Luh Twizzy TikTok Trend Comes Under Spotlight After Mall of Africa Incident, SAPS Ready to Intervene

• Teenagers who identify themselves as "Luh Twizzy" have been causing chaos at Gauteng malls in a new TikTok trend
• Luh Twizzy is a term that describes teenagers who often hide their faces, and it has become synonymous with mobs in South Africa
• A desire for peer validation drives the behaviour of these teenagers, and mall management is working with the police to prevent future disruptions

JOHANNESBURG - Teenagers have been causing chaos at Gauteng malls in South Africa by identifying themselves as "Luh Twizzy" in a now-viral TikTok trend.

Johannesburg's Mall of Africa was the latest shopping centre to be affected by the phenomenon, with scores of teenagers descending upon the mall over the weekend.

The trend has become synonymous with mobs, leading to concerns from shoppers and calls for police intervention.

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What is "Luh Twizzy"?

Luh Twizzy appears to have originated from fans of American rapper, Yeat. However, the term has evolved into describing teenagers who hide their faces and associate with others using the same name.

What drives this behaviour is unclear, but it seems rooted in mob psychology, according to TimesLIVE. The word "Luh" is slang for "Love", and "Twizzy" is for "Twin", representing everyone in the mob as equals.

How do Luh Twizzy teens look and behave?

Teens who identify with Luh Twizzy typically dress in black with skeletal printouts inspired by Yeat. "Luh Twizzy outfits" have gone viral on platforms like Pinterest, but the rapper has no connection to these teens. The youngsters are primarily in high school and are known to roam around and engage in antisocial behaviour.

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Previous Luh Twizzy incidents and current response

According to Fourways Review, many teenagers caused chaos last year at Montecasino in Johannesburg. The same thing happened in Protea Glen, a suburb of Soweto, according to Sarah Hoffman, a digital parenting expert and co-founder of Klikd.

“They almost always hide their faces in the TikTok posts. The drivers of this behaviour are not really clear. A lot of this is mob psychology-based,” she said to TimesLIVE.

In response to the Mall of Africa incident, the centre's management is working with police and a private security firm to investigate and prevent future disruptions.

Luh Twizzy challenge: Teens storm and disrupt Johannesburg Mall

In other Luh Twizzy stories, Briefly News reported on an incident involving the teen mob at a mall in Midrand. Rumours were circulating that a youngster had died in the ensuing chaos.

While Mall of Africa confirmed a “disturbance by a crowd of people, " the shopping centre's management disputed reports that anyone lost their life.

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Meanwhile, the mall has vowed to get to the bottom of why the disruption occurred, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News