partnerships
      • Meet Our Staff
    • Our Brands
      • Tetley
        • Tetley Black Tea Range
        • Tetley Green Tea Range
        • Tetley Herbals
      • Laager
        • Laager Pure Rooibos
        • Laager Rooibos Herbals
        • Laager Tea4Kidz Rooibos Range
      • Other brands
        • Phendula
        • Tea Time
        • Teeco
        • Southall’s
      • Society Cappuccino
    • Shop Joekels
      • Tea
      • Society
    • Recipes
      • Drinks & refreshment
        • Warm drinks
        • Immune Boosters
        • Smoothies & health drinks
        • Iced teas
        • Cocktails & Mocktails
        • Lollies
      • Meals & Snacks
        • Breakfast
        • Tea Time treats
        • Lunchbox snacks
        • Healthy meals
        • Lunches & Dinners
        • Dressings & toppings
        • Dessert & after dinner treats
    • Tea Health & Info
      • Rooibos Health Benefits
      • Black Tea Health Benefits
      • Green Tea Health Benefits
      • Kids Tea Health Benefits
      • Tea Info
    • Parenting Portal
      • Child Nutrition
      • Child Behaviour
      • Indoor Activities for Kids
    • Contact Us
    Log in Cart

    Item added to your cart

    Laager Rooibos celebrates the uniqueness of being South African this Heritage Day

    Laager Rooibos celebrates the uniqueness of being South African this Heritage Day

    September 28, 2021
    Share

    Explaining the magnetic pull of South Africa to those who haven’t grown up or lived a significant amount of time in this country is like trying to translate the expressions ‘ag’ and ‘in a dwaal’ and ‘gees’ – it just can’t be done! To celebrate the distinctly South African paradigm this Heritage Month, Laager Rooibos embraced the ‘Tell us without telling us’ trend by asking South Africans to ‘tell us you’re South African without telling us you’re South African’.

    Some of the flavourful responses included: 

    ‘Nou gaan ons braai, ‘Mzansi 4 Sho’, ‘Umqombothi’, ‘Magwinya, atchar, polony and tea’, ‘Uzoyithola ka njani uhleli ekhoneni’, ‘We have virtual family meetings once in a while headed by the president’, ‘Mopani Worms (Mashonzha)’, ‘Shosholoza’, ‘Braaibroodjies, bonfire and hoezit!’, ‘Uphutu and Amasi’, ‘I love my kota with Russian and chips’, ‘Eita Daso!’, ‘Pap, wors and chakalaka and a hot Laager Rooibos Tea’, ‘Don't throw away that ice cream container, ‘Amabhokobhoko’, ‘Ekse, Heita!’, ‘I make beef potjie and a nice cup of Rooibos tea and delicious koeksisters’, ‘Wathinta abafazi Wathinta imbokodo’, ‘Molo Mhlobo Wam’, ‘Sho't Left’, ‘I put many plastics in one plastics bag’, ‘Sugar water’, ‘I need a stocking to swirl my hair’, ‘Listening to Amapiano and Jive kuze kuse’, ‘Last number kota with a cup of Laager Rooibos’, ‘Walala wasala’, ‘It means waking up to the fire burning outside while the porridge is cooking. Sitting around the fire at night listening to old tales told by uGogo. Watching the sunset behind the scarred mountain. It means helping others when they truly in need because Ubuntu lives in us’, ‘Laager Rooibos is altyd lêkker my bra’, ‘Laduummaaa’, and …‘Finish and klaar’!

    “Being South African means so many different things to so many different people. Despite our differences I believe if we consistently work together, we can overcome whatever adversity we face,” said Wandile Ngubane, Laager Rooibos Brand Manager. “We are a nation of triumph and rebuilding – believing that no matter how dark the days get, the sun always rises again. We remain constantly interconnected by a deep love for this truly unique place no matter what walk of life we are from, because there really is no place like home.”

