"Only Disadvantage": Expat in Cape Town Names the Only Downside of the Mother City

• Jasmin Hoffmann, who has lived permanently in Cape Town for over four years, posted a candid selfie-style walking video sharing her honest thoughts on life in the city
• The expat said there is only one disadvantage to living in Cape Town, and it has nothing to do with crime, cost of living, or load shedding
• South Africans in the comments had mixed reactions, with some welcoming her perspective and others not holding back

A woman living in Cape Town has gone viral after sharing what she believes is the only drawback of life in the Mother City. Jasmin Hoffmann posted the video on 15 October 2026, filming herself walking along a tree-lined Cape Town street in a relaxed, conversational style.

Jasmin, who has called Cape Town home for more than four years, was direct. After all that time, she could only think of one genuine complaint.

Jasmin explained that getting to or from Cape Town always takes an unusually long time, whether she is arriving or leaving. For Jasmin, who presumably travels internationally, the geographic isolation of the city at the tip of Africa makes every trip a commitment. Beyond that, she struggled to name another disadvantage. Her tone throughout the clip was light and genuine, not the performance of someone trying to seem positive, but the reflection of someone who had genuinely searched for more complaints and come up short.

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The video by Jasmin quickly gained traction online, with viewers drawn to the simplicity of her message. For many South Africans who often hear expats list crime, infrastructure, or inequality as their concerns, Hoffmann's answer was surprisingly wholesome. Watch Jasmin Hoffmann's Cape Town video here:

Mzansi discusses Cape Town problems

Not everyone in the comments was ready to agree with her rosy take. South Africans responded with a mix of humour, warmth, and bluntness:

@Sam Cor wrote:

"Beautiful city."

@Uhlan Lackay offered practical advice:

"Uber or Bolt are easy."

@Mogamat Mukhtar Geduldt shared a different concern entirely:

"Another problem we have is too many foreigners."

Other Briefly News stories about expat life in South Africa

• An American expat shared an itemised financial breakdown detailing the total expenses incurred while relocating her life to South Africa.
• Kourtney Jade, an American mother of two who relocated to South Africa three years ago, posted a video tackling the question foreigners ask her most about safety.
• A British expat (@ourcptlife) shared a video reflecting on three major regrets three weeks after moving from Manchester to Cape Town.

Source: Briefly News