Naming Practice in Mgobodzi Settlement: Divergence from Cultural Stereotypes

Naming Practice in Mgobodzi Settlement: Divergence from Cultural Stereotypes

Khulisile Judith Nkuna

Issue: Vol.6 No.14 Article 56 pp. 4164 – 4178
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561456| Published online 30th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

This study critically examined the divergence of naming practices from cultural stereotypes within the Mgobodzi Settlement of South Africa, drawing on secondary content analysis from contemporary scholarly sources. The findings revealed that naming practices in Mgobodzi are shaped by a complex interplay of globalisation, socio-economic mobility, and educational aspirations, reflecting broader patterns of cultural negotiation in postcolonial societies. The study identified a noticeable shift from traditional Swati names to Westernised or hybrid names, driven by parental desires to position their children advantageously in multicultural educational and economic systems. While some community members perceive this trend as cultural erosion, others view it as strategic resistance against ethnic stereotyping. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated that naming serves as both an identity marker and a socio-economic resource in an increasingly globalised society. The study recommends inclusive cultural education, policy reforms, and hybrid naming strategies as sustainable approaches to balancing cultural preservation with modern identity formation. This research contributes to the discourse on linguistic identity, cultural resilience, and the dynamics of postcolonial identity reconstruction in marginalised settlements.

Keywords: Naming Practices, Cultural Stereotypes, Identity Negotiation, Mgobodzi Settlement, Globalisation.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Khulisile Judith Nkuna is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of African Languages in the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education at the University of Venda. She is the former Head of Department for the African Languages Department in the University of Venda. She is a researcher, linguist, and supervisor for Siswati post-graduate students. She has worked over 11 years in the higher education sector. She has supervised Honours, Masters, and PhD students. Dr Nkuna specializes in Modern Prose and traditional Literature, Drama, Poetry, Sociolinguistics, Syntax, Semantics, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed and accredited journals. Her most recent publication is an article on Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Cultural Identity in Selected Siswati Short Stories, E-Journal of Humanities, Arts Social Sciences (EHASS) Vol 6 Issue 7. June 2025.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Nkuna, Khulisile Judith. “Naming Practice in Mgobodzi Settlement: Divergence from Cultural Stereotypes.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 14 (2025): 4154 – 4163, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561456.