Elon Musk's Friend Claimed All Traffic Lights are Broken and Bread Costs $50 in Johannesburg. Grok and Social Media Users Showed Otherwise

Elon Musk sparked backlash online after sharing a message from a friend claiming that every traffic light in Johannesburg, South Africa is broken and a loaf of bread costs $50—claims that were quickly debunked by X AI Bot Grok and South African social media users.

On Friday, Musk reposted a screenshot on X from an unnamed friend currently in South Africa.

The message painted a dire and racially charged picture of Johannesburg and broader South African society, alleging extreme infrastructure collapse, rampant government corruption, and graphic violence attributed to Black residents.

The note described Johannesburg as having "not one" working traffic light and claimed a loaf of bread costs R1000 (~$50), citing corruption at Baragwanath Hospital as an example.

Shortly after Musk's tweet, users from Johannesburg and surrounding areas began posting real-time photos and videos to debunk the claims.

X user The Tech Buddha posted a video of a Johannesburg intersection with visibly functioning traffic lights.

X user Shudufhadzo.btcalso shared a video of working traffic lights in Johannesburg.

"I'm actually volunteering to drive around Joburg on live stream so that you can rest with the lies," they captioned the image.

Additionally, Grok, Musk's AI Bot, fact-checked his claimed after it was prompted by a user. "A standard loaf of bread in South Africa costs about R16 to R19 ($0.83 to $0.98 USD)," it wrote.

No credible reports support the claim of a R1000 loaf or the described hospital corruption at that scale.