The term grootman has various meanings; it could mean older brother, but it is mostly used in townships as a term of respect for an older man or a leader. 

How it is used:

“My grootman was the best soccer player.” This means: “My older brother was the best soccer player.” 

“Grootman is the organiser for the street soccer tournaments with big sponsors.” The grootman in this instance means leader.

Social media has since taken away these meanings from us as various people have emerged and said most people use the term to suck up to people just because those people have money or are in positions of power.

We stick to our roots – grootman for respect. 

To the original grootmans, danko!

Tell us: How do you use the term “grootman”?