“We’ve Been Bamboozled”: US Woman Compares USA and SA After Visiting Joburg and Questions Everything
- An American woman visiting Johannesburg shared a video responding to comments about her opinions on South Africa
- She explained that the American education system only shows information about Africa being underdeveloped
- The woman questioned if America is actually the ghetto after seeing how nice everything is in Joburg
Source: TikTok
An American woman visiting Johannesburg on 11 November 2025 shared her honest thoughts about what she expected versus what she found. She responded to someone who commented on her previous post about South African bathrooms. @mamarashaah posted the video in a hotel where she was in Joburg, responding to a person who asked what exactly she was saying about the bathrooms and what she expected when she came to Africa.
The woman admitted she would be lying if she said she came with absolutely no expectations, but largely she came with no expectations about what the cities look like or what daily life for citizens looks like.
"Based on the American education system and the lack of information that we have about Africa, and the only information that we do have about Africa being the little babies with the flies on their bodies, I knew that there was more than that, but I did not do any research," she explained.
She didn't know about Johannesburg and just knew that her family wanted to come there.
"I was expecting the accommodations to be a little bit more humble or like maybe a small step down from what I'm used to," she said. But when she got there, she had different thoughts. "I got here I'm like wait a minute. Is America the ghetto? Is everything opposite? Because where I've been has been nice as hell. Like America is just very basic, very everything looks nice, everything is glitter but none of that is gold. All that is all a facade," she explained.
She said when she got to Johannesburg, she thought it was all upside but then realised that the real quality is in SA and Americans have the fake quality.
Source: TikTok
Mzansi reacts to her perspective
Netizens commented on TikTok user @mamarashaah's video, sharing their thoughts:
@ZIZIPHO GIGABA asked:
"But how do you guys still have those expectations when we have social media, the internet tells you everything?"
@Ta Nyepse said:
"I don't understand why they lie to you about our continent🥺"
@Melissa Reeners wrote:
"Wait till you come to Cape Town 🥰"
@Mvucks added:
"Millions of Americans visited Africa, and also, there is social media; after all that, you people never saw what Africa actually looks like. I don't get it."
@filo26 shared:
"We produce 70% of the world's platinum and 2nd largest producer of gold not to mention citrus and nuts, and beef."
@Nkosi Mzwa Zwide said:
"Someone said America is a good country with great PR, and South Africa is a great country with not so good PR."
@Les Moswane wrote:
"I can understand and appreciate your perspective, but... Not all of South Africa is nice... You just happened to experience the nicer parts of it."
South Africa's economic standing
According to Wikipedia, as of October 2025, South Africa has the largest economy in Africa. It’s a mixed, upper-middle-income economy that’s industrialised, modern, and diverse.
After international sanctions ended in 1996, the country’s economy grew rapidly. Its GDP almost tripled, helping build a stronger economy and a growing middle class. By 2021, South African financial institutions were managing over $1.4 trillion in assets, and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange had a market value of $1.28 trillion. South Africa is also part of the G20, and remains the only African nation with a permanent seat in the group.
Watch the TikTok clip below:
Other America-related news turning heads
- Briefly News recently reported that an American woman living in South Africa gave viewers a tour of her upscale estate.
- An American content creator shared a viral video proclaiming Houston, Texas, to be the "most Nigerian city in America."
- An Afrikaner woman shared a video of her family's trip to Home Depot in the US, showing the massive Christmas displays.
Source: Briefly News
