"Which Economy Are We Living?": SA Content Creator Shows What R130 Gets at KFC in China, SA Reacts

• A South African man living in China ordered a KFC meal deal worth 130 yuan and shared what arrived in a TikTok video
• The haul included two chicken burgers, nuggets, fries, mashed potato, a spicy chicken leg, wings, a Beijing twist wrap, a red bean pie and fruit juice
• South Africans in the comments were stunned, with many pointing out the same order would cost well over R300 back home

A South African content creator based in China left Mzansi picking its jaw up off the floor. Jack Mabaso posted a TikTok video on 26 August 2026 showing exactly what 130 yuan, roughly R130, gets you at KFC in China.

He ordered the meal deal through Chinese TikTok and headed to the restaurant to collect it, proudly wearing a South Africa T-shirt along the way.

What R130 bought at KFC China

What came out of those bags was hard to believe. The order included french fries, five chicken nuggets, mashed potato, two chicken burgers, a spicy fried chicken leg, chicken wings, a Beijing twist wrap with cucumber and a special sauce, a red bean pie, and a nine-fruit juice that Jack said he preferred over Coke.

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He described the Beijing twist as his favourite item and said the sauce made it. By the end of the unboxing, he admitted there was simply too much food for one person to finish and invited viewers to come to China and eat with him.

View the TikTok video below:

Mzansi reacts to the KFC China value

South Africans watching the video had plenty to say on his page about what the same amount of money buys at home. Watch the full unboxing video that left Mzansi speechless.

@N3O said:

"All that for 130 rands 😯😭 so cheap"

@R I V O N I N G O wrote:

"I've realized that the problem in South Africa is tax (VAT) 😭 Government is greedy"

@Ziya_Mbatha commented:

"La eSouth Africa uzothenga 9 piece bucket kpehla 😌" (In South Africa you'd only get a 9-piece bucket, that's it)

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@kgaugelo_P_Rapholo said:

"China KFC is cheap, all those for R130, no way. Impressed"

@itsurboyMrrPresident💀 asked:

"In which economy are we living in 🇿🇦 😳 coz you only get 5 piece for 130"

@Ncebo H wrote:

"That is way too much, in SA all that together will cost around 300"

@Mthoko summed it up simply:

"That's a grocery 😱😱 4 people can eat and get full"

More Briefly News stories on food

• South African marketing expert Lebo Lion weighed in on the debate between branded and generic food, leaving Mzansi divided over whether the products are really that different.
• An Australian man in Sydney tried South African amagwinya he bought from a local SA vendor on Facebook Marketplace, leaving Mzansi amused by his reaction to the beloved snack.
• An Eastern Cape food blogger tested Pick n Pay’s R21 No Name one-pot meal, sparking a lively conversation about whether the budget-friendly dish is worth the money.

Source: Briefly News