“I Might Just Die Alone”: SA Woman Opens Up About Her Worst Date and Leaves Mzansi Stunned
- Jay Mhlambi shared a storytime TikTok video about a date that went completely off the rails
- The man she agreed to go out with started the date on a bad note and ended it on a worse one
- What happened once they sat down at the restaurant left SA stunned and sharing their own dating horror stories
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: TikTok
A South African woman's night out turned into a viral cautionary tale about modern dating after she shared the full story on TikTok.
Jay Mhlambi, known on the platform as @jay_mhlambi posted the video on 28 July 2026, captioning it:
"At this point, I have accepted that I might just die alone."
She explained that she had been single for nearly three years and had decided to finally put herself out there this year. The trouble started when she posted on WhatsApp about wanting to go on a solo dinner date. A man she had been speaking to replied, insisting on joining her. She agreed, telling him exactly when she wanted to be there and when she planned to leave.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
He arrived two hours late. Jay said she gave him an out during that first hour, telling him they could reschedule, but he insisted on picking her up.
The Dinner That Never Happened
On the way to the restaurant, the conversation took a turn. He began asking questions that made her uneasy, eventually asking directly who would be paying for the evening. She made it clear she expected him to cover the bill, particularly since it was their first outing together and he had inserted himself into her plans.
He disagreed, pointing out that she had "invited" him. Jay shut that down immediately, reminding him that she had never extended an invitation and that he had volunteered to join her. They eventually agreed to pay separately, though Jay said she had mentally moved him firmly into the friend zone by then.
Once seated, the waiter came by to explain the restaurant's process. Jay told him she was not hungry and only wanted a drink. The man then realised he had left his card in his car and got up to retrieve it.
He never came back.
Jay sat alone for 30 minutes before the waiter returned to let her know the man's food order was ready. She paid for her drink, and a fortunate coincidence saved the evening: a friend happened to be dining at the same shopping centre with her colleagues, and her friend's partner stepped in to pay for the abandoned food.
Turning Bad Dates Into Valuable Lessons
Bad dates do not have to be wasted experiences. Maintaining a positive attitude, changing the setting to create fun moments, and learning from each encounter can help you grow as a dater and move closer to finding the right person.
View the TikTok video below:
Mzansi Reacts to the Disastrous Date
South Africans flooded her page with over 1,000 responses, many sharing their own experiences:
@pencillope wrote:
"I once ate in front of a guy, asked me out on a date, right before we order he said to me 'you will handle this bill and I will pay for our second date.' Why did you even invite me ke? I ordered steak, fries and mushroom sauce then ate in front of him, he was drinking tap water while watching me eat. I had the time of my life. To annoy him I paid 300 tip 😙"
@Dyrexion said:
"Ladies, the bar is in hell 😂. If you have a decent man, whatever he does just forgive him. You don't wanna look for a man in this day and age."
@LeloMat wrote:
"Show us his face 😭😭😭😳😳😳😳"
@Ms_Simphiwe💎🤍 added:
"There's a lady who posted a similar story. I think it's the same guy 🤣🤣. ..."
More Briefly News Stories on dates
- A Zimbabwean woman joked online about only dating South African men and worrying about finding a partner if she returned home.
- A woman went viral after sharing her awkward date with a Chinese man who struggled to speak English, leaving Mzansi amused.
- A group of Checkers Sixty60 drivers held a fun “emergency meeting” at Ocean Basket, and Mzansi loved their unexpected workplace moment.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
