"Is It Normal?": SA Man Rates Prison Meals He Ate While Behind Bars; Mzansi Questions

• SA man gives a rare look at the meals he ate behind bars, leaving viewers curious about his story
• Correctional Services shares changes made to improve what inmates are served
• Mzansi raises eyebrows over one unexpected detail about the prison food review

A man has given Mzansi a look at the meals he allegedly ate while doing time as a broke prisoner. Mzansi was left with questions.

The TikTok creator, known as @isboshwa, shared photos of different meals in a post uploaded on 14 June 2026, rating some of the food he said he ate while behind bars. In the unusual prison food review, he explained that some meals were simply about surviving, while others stood out as favourites.

He rated oats a 5/10 while a pap and fish meal left him less impressed. Pap and beans received a 6/10, while a meal of pap, eggs, Aromat and sweet chilli sauce earned a 10/10. He also shared that porridge and banana came at a time when he felt weak, saying:

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“I was really weak here. Wanted something to give me strength.”

Other meals, including pap and vleis, received a 10/10, while one unnamed meal was rated 11/10.

DCS says prison meals are being improved

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said, on 27 February 2025, that it had updated its 12-day prison meal plan to make sure inmates receive balanced and nutritious food. The department said the new meals include a mix of protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables to better support inmates’ health.

DCS also dismissed claims that prisons are running out of food or basic meal items, saying these reports are not true. The department added that the changes could save more than R200 million a year, with the money being used for projects that help prisons become more self-sufficient, including food production and skills programmes.

View the TikTok video below:

Mzansi questions the prison food review

Many viewers more curious about his prison experience than the food itself, as well as the mystery surrounding the creator’s online posts. This is what Mzansi had to say on the page:

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ThabisaQ asked:

“Wait, people are asking about his sentence and stuff. Is it normal for inmates to have phones and social media while serving their sentences????”

IDYANI.KAZI 💕 reacted:

“First in my generation to see a jail food review 😭”

Basetsana Moloele questioned:

“R10 stew… do they sell it to outsiders as well? 🥺”

Mommy 246 said:

“Even our children at school they don’t get this kind of food.”

Bryson Bebo asked:

“How were you able to take pics as an inmate? Are phones not allowed?”

More Briefly News on food

• A South African woman went viral after rating the meals she received during her private hospital stay, with her food reviews sparking Mzansi’s debate over the quality of hospital meals.
• An American food reviewer went viral after tasting and rating South African dishes bought from a Los Angeles restaurant, impressing Mzansi with his enthusiasm for foods like boerewors rolls, samosas and peri-peri chicken.
• An American TikTok user shared his first experience trying RocoMamas in Cape Town, rating local fast-food chains and sparking Mzansi’s debate over his rankings, with Nando's taking his top spot and RocoMamas praised for its flavour.

Source: Briefly News