"It's Never Going To Work, Is It?": AI Clip of Zille and Mashaba Working Together Has SA in Stitches
- An AI-generated video imagining DA's Helen Zille and ActionSA's Herman Mashaba trying to make coffee together went viral in South Africa
- The clip used a popular social media trend to poke fun at the messy coalition talks between the two rival parties after local government elections
- South Africans flooded the comments with jokes about the duo's history and what their political partnership might actually look like
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Source: Facebook
A clever AI-generated video comparing South Africa's coalition negotiations to two people failing to make a single cup of coffee has had Mzansi laughing out loud. The clip was shared on Instagram on 9 November 2026, with the caption:
"How the coalition talks are going..."
The video was created by video editor and director Altamish Khan, known online as @khanival1, and uses a popular social media trend that pairs two figures who share a complicated relationship. In this case, it features AI-generated versions of DA's Helen Zille and ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, both dressed in their party colours, attempting to make coffee in a shared kitchen. The result is a chain of small mishaps: coffee grounds land on the counter instead of the mug, milk gets poured where the cup used to be, and by the end, the two are standing beside a mess with only the hot water where it was supposed to go. They share a laugh, but the coffee remains unmade.
A history that makes the joke land
The two politicians have a long and tangled past. Zille was key in recruiting Mashaba into the DA, and he went on to serve as Mayor of Johannesburg from 2016 to 2019 with DA backing. Tensions built over time, with Mashaba later accusing Zille of interfering in coalition governance, while she criticised some of his decisions in office. He resigned as mayor in late 2019 and went on to found ActionSA in August 2020.
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Fast forward to November 2026, and the two are locked in post-election coalition negotiations once again. ActionSA has stated it will not support a council arrangement that places Zille in a key mayoral role, with Mashaba calling it a "bridge too far." He has since proposed that both step aside to allow their party members to reach a workable deal. Zille has dismissed his position as a personal vendetta.
Watch the AI video that sparked the debate.
Mzansi reacts to the coffee chaos
South Africans in the comments section on the Instagram page could not get enough of the satire:
@zmuvhango wrote:
"We are the counter that's getting all kinds of things spilled on it 🙆♂️🤣😭"
@tonitonaey said:
"At least the water is in the mug. Got one thing right 😂"
@die_hennas added:
"They must put their egos aside, especially uncle Herman."
@yolanda_miya joked:
"We used to say take the data away from South Africans… Now they have AI 🤣🤣🤣"
@mechelletheo3 shared:
"South Africans have the best sense of humour. I just love it ❤️"
@home_with_lephoko said:
"They would make such a good team, but pride 😢"
@phoenix_the_sire concluded:
"They must put their differences aside and make the dam cup of coffee 😂"
More on South African coalition talks
- Briefly News recently reported on ActionSA opening the door to coalition talks with the MK Party in KwaZulu-Natal after the local government elections.
- Herman Mashaba has written to the DA’s federal leader with a proposal for the Johannesburg mayoral race.
- Helen Zille has responded to a formal demand letter from Julius Malema’s lawyers.
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Source: Briefly News