    Candice Sessions, Laager Rooibos Marketing Manager, added that despite the challenges, being a South African is always a source of pride: “Maybe it’s because we are the only ones who understand the road we have walked, and for that we have a kind of begrudging but enduring respect for ourselves and for each other. And even those who leave often say that nowhere else ever truly feels like home. As a company that has built itself on the growth of Rooibos – one of South Africa’s biggest natural local jewels – we are so grateful to be part of the South African story.”

    Established in 1945, Laager Rooibos has been a staple in South African homes for generations, which is why it carries the motto ‘Strength is our tradition’. To celebrate Heritage Month, as well as the rich blend of cultures and traditions found in this country, Laager Rooibos has shared a poem that captures some of the essence of what it means to call South Africa home. 

    We Are

    We are a country of defying the odds

    Of winning world cups after losing the first game

    And captains who come from nothing but give everything

    We are the country of braais and boerie and biltong and gout

    We are the country of ja well no fine and now now and just now

    Of 11 official languages and a million unofficial sayings that only we understand

    Of robots that aren’t robots

    Boots that aren’t shoes

    And bunny chows where no bunny was harmed

    We are the country where Jou ma se is more offensive than any swear word you can think of

    Where Nkalakatha made the weekends special

    And where the best way to show dem is to make the circle bigger

    We are the country of Simunye We are One

    Chappies Did You Know

    And Wilson’s toffees that pay dentists salaries

    We are the country of evolution – from Kwaito to Gqom to Amapiano

    Where WWE Smackdown was a weekend obsession

    And John Cena is immortalised in song

    We are the country of Nik Naks and Cos Nothing Tastes like Fresca

    With an uncle in the furniture business

    And Husky dogs that always will be

    We are the country of rolling Rooibos fields

    That catch the sun and give us cups of goodness that taste like our childhood

    We are the country of walkie talkies that don’t walk or talk

    And deep fried everything

    We are the country that loves to laugh

    And that learned the hard way to laugh at ourselves

    We are the country of Telefun Quiz, Yizo Yizo

    And Sgudi ‘snaysi

    Of pick a box

    The Kandasamys

    And Riaan Cruywagen who never ages

    We are the country of rivals that share Nobel prizes

    Of scraping through by the skin of our teeth

    And flying by the seat of our pants

    We are the country of Madiba

    Of Desmond Tutu and Ahmed Kathrada

    Of Charlotte Maxeke

    And Tannie Evita

    Of second chances

    And miracles

    We are the country that gets knocked down and rises

    Every single time

    That lives in you long after you’ve left

    And never really lets go

    We are the country of recovering and rebuilding

    And hoping and praying

    And then doing it all over again

    Written by Candice Sessions

    For more information, or to discover healthy tips and recipes from Laager Rooibos, follow @LaagerRooibosTea on Facebook and Instagram or visit www.joekels.co.za. For recipe ideas from twin chefs and Laager Rooibos ambassadors Lebo and Tebo Ndala, follow @withlovefromthetwins.

    /ENDS

    About Joekels

    Joekels pack, blend and distribute some of South Africa’s most popular household tea and coffee brands including Tetley, Laager, Tea Time, Tea4Kidz, and Society Coffee. Started in 1994 by businessman, Joe Swart and Master Tea Blender, Jonathan Kelsey, Joekels is an award-winning business with both Halaal and Kosher accreditation, as well as the highest global food safety and quality certification, FSSC 22000. The Laager Rooibos brand is accredited by the Heart & Stroke foundation of South Africa. Visit www.joekels.co.za

     

    Back to blog

    Shop Now

    • Tetley Tea

      Tetley Tea 

    • Laager

      Laager 

    • Tea4Kidz

      Tea4Kidz 

    • Society

      Society 

    Quick links

    • The Joekels Story
    • What's Brewing?
    • Shop Joekels
    • Privacy Policy
    • Return Policy
    • Contact Us

    Subscribe to our emails

    Privacy Policy.
    Payment methods
      © 2025, Joekels Tea Shop Powered by Shopify
      • Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.