When a South African says they are 10 minutes away...

Updated Dec. 25, 2023, 12:23 p.m. | By Jacaranda FM

What does, "I'm 10 minutes away", really mean in South African culture?

As South Africans, we can be stereotyped into certain categories that aren't always considered positive.

For instance, there is this notion of African time, where time is somehow different to South Africans but the same for everyone else.

So, when someone says they are ten minutes away, if you are South African, you can sometimes take that to mean they are not really ten minutes away.

Content Strategist and Podcaster, Jon Savage, put this perfectly when he spoke briefly about a South African cultural insight when it comes to time.

Check out the video below, courtesy of TikTok.

@jonsavageontik #southafrica ♬ original sound - Jon Savage

Check out some of the comments below:

"Anyone giving you a "10 minutes away" isn't South African, we say "I'll be there now now" that second "now" is where the delay is at"
"If I say I’m 10 mins away, I’m still deciding if I wanna go"
"Me laying in my bed watching this I was supposed to get up an hour ago"
"Ten minutes away means, I am getting into the bathroom to bath"
"10 min away means I am definitely coming today..."