“Dude, It’s Bad”: SA Gent Vents About Cape Town CBD Not Tailored for Locals

• Cape Town content creator Quinlan posted a TikTok calling out the Cape Town CBD for catering to tourists over locals
• Quinlan pointed to Ferraris parked next to homeless people as proof of South Africa’s deep inequality crisis
• South Africans flooded the comments agreeing that Cape Town has lost its identity for ordinary residents

A Cape Town content creator sparked a wave of agreement online after posting a TikTok calling out the city’s CBD for feeling anything but South African.

Quinlan, who posts under @notquinlan, did not hold back. He described the Cape Town CBD as a space that has been built around international visitors rather than the people who actually live there. While he acknowledged that catering to tourists made economic sense for a global destination, he argued that a better balance was needed.

Cape Town’s inequality on full display

What bothered Quinlan most was not just the tourism focus. It was what the city’s streets revealed about South Africa’s broader reality. He described walking through the CBD and seeing luxury supercars like Ferraris and McLarens rolling past clusters of homeless people, calling the contrast deeply unsettling.

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“I hate walking down the streets and I see Ferraris and McLarens and then I also see five homeless people. It’s just sad,” he said.

He went further, pointing out that South Africa consistently ranks among the world’s most unequal societies, alongside high rates of crime and corruption. He even made a brief nod to the Springboks, joking that winning in rugby was about the only category worth celebrating.

Quinlan's video struck a chord with many South Africans who felt the same way about their own city.

Watch Quinlan’s full take on the Cape Town CBD below:

Mzansi reacts to the Cape Town CBD debate

Viewers were quick to share their own frustrations in the comments:

@angelhoworldwide wrote:

“Dude, It’s bad.”

@Nina said:

“The economic disparity is ridiculous 🤨. All the locals are tired of it.”

@davidocpt added:

“Cape Town has become a theme park.”

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@autumnkeep shared:

“I miss 2014 Cape Town CBD.”

@EternalFlame joked:

“You like JHB and Durban CBD. 🤣 You’re so funny.”

Source: Briefly News