“Your Accent Is Capetonian”: South Africans As Congolese Man Speaks on Cape Flats Upbringing

• A man named Joshua shared on the internet what it was like growing up in the Cape Flats as a person from the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Joshua told social media users about the time he travelled in a train and heard men talking about him in Afrikaans, a language he understood
• Members of the online community loved the story he told and said he was already South African

A young man shared with the online community what it was like to grow up as someone from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Cape Flats, a mostly Coloured area in Cape Town. After hearing his story, many people already dubbed the man a South African.

On 3 August, 2025, Joshua, an aspiring rapper, took to his TikTok account and shared the story of a train ride from Steenberg station in the Southern Suburbs to Cape Town station.

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He shared that while he was in a packed train with his mother and brother, a group of Coloured men entered the vehicle.

Joshua said in the video:

"Because of the complexion of my skin, the ouens (guys) assumed, 'This is a Black brah.'"

He then showed his "interesting" eyebrow, which was different from the other and said that the commuters made it a topic of their conversation. The men spoke in Afrikaans, more so Afrikaaps. Little did they know that Joshua understood and could speak the language.

Joshua then responded to the men in Afrikaans, stating that he couldn't help the look of his eyebrows, which led to laughter from both parties.

He concluded in his post:

"Moral of the story: Don't judge a book by its cover, sien jy (you see), because there's always a Congolese who can speak Afrikaans lurking in the shadows, sien jy."

Congolese man intrigues South Africans

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Hundreds of local social media users took to the young man's comment section, showing an interest in his story. Some internet users also joked that Joshua was a certified Coloured South African because of his accent and how long he had been living in the country.

@vatimot shared with love and laughter:

"Gosh, my brother, you are South African, having been here 27 years. You blended well with the community. We love you."

@021cpt_7785 laughed and noted in the comments:

"That was a typical train ride on my way to work. I have many stories like that. Cape Coloureds are the best Coloureds. Never a dull moment."

@queenp188 told Joshua and the online community:

"Don't judge a book by its cover. I love that. Salute to you, bro. I am just proud you can talk to them in their language."

@queenam_ladiva said to the young man:

"To be honest, your accent is giving Captonian. No Congolese accent whatsoever. I'm interested to hear you speak any of the Congolese languages."

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@ox.man6 gave their opinion in the comment section, writing:

"The best Africans you'll ever meet are from Congo. I have brothers from Congo I've known for 10+ years, for whom I have nothing but respect. The hardest workers you'll ever meet in your life."

@chancelvieshekina mentioned their funny experience as someone from Congo living in South Africa:

"I'm Congolese and grew up in Durban. When people gossiped about me in the taxi, I would just say, 'Ngikuzwile konke okushoyo (I heard everything you said).' They were shocked."

Take a look at the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories about the Cape Flats

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a content creator from the Cape Flats purchased land in the Netherlands and planned to build seven double-storey apartments.
• A South African woman caught people's attention when she advised tourists to visit the Cape Flats and discredited popular misconceptions about the country.
• A woman sparked an online debate when she called Cape Town's new, affordable housing plan a continuation of apartheid. The development concentrated on the Cape Flats areas.

Source: Briefly News