Cryptic crossword clue
Black marks for South African statesman 5

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word SMUTS

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
S
M
U
T
S

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The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does SMUTS mean?

SMUTS noun
  1. Soot.
  2. A flake of ash or soot.
  3. Sexually vulgar material; something that is sexual in a dirty way; pornographic material.
  4. Obscene language; ribaldry; obscenity.
  5. Any of a range of fungi, mostly Ustilaginomycetes, that cause plant disease in grasses, including cereal crops; the disease so caused.
  6. Bad, soft coal containing earthy matter, found in the immediate locality of faults.

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