SA Students Surprise Res Auntie With Birthday Cake to Show Their Love
- SA tertiary students clubbed together to surprise their residence cleaner with a birthday cake
- The cleaner, who the students described as being like a mother to them, was left visibly emotional by the gesture
- TikTok user Zethu shared the heartwarming moment and later admitted she still misses the woman dearly
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Source: TikTok
A group of South African university students melted hearts online after surprising their residence cleaner with a birthday cake. TikTok user Zethu, who goes by @zetthu23, posted the video on 9 September 2026, and it quickly resonated with viewers across the country.
The students referred to the cleaner affectionately as their “Res Auntie,” describing her as someone who had become like a mother figure during their time living in residence. The caption read: “We decided to surprise our Res Auntie (who’s like our mother now) with a cake just to show how much we love and appreciate her.”
In the clip, the cleaner appeared completely caught off guard by the surprise. Overcome with emotion, she struggled to hold back tears as the students gathered around her with the cake.
A bond that goes beyond campus life
What made Zethu's video particularly touching was the relationship it revealed between students and the woman who kept their home clean and comfortable. For many students living away from their families, residence staff often fill an unexpected but deeply meaningful role.
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Watch the moment the students surprised their Res Auntie:
More articles involving students
- Briefly News previously reported that a South African res student posted a warning to a kitchen thief who stole her fork, revealing she has an active H. pylori infection.
- A University of Johannesburg (UJ) student shared an emotional video after being locked inside her residence by accommodation management, before writing her final exam.
- A university student in Johannesburg shared that she had a R10 000 budget to buy things needed for res.
- Kuhle Hloma rushed to KFC straight from school after hearing about an Original R2 Streetwise Two deal on the app.
- A South African student’s self-made residence dinner went viral, drawing widespread attention on social media.
Source: Briefly News
