Is "Saffer" an offensive term for a South African?

I've always believed that "Saffer" is a derogatory term for a South African.
But a few minutes earlier, I saw this tweet by ESPN:

So, isn't "Saffer" a derogatory term?

Solution 1:

You might want to be careful using it with black South Africans, especially those who are culturally or traditionally inclined. "Old-school" black South Africans do not like to be called names they don't understand. In African culture every word has a meaning; colloquial language is considered to be rude especially when being used with elders. Do not say "Saffer" to any South African over the age of 35; that's where the modern boundary is drawn. However, you can ask; you might be surprised.

I am a young modern South African black female.

Solution 2:

No, not derogatory (at least in the above context). When three-letter abbreviations are used for countries, "South Africa" often gets the abbreviation "SAF" (standard in cricket), thus a "saffer" is someone from SAF. It's just a regional nickname like "Aussie" or "Ozzie" for someone from Australia or "Kiwi" for someone from New Zealand: in this context it's playful/colloquial, not offensive/derogatory.

It's self-applied often enough: see the Google results for "I'm a saffer", "am a saffer", "as a saffer", "us saffers", "we saffers".

Solution 3:

I would think derogatory since it rhymes with kaffer. But according to SA Friends it is not:

...simply short for 'saff efrican' as we would say it.

So there you have it from the Saffer's mouth ;)