“What Are These Guys Doing?”: SANDF’s Martial Arts Demonstration at Rand Show Gets Roasted

• SANDF's martial arts display at the Rand Show sparked mixed reactions among South African attendees and online viewers
• The Rand Show featured various entertaining events, including a memorable airborne incident
• Social media users in the comment section shared jokes and comments on the soldiers' performance

The Rand Show, the largest consumer exhibition in Southern Africa, may have come to a close, but the videos of the event are still pouring in on social media. An attendee captured the moment South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members showed off their martial arts moves, which tickled social media users.

Held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre at Nasrec, the Rand Show, formerly the Rand Easter Show, opened its doors to the public on 2 April 2026 and ended on 6 April 2026.

On TikTok user Roanne's account, a group of seven uniformed soldiers were seen turning, jumping, and throwing jabs in the air in a synchronised manner, and at one point, they fell to the ground as if an imaginary opponent got the final blow.

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Take a look at the TikTok video below:

According to SANDF, the army's presence at the Rand Show was to showcase "its impressive capabilities to the public" and "dazzle the audience with its expertise."

What is martial arts?

The information portal EBSCO describes martial arts as a diverse mixture of physical training systems designed for combat, using both bare hands and a variety of weapons.

South Africans roast SANDF's martial arts demonstration

Several local members of the online community entered the comment section with jokes and laughter after watching the soldiers in the open field.

@ryanbloxham976 laughed and said:

"Omg, I did jujitsu for 11 years. What are these guys doing?"

After watching the performance, @shanescrooby78 remarked:

"So this tells me they knew about the show, forgot about the show and decided to get their act together a week before the show."

@clivewoodington8 was in disbelief and stated:

"This cannot be the best that we have to offer, no way."

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@cobus.van.wyk7 told the online community:

"I also played like that when I was around four years old."

@el.padrino3126 sadly shared with the public:

"I regret doing martial arts for 13 years; martial arts has been reduced to comedy."

@leehelen.bergstro humorously added in the comment section:

"We must pray that nobody wants to go to war with us, or else we are in trouble."

3 Other stories about the Rand Show

• In another article, Briefly News reported that South Africans were full of jokes when a member of the 44 Parachute Regiment crashed hard during a live airbourne display in front of hundreds of people.
• Two SANDF soldiers collided head-on with their motorbikes during a live demonstration, leaving the crowd stunned. Online viewers flooded the comment section with jokes and serious questions about the national defence force.
• At last year's Rand Easter Show, a man captured a hilarious and scary moment when a ride got stuck in the air with people on board. The riders didn't seem to be bothered as they calmly swung their feet until help arrived.

Source: Briefly News