South African Money Makes American Woman Reflect on Racism in USA in TikTok Video

• A young lady from America who moved to South Africa shared some of the realisations she had in the country
• The content creator posted a TikTok video where she talked about how the currency in South Africa made her realise how racist her home country is
• The video that the woman shared sparked a discussion about how much progress has been made following South Africa and America's racist past

A lady on TikTok posted a video discussing money in South Africa. She pointed out what stood out to her about money in South Africa and compared the currency to that of the US.

The video of the American realising that America may be behind fascinated South Africans. The video that the woman shared on 27 January 2026 made people realise just how much thought was put into reforming South Africa after apartheid.

In a post on TikTok, @aliyahsinterlude shared that she moved to South Africa for five weeks and using the money in the country made her realise that America may still be racist. She raved about how all of the cash notes in Mzansi have Nelson Mandela on them, a commemoration to the famous freedom fighter who became South Africa's first president after democracy.

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She said it was an interesting difference from American money, which includes former presidents who were slave owners: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. She lamented that they could not get any civil rights icons, such as Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King Jr, on any of the American dollar bills. Watch her video below:

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South Africans flooded the young lady's comment section discussing the difference between South African and American money. Many viewers agreed that Mzansi made an effort to address the past of apartheid. An online user admitted that the legacy of racism was still evident in South Africa despite efforts. Read people's comments below:

babygirl💞🧝🏽‍♀️said:

"The way she just made me realise I actually appreciate the bills😭"

River commented:

"This is insane, but I am from Australia, and we do not have political leaders on our money, only the Queen of England and famous people in Australian history, which includes indigenous people."

user5523102918702 added:

"Also, think most of us preferred the big 5 notes. But yeah, you guys are struggling apho in the Americas!"

LANCE shared:

"We (some people) actually didn’t want him on the bill because he can’t be the only accredited to have ended the struggle."

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stndww🫧 said:

"This is a valid crashout, cousin enjoy Mzansi 🫶🏾"

Cherrie🍒 asked:

"Did you see our Big 5 is also on our money 😅😁 We value our meaningful animals and Nelson Mandela on our 'Randelas'".

Juy zugo reflected on American currency:

"We can’t even get Harriet Tubman on the 20-dollar bill, which they said they were going to do in the 2010s. 🙄"

zeki🪷 admitted:

"Honestly SA is also disgustingly racist we have a lot of the same problems as America."

Other Briefly News stories about Americans in Mzansi

• A woman from the UK was stunned by how affordable healthcare was when she needed it in Cape Town
• South Africans were amazed by an American woman who was airlifted out of Limpopo due to the floods.
• An American teenage boy shared his first day of school in South Africa in a TikTok video

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News