Corporate Clapbacks and Meme Mayhem: Meerkat Takes Over African Social Media

1 July 2025

By Kudakwashe Takundwa

A new ruler has emerged in the kingdom of internet humour. A meerkat with a suspicious stare and legendary side-eye has taken over African social media, spawning countless memes, corporate copycats, and a flood of laughter across the continent. It all began with a photo: a meerkat casually leaning against a wall, head slightly tilted, eyes narrowed in judgment.

The posture was perfect. The expression? Pure “I knew you would mess up.” Within hours, social media platforms from Zimbabwe to Kenya and Nigeria were awash with memes that used the image to comment on everyday chaos, awkward situations, and all-too-familiar characters in African households and communities. Users captioned the meerkat in scenes involving nosy neighbors, broke friends who demand meat every braai, and cousins who conveniently “drop by” just before supper.

One widely shared meme read, ZIMRA watching your car cruise by……yet you know you undervalued, evaded surtax, duty and some, no papers at all. Regularize before 31 July 2025. No penalties. Just pay what’s due.

Not to be left behind, Innbucks poked fun at wallet pain with the caption, “Innbucks watching being charged for every transaction by other wallets. Also jumping in on the trend is ZERA, ZERA watching you miss out on safe, smarter energy use and energy efficiency.

But the crown jewel of the trend might belong to Zimbabwean funeral services company Kingdom Blue, whose contribution sparked the now-infamous “Uncles Challenge.” The challenge dared users to share the most outrageous outfits their uncles had worn to funerals, lobola ceremonies, and weddings. You haven’t lived until your uncle pulls up to a serious family event dressed like he’s on a music video set.

Tell us what’s the funniest outfit your uncle ever wore to a wedding, funeral, or lobola ceremony? Drop a comment below… or better yet, post the pic if you have got it.

Let’s hear those crazy uncle stories. Social media delivered with photos of shiny suits, cowboy boots, velvet jackets, and leopard-print blazers complete with captions like, “You haven’t lived until your uncle arrives at a funeral looking like a backup dancer from Mafikizolo’s Khona video.”

As the meme spread, it became more than just a joke. Brands, agencies, and everyday users alike turned the meerkat into a mouthpiece for African humour sharp, relatable, and unfiltered. For once, the continent’s timelines were united not by outrage or breaking news, but by a furry little creature radiating silent judgment.

Behind the humour lies the perfect visual metaphor. Meerkats small mammals native to the deserts of southern Africa are known for their upright stance, often standing guard while their clan forages for food. Their expressions are naturally alert and suspicious, making them surprisingly photogenic and relatable. In nature, they protect. On the internet, they judge and we love it.

If 2025 has taught us anything so far, it’s that viral content does not need to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, all it takes is a side-eye from a desert sentinel to get the entire continent talking, and laughing.