“I Ride a Hippo To Work”: Gent Pranks Overseas Followers With Views of Mzansi’s “CBD” Areas

• A South African comedian shared a hilarious video pretending that a nature reserve with giraffes and other wild animals is Winnie Mandela Drive in Johannesburg's CBD area
• In the clip, he films wildlife roaming freely on a gravel road while telling his overseas viewers this is what South African cities look like daily
• South Africans played along with the joke in the comments, with some claiming they ride hippos and elephants to work

A South African comedian has poked fun at outdated stereotypes about Africa. Content creator @byroncomedy, known for his humorous traffic and taxi videos, shared a clip on Facebook in mid-April with the caption:

"I wanted to share this video as I had some questions from my overseas fans, asking why they only see taxis?! This is what we see on a daily basis when commuting to work."

In the video, he begins by showing the dashboard of his car before panning to the gravel road ahead, where a family of giraffes can be seen wandering about. He then turns the camera to show other wild animals grazing nearby.

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"Just to some of my viewers overseas, they were asking for footage of what our main road looks like," he explained in a deadpan voice. "So this is on Winnie Mandela Drive in one of our built-up CBD areas. This is what it looks like. This is life in Africa on a daily basis. It's... Yeah, it's pretty cool."

The joke, of course, is that the footage is clearly from a game reserve or national park. It's not an urban centre. South Africa's actual cities are modern, with skyscrapers, well-maintained roads, and all the infrastructure you'd expect in any developed urban area.

Watch the Facebook reel below:

Challenging outdated views

The comedian's video cleverly challenges the misconceptions many foreigners still hold about South Africa and the African continent. While game reserves with wild animals are certainly a major tourist attraction, they're separate from South Africa's bustling modern cities.

Many South Africans have grown tired of explaining that the country isn't just wildlife and undeveloped villages.

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The content creator, who usually posts videos about taxi drivers breaking traffic rules or other road-related content, decided to have a bit of fun with his overseas audience. His prank plays on the surprise some foreigners express when they see modern African cities, having expected something very different based on outdated media portrayals.

Mzansi joins the joke

South Africans joined in on the fun in the comments section, adding their humorous takes on the "daily commute":

@Jean Thiebaux played along while correcting him:

"I don't know how you can lie to people like that. I would be ashamed of myself. This is not Winnie Mandela Drive! There are no beggars with a sign... This is Sandton Drive! 🥹🤦"

@Howard Palm spotted some wildlife law enforcement:

"Did you see the speed cops under the trees 😂😂😂"

@Erican Matwalana added to the joke:

"You must be rich. I ride a hippo to work."

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@Sid Nana gave a traffic update:

"Traffic doesn't look too bad, it's safe to take an elephant to Rosebank today."

@Melikaya Sotshantsha created an entire scenario:

"Your video should have started on the highway off-ramp where the lions were protesting over pedestrian crossing that they don't wanna share with cheetahs..."

@Onalenna Comfort Motang shared her "commuting challenges":

"Sometimes I even leave my car and ride the elephant, can't afford to be late, I'm on my second warning."

Other stories about foreigners and tourists

• Briefly News recently reported on a young woman from Cape Town who warned locals and tourists about a once-popular romantic lookout spot that has become dangerously unsafe.
• An American tourist caused a stir online after posting a video of herself excitedly preparing to take a taxi in Nongoma.
• A video of an American woman who got more than she bargained for when feeding a kudu in South Africa went viral with over 1.8 million views.

Source: Briefly News