They say our pavements are charging cars. We say: have you seen our potholes? A viral fake story about South African sidewalks has sparked a hilarious online reaction.
Global (15 July 2025) – A social media post from an American “science” page is going viral and South Africans are absolutely howling with laughter.
The post confidently claims that South Africa has invented solar pavements that can power streetlights, charge electric vehicles and basically transform everyday sidewalks into a clean energy grid. It speaks of a “wide pedestrian avenue in Cape Town” where this futuristic tech has been rolled out, complete with tempered glass tiles, underground battery vaults and wireless EV charging pads. The post even adds that the Department of Energy is piloting the project and claims local infrastructure energy use has dropped by 60%.
It’s a shiny, sci-fi utopia… that doesn’t exist. And South Africans know it.
This isn’t the first time the internet has had fun with a South African story. Just a few days ago, another wild piece of satire went viral… this time about hijackers accidentally robbing a truck full of snakes, thinking it was carrying cash. The article, originally shared on NewsVine and later covered on Good Things Guy, featured lines like “the robbers are now suing the Department of Environmental Affairs for being ‘bitten without consent’” and “emotional support lizards” were apparently being demanded in court.
The funniest part was that half of South Africa believed it. The other half were equally entertained.
But unlike the satirical snake-heist, which was meant to be absurd, this “solar street” story is being shared completely seriously by an international science page. It sounds plausible. It sounds impressive. To South Africans who deal with potholes the size of small bathtubs and streetlights that just don’t switch, it was immediately flagged as absolute nonsense.
And, as we do best, we went straight to the comments.
“As a South African, I ran to the comments section, which did not disappoint! 😂🤣”
“Ramaphosa would ask the same question he asked Trump in the White House: ‘Where in South Africa is this?’”
“We can’t even pave with normal tarmac hahaha.”
“Lol. Our roads are paved with POTHOLES.”
“Not even the parliament or Union Building streets are that clean. Voetsek.”
“They can’t even keep a solar-powered light on a pole, nevermind tie and make a solar pavement… 🤣😂”
“😭 Those solars would disappear moments after installation. Our pharas don’t waste time. I mean they even steal robots”
“100% certified kak story.”
What’s incredible, and worth celebrating, is how unified the online response was. We laughed together, shared it across groups and pages, and kept the humour rolling for hours. Even while dealing with real challenges (like unreliable infrastructure, poverty, crime and corruption), South Africans somehow still have the capacity to laugh, even when we’re the punchline.
So while we may not be walking on solar pavements just yet, the ground beneath our feet is far from ordinary. It’s filled with potential, resilience and a population that knows how to take a joke.
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