“You’ll Never See That in SA”: Teacher’s China Safety Experiment Leaves Mzansi Comparing It to Home

• A South African man teaching in China filmed a social trust experiment on the streets to show how safe the country is
• He left an expensive package on a public table and visited several shops without anyone watching over it
• South Africans in the comments could not help comparing the outcome to what would happen back home

A South African teacher living in China has sparked a lively debate online after posting a video that puts the country's safety to the test in the most unexpected way.

TikTok creator @montinchinasa posted the clip on 21 September 2026, filming himself on urban streets in China as he carried out a simple but telling social experiment. He had just received a package containing what he described as expensive items, and he placed it on a chair and table outside in a public area, completely unattended, before heading into nearby shops.

He visited three separate stores one after the other, each time returning to find his package exactly where he had left it. By the end, he had collected two bags of new purchases alongside the original parcel, all still sitting safely in the open.

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China's streets surprise a South African

For many South Africans watching the video, the sight of valuable items sitting in public without a single person nearby to guard them was almost unthinkable. South Africa continues to grapple with high levels of property crime, with housebreaking remaining one of the most common offences affecting households across the country, according to the South African Police Service.

The contrast was not lost on viewers, who flooded the comments section with their thoughts, ranging from genuine shock to humorous resignation about conditions back home.

Mzansi reacts to the China safety test

South Africans had plenty to say in the comments on @montinchinasa's TikTok video:

@PIETA wrote:

"In South Africa, it would have been stolen before you even enter shop number 1"

@Christiaan Meyer said:

"Ja, you will never see that in South Africa."

@Max Minnaar commented:

"In South Africa, you would have been robbed before you made it to the shop."

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@Reckless noted:

"If you steal in China, they chop your hand off."

@rianpgfittf shared:

"The difference there to SA: China has laws. There are jobs. It's a disgrace to steal in China to your entire family. There is respect for others in that country."

@Sahil R Rattan recalled:

"I was in Jinan, Shandong Province, for 5 years. I once forgot a bottle of Pepsi on a table and went back to that place a few days later. Pepsi was still there."

@Emile Phillips joked:

"You have already told Jackie Chan to look after your stuff, bro 🤣🤣"

See the video that got South Africa talking:

More on safety and crime in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on GBV survivor Alison Botha, who broke her silence on SA's GBV crisis and compared the government's response to another national crisis.
• Police gave an update on the man arrested after a viral Sandton restaurant video, and he has since apologised for his behaviour.
• A Thembalethu mum's search for her missing teenage daughter led her to a disturbing discovery, and South Africans are still talking about it.

Source: Briefly News