Graduate turned Milo promoter strikes a nerve with Mzansi

TikToker Amahle Shezi (@mashezi) posted a 15 second clip on 7 November that starts with her in her graduation gown and the words "I haven't seen you since we graduated". The video, tagged #unemployment and #brokegraduate, has about 914,000 views and 273,000 likes.

According to Briefly News, the second scene shows her at a supermarket promotion stand handing out cups of Milo. The clip is part of a trend where graduates show where they ended up, and more than 2,400 people have commented, many sharing their own stories of looking for work after finishing a degree.

Graduates still do better than most job seekers. Stats SA's latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey put graduate unemployment at 12.4% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 12.2% in the first quarter, while youth unemployment for 15 to 34 year olds rose to 47.4%.

What the comments are saying

@iamasandaaa:

"and no course is above the program, believe me" (21087 likes)

@siyamthandazungu08:

"plzz bandla valani le trend" (20297 likes)

@junejemeni05:

"I hate this trend it breaks my heart 🥺" (19227 likes)

@sirtsebe:

"I skipped graduation ceremony because I could see this coming. Just collected my certificate and moved on" (8023 likes)

@sis_norlly:

"Ngise call center I cry every day😭😭😭" (6027 likes)

@mhana_xona:

"Coming from an LLB graduate who spent 2 years unemployed, 1 year packing groceries at Checkers and now Lecturing at one of South Africa's biggest private institutions, it gets better. Just keep fighting, crying and praying through it💜" (3499 likes)

@leehle_madube:

"I'm a part time cashier at Pep inhliziyo ivuza igazi. sometimes I got paid R400 a week." (204 likes)

@nkabanhle_13:

"Mn nawe syafana 2 belts…ngiya promote ama spices ngincenga abantu bethenge ama spices💔" (193 likes)

Video and image: @mashezi on TikTok.