Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (S.Afr.) a street thug, a hoodlum, usu. a member of a gang.

1934		Cape Argus (S.Afr.) 8 Jan. 10: The accused [...] were actually several degrees lower than the average ‘scolly-boy’ who commits most of the crimes of violence and theft in the Peninsula [DSAE].
1959		J.M. Meiring Candle in the Wind 105: He got tired of paying money to get him out of the tronk. He was a real skollie.
1959		A. Delius Last Division 27: Youth waits its chance, the dandy, tsotsi, skolly.
1963		K. Mackenzie Dragon to Kill 26: You can usually buy dagga from the skollies who hang around here.
1974		(con. 1930s) A. Brink Looking on Darkness 50: He gave me the word of don’ you do as those other skollies, my chile, you got class.
1977		D. Muller Whitey 14: ‘This Whitey is lekker psycho,’ the skolly said.
1980		A. Dangor ‘Waiting for Leila’ in Mutloatse Forced Landing 169: Listen skollieboy, I give you five minutes to get your arse out of here.
1990		R. Gool Cape Town Coolie 76: A man from out of town was held up by skollies at gun point.
2000		A. Brink Rights of Desire (2001) 136: Bringing that blerry bunch of skollies here to stink us all the way to hell!
2005		A. Lovejoy Acid Alex xxi: I’m Airport Alex, the ou formerly known as Acid Alex, also [...] known as Skollie Papillon.
2011		IOL News (Western Cape) 8 Feb. 🌐 A suspected robber was shot dead soon after he and nine other ‘skollies’ tried to hold up a supermarket in Nyanga.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1943		‘John Burger’ Black Man’s Burden 85: ‘Skolly gangs’ are a public menace.
1959		J. Yates-Benyon Weak and the Wicked 110: Koos was the typical ‘skolly-boy’ type.
1960		D. Lytton Goddam White Man 184: The big skolly gang, Werewolves, tried to offer one shop protection.
1995		Mail & Guiardian 5 May 🌐 Thursday night featured skollie rocker Bill Knight.
2011		Big Issue (Cape Town) 10 Jan. 37/2: It’s focused on ‘skollie-rock’ folk music.