Media personality Denzel Mwiyeretsi has explained that in South Africa, people greet by kissing each other on the lips. He said even family members greet each other with a light kiss on the lips, regardless of the gender.
This was after a photo of South Africa based Ugandan socialite, Zari Hassan with one of her friends from her All White 41st birthday party surfaced online and it appeared as if they were passionately smooching.
“It is normal in South Africa. I had family members greeting me like that, but I always found it unusual and it was a culture clash I had to get used to. As with the French kissing the cheek, the trick is in the pressure of the contact. Too much pressure is deemed inappropriate. The contact is light.”
Zari shared the photos online thanking her friends for organising the birthday party.
She has lived in South Africa since the days of her late ex-husband Ivan Ssemwanga and is now in charge of his businesses that include the Brooklyn Colleges. That should explain why she has adapted to their culture.
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