“The African-American Dream Is in SA”: US Woman Flexes Soft Life in Mzansi With Show-and-Tell Video
- An American woman living in South Africa gave viewers a tour of her upscale estate
- She explained that being able to exist without being targeted, harassed, or brutalised is something many African Americans don't experience back home
- The woman revealed she pays just $383 for a one-bedroom flat in her upscale neighbourhood, which works out to $4,500 for the whole year
Source: TikTok
Melissa, who shares content on her social media about living in South Africa, posted a video on 28 September 2025, showing her soft life in the country, with a caption that got people talking:
"🚨Attention ⏰ African Americans, you don't have to suffer in America due to the melanin. In South Africa, you can just exist safely. Melanin and natural hair are celebrated, adored, cherished and loved deeply."
In the video, she opened up about something many South Africans might not think about.
"I don't think South Africans realise how good they have it here just to be able to exist without being targeted, harassed, unalived, brutalised and the ongoing everyday threat of not knowing if you're going to make it to your destination when you leave your house," she said.
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She acknowledged that South Africa definitely has had and still has an ongoing residue of apartheid and financial apartheid, and there are other issues for sure. But her main point was:
"The African American dream is an African dream. You could just literally be black, happy and free."
She then took viewers on a tour of her estate to show exactly what she meant. The video showed her walking through a modern restaurant area where people were preparing pizzas and putting them in a pizza oven. She panned around to show the setup, the furniture, the architecture of the buildings, which were all designed to show people who might think Africa is undeveloped that South Africa has infrastructure and services available in first-world countries.
She showed the pool area where children were playing, different entertainment spots, and how the estate has everything residents need without even having to leave.
"Respect is the culture just because you're a human," she wrote in her caption, adding that she lives in an upscale neighbourhood where you can get a one-bedroom for $383.
This is around R6,500 in South Africa, according to the Wise currency converter on 10 November 2025.
Source: TikTok
Mzansi reacts to the video
Netizens flooded the comments section on TikTok user @melissatoday's post with their thoughts.
@Rank Swartz said:
"Yes, ma'am, welcome to South Africa... From a coloured South African."
@Loyiso Sixaba joked:
"Oh, sweetie, we know. Our police just need cold drink money, and it's all good."
@Sizwe_Mabanga🇿🇦 added:
"Yes 🙂↕️, however, we still need to solve past oppression gains as South Africa is still the most unequal country in the world 😳"
@bra oupa_monareng90 shared:
"Exactly, and people from other parts of the world think we're suffering, and that's not the case"
@Eich El 🇿🇦 said:
"What's interesting to me is that we have similarities with African Americans. I remember talking for hours with a navy group that came to Gqeberha."
@Lithemba-Rose added:
"True, we as South Africans do have our issues; however, it's livable. Welcome to South Africa."
Watch the TikTok clip below:
More on South Africans and Americans
- Briefly News recently reported that an Afrikaner farmer with an H-2A visa went to Walmart in the United States with his wife and found the groceries to be quite pricey.
- The United States Diplomatic Mission to South Africa shared an update on refugee status eligibility requirements for South Africans.
- A South African chef showed differences in coleslaw preparation between the US and home.
Source: Briefly News
