CAN YOU SURVIVE ON A R6000 SALARY? 82 PERCENT OF YOUTH HAVE TO
- BEE NEWS
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
Brendyn Lotz | 9 September 2025
The Zaka Index reveals that 82 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 35 earn less than R6 000 per month.
This leads to young people skipping meals, delaying payments, and turning to less-than-ideal loans to make ends meet.
All of this has a drastic impact on mental and physical health.
The latest Zaka Index, which outlines how young people between the ages of 18 and 35 think about money, is out now. The index is the product of Blackbullion South Africa and Sanlam.
The index surveyed 1157 people from across South Africa and hopes to give us all a better idea of the struggles that young people face. The bad news is that the struggle is immense, even for those who don’t form part of the unemployed youth.
By far the most concerning finding is that 82 percent of respondents earn less than R6 000 per month. We suspect that some folks are still living at home, but R6 000 is an insignificant amount of money for people to earn, even if you don’t have to pay rent.
This low income leads to other problems. Nearly every respondent (80 percent) says they have either skipped meals or delayed important payments due to lack of funds. Half (51 percent) of respondents also report feeling financially stressed every day. That stress takes a massive toll on your mental and physical health, given that 41 percent find food to be the hardest thing to afford consistently.
And before the boomers at the back talk nonsense about luxuries, the Zaka Index covers this, with the monthly spend on luxury items averaging out at R283. And do you know what the biggest “luxury” is per this report? Airtime and data. Not streaming or takeaways, airtime.
“The cost of financial stress is more than emotional, it affects decision-making, mental health, and the ability to plan ahead, often forcing short-term survival choices over long-term growth. According to the 2024 DebtBusters report, 93% of South Africans said stress negatively affects their home life, 76% said it impacts their work life, and 74% reported a negative impact on their health. In this environment, unexpected expenses can trigger a financial crisis, eroding resilience and reinforcing a cycle where young people are constantly on the back foot,” reads the Zaka Index.
The report reveals that an unexpected cost of just R1 000 would cause a crisis among respondents, with many having to resort to loans and other means to make up the cost.
Predators in plain view
With so little money on the table, there appears to be a habit of youngsters taking out loans to pay for things they can’t afford otherwise. In the report, which you can find here, the index spoke to some respondents, and in every quote, a loan or some form of credit is mentioned.
While some form of debt is essential for establishing a credit history, many of the respondents seem to turn to predatory payday or short-term loans, loan sharks, or even gambling. All of these sources of money are easy to find nowadays and can often end up putting youngsters under greater financial strain.
For example, a popular, well established short-term loan provider will lend you R1 000 for 30 days, but it will cost you R1 304.86 to pay it back. A person who takes that loan isn’t just R304.86 short, they are short the full amount because they never had the R1 000 available in the first place.
Financial education is vital, but it’s often overlooked, and loan providers are aware of this and take advantage of it, within the bounds of the law, of course.
“I have invested in schemes a couple of times, thinking they were legit. I have taken loans not thinking of the consequences. I thought I was financially literate until I ended up under debt review at the age of 28 because of family,” one respondent told the Zaka Index.
But it’s not solely the responsibility of the youth to be aware of finance. Finance is complicated and, more importantly, boring for most people.
“The ZAKA Index shows that young people aren’t careless with money and making impossible trade-offs in a high-cost environment,” says Leana De Beer, CEO of WaFunda (which powers Blackbullion South Africa). “The ask now is to translate these insights into practical, continuous learning and targeted support that builds small buffers, improves decision-making and opens pathways to opportunity.”
Investing in the youth now is extremely important, as this is the next generation, and if that generation isn’t financially healthy, we’re in a lot of trouble.
‘Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the BEE CHAMBER’.