Love, Lies and Luxury: South Africa’s Slay Queens

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Published Oct 28, 2025

Unreported World is from Johannesburg, where a new generation of young women known as Slay Queens are monetising dating in South Africa, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

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Reporter Symeon Brown investigates whether these women are rewriting the rules of romance, or paying the highest price in a dangerous game.

Slay Queens flaunt luxury lifestyles online funded by wealthy men they call “blessers”, and inspire both admiration and anger. To their followers, they’re glamorous entrepreneurs breaking free from poverty and oppression. To their critics, they’re dangerous gold diggers who blur the lines between dating, sex work, and scams.

Brown meets Eva Modika, self-styled Queen of the North, who insists men are ATMs and that her lavish life is a form of empowerment.

But behind the glitz, Brown uncovers darker realities: women hunted by gangs, and young teenagers who are trafficked after being lured into transactional relationships.

Director: Stefania Bounajuti
Series Producer: Andy Lee
Executive Producer: Ed Fraser
Production Company: Channel 4 News

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