South African time has got a UK woman totally confused as she tries to decode words like ‘now now’ and ‘just now’
South Africa (12 August 2025) – Clearly the South African time debate is one that will never end. We have all heard of CAT (Central Africa Time), SAST (South African Standard Time), and even GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). But have you heard of SAT? South African Time, where ‘now now,’ ‘right now,’ and ‘just now’ do not follow any clock. South Africans cannot resist confusing the rest of the world with these never-heard-of time phrases. Only in South Africa can you ask, “When will you be here?” and get a not-so-direct response like ‘just now’.
Michalia Tyson from the UK recently joined the chat, or at least, her video is being reshared online. Confused as ever, trying to decode these little expressions. In the video, you can see her face going from curious to annoyed. And honestly, who can blame her? If there is one thing South Africans are quick at, it is coming up with our own slang that makes absolutely no sense to the rest of the world.
Good Things Guy has broken this down before, but here is your refresher:
- Right now: Immediately. No jokes. You’ve got 10 seconds.
- Now now: Fairly soon but also flexible.
- Just now: Sometime later could be today, could be next week, could be never.
It is part of the beauty of being South African, living in our own time zone. Time in South Africa is not measured by a clock. Rather by the moment, the mood and the manner in which it was said.
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