American Flag Hoisted on a Shack Seemingly in South Africa Sparks Speculation

• A young TikTok user claimed that footage of a flag hoisted on a shack was taken in New York
• The app user used Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song Empire State of Mind in the background and said that haters would claim the location was somewhere in Africa
• Several social media users didn't believe the woman and felt the location was somewhere in South Africa

A TikTok user shared a clip of an American flag hoisted on a zinc shack on the social media platform. While the app user claimed that the video was shot in New York, United States, several South African online community members thought that the location was somewhere in their country.

On 2 October, 2025, @charmy_mndawe uploaded the video to her account and used Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song Empire State of Mind to emphasise the alleged location.

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@charmy_mndawe used hashtags pointing to America and wrote in her post's caption:

"Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. Haters are going to say this is Africa."

Briefly News has contacted @charmy_mndawe and is awaiting a response.

American flag gets South Africans talking

Hundreds of members of the online community gathered in the comment section. While some cracked jokes and felt that the location wasn't New York but rather a township in South Africa, others who thought the shack was in the country felt there was no African pride.

@user4073832549076 shared in the comment section:

"If you can't go to America, bring America to you, period."

An unimpressed @mphoernest585, who was one of many who thought the video was filmed somewhere in South Africa, remarked:

"Disrespect to Africa."

@masayalicious94 stated with a laugh:

"Being bored in this country is a sin. This is Mzansi, I just can't prove it yet."

@shiza300c1 added their opinion in the comments:

"It's better to lift the USA flag than the South African flag because the corruption in this country is terrible."

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@vuvuec, who seemed to be living in the United States, told people on the internet:

"I've seen so many houses here in America with a South African flag, so this is unity, one way or another."

@lee_rah7 saw positivity in the post and wrote:

"This is pure manifestation. Congratulations in advance, stranger."

@stha_lut0721 had an opinionated message for locals:

"To all my fellow Africans who worship the US: In South Africa, this is how we view the US; a mere shack that no one fancies."

Watch the TikTok video below:

3 Other stories about the US and South Africa

• In another article, Briefly News reported that South Africans in the United States threw an epic Heritage Day celebration. The heartwarming video made many locals emotional and asked when they could join the next gathering.
• A young woman celebrated becoming an American citizen and shared adorable photos of herself on social media, where she waved America's red, white, and blue flag in the air.
• A South African woman living in America shared her culture shocks after relocating to the country. Many online community members praised the young woman's honesty and relatability.

Source: Briefly News