Pronounced "tss-ot-see". A slang word common to most Southern African languages, a tsotsi is a person who is a rogue, a mischief-maker, a criminal, a bad element.

A synonym is "skelm", pronounced "skel-em", which has its roots in Afrikaans (and thus Dutch).

When you eat dirt for the first time and leave your family to build a shack in the woods

In urban slang of South Africa, "tsotsi" loosely translated means "thug". It is usually given to gangsters, thieves and liers that is either still young or still a minor.

Also the name of the Oscar winning South African movie (aka. Thug) about a young gangster that steals a car with a baby inside.

(n.)South African word describing a dodgy character. Someone who steals, lies and generally is not to be trusted. A township gangster. Can also be used as a light insult to friends. Pronounce it as you read it, say the 'ts' part quickly, as an interrupted 's' sound.