"We Go Home": SA Woman Explains What Makes South Africans Different Compared to Other Nationalities
- A South African woman posted a TikTok praising how South Africans carry themselves when they live overseas
- She argued that South Africans are unique in that they go abroad with proper qualifications, work decent jobs, and always long to return home
- People online agreed with her take, sharing their own stories of homesickness no matter how far they travel
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Source: Getty Images
A South African woman living abroad sparked a wave of national pride online after posting a TikTok on 1 August 2026. The clip was shared by @falco_mazwelane1 and drew thousands of reactions from South Africans who felt seen by every word she said.
In the video, the woman spoke passionately about what she believes sets South Africans apart from other African nationals living overseas. She said that South Africans abroad are almost invisible in the best possible way. They go to work, return home, and get on with their lives without loitering or drawing attention to themselves.
South Africans go abroad with purpose
She pointed out that South Africans who live and work overseas tend to go with proper documentation and recognised qualifications. Whether they are engineers, nurses or teachers, she said they land skilled roles and earn genuine respect in countries like the UAE and the United Kingdom.
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"Go to Dubai, go to the United Emirates. South Africans are very much respected," she said.
She also drew a sharp contrast between South Africans and those who settle in other countries with no intention of returning home. Her view was that South Africans, no matter how long they spend abroad, carry an unshakeable pull towards home. She even referenced South Africans who fled during apartheid and returned the moment democracy arrived in 1994, choosing home over the comfort of foreign citizenship they had earned.
She also praised South African artists such as Tyla for performing on international stages wrapped in the South African flag, something she said you rarely see from artists of other nations.
Mzansi agrees with the video
South Africans flooded the comments section on the TikTok page with their own experiences:
@Mhana Luuu said:
"Even people working in Gauteng, they always go home to their home lands in e.g Limpopo, KZN, it's just hours away, but we are homesick, and we always go home. Long weekend, nyana, home."
@presidenttns wrote:
"I can't even stay 3 hours in my neighbour's house."
@Ntombi joked:
"Even the ones that ran to Donald Trump want to come home."
@Jabulani 🇿🇦 shared:
"Even when we travel locally. I was in PE in January with my family. After day 8, we would wait to go home in Pretoria."
@user4138230875690 added:
"We shouldn't underestimate ourselves; we are blessed to be South Africans."
Watch the TikTok clip that sparked the conversation below:
More similar stories
- Briefly News recently reported on a South African creator living in Harare, Zimbabwe, who documented her daily life and challenged common migration myths.
- A Zimbabwean man based in Australia compared property prices in Harare's Borrowdale suburb to Cape Town, sparking debate about value and land size.
- A South African woman pulled off an elaborate surprise, secretly returning home from Qatar to reunite with her sister, leaving viewers in tears.
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Source: Briefly News
