Survey finds 65% of South Africans struggle every month

The Money & Me survey says 65% of respondents find every month financially difficult, up from 61% last year. It found 43% need to borrow money before month-end. Also, 83% could not pay an unexpected R10,000 expense from savings.

The survey says 51% of respondents spend more than 40% of take-home pay on debt repayments, compared with 38% in 2025. About 37% do not know the interest rate on their biggest loan. Also, 69% shopped based on special offers.

Nicholson is head of customer experience at JustMoney. She said spending R1,000 on an item you would not otherwise buy does not save you R1,000. She said store accounts, credit facilities and buy-now-pay-later offers can make purchases look affordable while adding to monthly commitments.

Nicholson said countdown clocks and messages that only a few items remain create urgency and push shoppers into quick decisions. Her advice: "If a deal doesn’t match your budget, walk away." Under the Consumer Protection Act, consumers can generally return defective or unsafe goods within six months of delivery.