"They Lied to Us": American Man Wowed by How South Africa Looks

• A US TikTok creator was shocked by how modern South Africa looks after finding videos of Johannesburg and Cape Town
• The moment highlighted how old stereotypes about the country still shape global perception
• People online reacted with national pride, sharing their own clips and pushing back against outdated narratives

A foreign creator’s surprise over SA’s modern cities turned into a wave of national pride, as locals used TikTok to rewrite old stories about what the country really looks like.

South Africans reacted with interest after American TikTok user @dreadreaperr posted a video on 27 November 2025 showing his surprise at how modern South Africa looks. The video, shared from his account, shows him reacting to footage on his For You Page of Johannesburg’s skyline and Cape Town’s beaches, saying the world had painted South Africa as a jungle full of huts before he learned differently online. He explained that what he saw convinced him the country looks stunning and said he now plans to visit.

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South Africa has long been affected by outdated international stereotypes created through old documentaries, media framing, and selective travel content. While cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban are economic hubs with large business districts, fast internet adoption, and major tourism sectors, many global audiences still picture rural landscapes as the country’s primary identity. Online platforms like TikTok have changed how people discover places, because real video footage often challenges older storylines about what African cities look like. When a foreign creator shows genuine surprise, it highlights the gap between global perception and the lived reality of modern South Africans, especially young people who are familiar with urban culture, malls, nightlife and beach tourism.

Social reaction boosts SA image

The video by user @dreadreaperr went viral because it speaks directly to national pride and how South Africans love to show off their cities when someone gets it wrong. People joked in the comments about how dramatic the old stereotypes are, while others dropped full cinematic clips of Cape Town sunsets to show that local content creators are raising the bar.

Public sentiment in the comments was mostly warm, with South Africans enjoying the chance to correct old ideas while keeping the mood playful. Many users expressed pride in how their country looks in real footage as opposed to what the international media used to show. Some also encouraged the creator to visit, saying tourism content helps shift the broader global story about Africa into something more modern and diverse.

Here’s what Mzansi had to say

Ngedlane_fuze 🇿🇦 said:

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“Nah, chat, it's AI, we're definitely staying in those huts”

Miss_Kgethiiee said:

“It’s Nigeria, it’s not South Africa.”

mal_madani37 said:

“I’d rather have people think South Africa looks like the first version”

K.K. said:

“We don’t like to show you guys how South Africa looks. 😁”

Siphiwosoga said:

“Don’t come here, we don’t have water. ❤️”

Flame. said:

“The E in South Africa stands for Electricity 🥷🏽”

Neria said:

“Also… women in South Africa.”

Dlontii said:

“That’s not South Africa. 😭 That’s Zimbabwe.”

Check out the TikTok video below:

3 Other Briefly News stories related to tourists

• A UK tourist’s video captured her experience at Fourways Farmers Market, highlighting how different the energy felt compared to what she’s used to back home.
• An American tourist visiting South Africa decided to give a RocoMamas waitress a series of large tips.
• An American TikTok creator visited Kwa Mai Mai in Johannesburg and posted his food experience, trying skopo.

Source: Briefly News