“I Am Sad for My Country”: Nigerian Woman Gets Honest About Differences Between SA and Nigeria

• A Nigerian woman living in South Africa shared her shock at discovering how much value South African coins and currency hold compared to her home country's money system
• She revealed that Nigeria's highest note is 1,000 naira, but what you can buy with 200 rands in SA can't even buy a quarter of that amount back home
• The woman praised South Africa's government for maintaining currency structure and value, expressing sadness about Nigeria's economic situation despite the country's natural blessings

A Nigerian woman living in South Africa has sparked conversations about currency differences after sharing her honest thoughts on how the two countries handle their money.

Johannesburg-based content creator @Abashweza posted the viral video at the end of June, showing the woman's genuine reaction to discovering the value of South African currency compared to her homeland.

The video was shared with the caption:

"An honest legal Nigerian in South Africa gets honest about the differences between Rands🇿🇦 and Nairas🇳🇬."

The woman explained how shocked she was during her first shopping experience in South Africa when she discovered that coins have purchasing power. She pointed out that 1 rand, 2 rand, and even 5 rand coins are actively used and hold genuine value, something completely foreign to her Nigerian experience.

Back in Nigeria, she revealed that bringing out coins would result in people laughing because they're considered useless. This cultural difference highlighted a major contrast between how the two countries treat their smaller denominations.

The most surprising revelation came when she compared the highest denomination notes between the countries. Nigeria's highest note value is 1000 naira, while South Africa's is 200 rands. However, the purchasing power told a completely different story.

She credited South Africa's government for understanding currency structure and maintaining the value of their money, including keeping coins in circulation because they recognise their importance. Despite acknowledging that South Africa's economy isn't perfect, she appreciated the effort to preserve monetary value.

The woman ended her comparison with sadness about Nigeria's situation, wishing their leaders would do better despite the country being naturally blessed with resources.

SA reacts to currency comparison

South Africans flooded the comments section with mixed reactions to her observations.

@nomvula_nandi joked:

"Nigerian Government is listening to this right now."

@dominique_leong_son agreed:

"True! SA's highest note is R200, we should go up to at least R1,000."

@ama_qamata_ntsabo_idyani teased:

"😂😂😂 We will talk about hairstyle later, let's deport her first 😂😂😂"

@thabang_good_will asked:

"Isn't 1,000 naira equal to 12 rands?"

@yahya_billal_dua pointed out:

"In some other countries, you can't even find 100 notes upwards."

@kholofelo_dale declared:

"We won't rest until our highest note is R50."

Currency comparison shocks Nigerian

According to XE currency converter, 1 South African rand equals approximately 86.87 Nigerian naira, meaning 200 rands convert to roughly 17,373 naira. The woman emphasised that what 200 rands can buy in South Africa, you couldn't purchase even a quarter of with 1,000 naira in Nigeria.

Watch the Facebook reel below:

3 Other stories of cultural differences

• Briefly News recently reported on a Chinese woman's first encounter with African braids in a Beijing mall, where her curiosity led to an unexpected interaction that had viewers making jokes about what she might have been thinking.
• A tourist broke down in tears after falling victim to a clever robbery scheme in Cape Town, sharing the devastating experience that highlighted ongoing safety concerns for visitors to the country.
• An American couple made headlines after selling their expensive US home and relocating to South Africa, where they managed to purchase their dream house for a fraction of the cost.

Source: Briefly News