“It’s Survival, Not Success”: Gent Complains About Month End Scam and Mzansi Shares Their Troubles

• A Gauteng Facebook user shared a video of another man explaining how month-end salary payments in South Africa feel like a scam, where workers pay everyone else first
• The viral clip gained over 5,000 reactions and 1,400 shares as the speaker described how debit orders attack immediately after payday, leaving crumbs for the actual earner
• South Africans related strongly to the message about rising costs and inflation, making it feel like survival rather than success when managing monthly expenses

A Gauteng man struck a nerve with South Africans when he shared a video that perfectly captured the monthly financial struggle many face.

Facebook user @mzwandile.ngalo posted footage of another gentleman breaking down the harsh reality of month-end in South Africa, and the clip quickly went viral with over 5,000 reactions, 300 comments, and 1,400 shares.

In the video, the speaker delivers a hard-hitting truth about payday:

"Month-end in South Africa is the biggest scam. You work the whole month just to pay everyone else first. Your salary lands, and then the debit orders attack. The landlord eats first, the bank eats second, the grocery store eats third, the fuel station eats next, and by the time you want to eat, there's crumbs left for the person who earned it, you. That's the truth about month-end. It's survival, not success."

The message resonated deeply with viewers who are struggling with rising living costs and stagnant salaries that haven't kept pace with inflation.

Mzansi feels the month-end pain

The comment section filled with South Africans sharing their month-end struggles and budgeting tips.

@Lindokuhle Ngcobo added:

"SARS eats first broe😭😭😭"

@Percy Thabiso Manamela sympathised:

"If the working are complaining, imagine the 350 gang🥺"

@Elroy Scheepers joked:

"Some of us need to budget😂 Don't buy that GTI."

@Matthys Laynes advised:

"Live cash, do not use credit, if you cannot buy it cash, leave it, you do not need it."

@Lungile Zuma Zulu laughed:

"The kids eat next 😂"

@Khulani Ngcobo observed:

"Weekends are people's biggest tax, especially with booze👀👀🤧"

Rising inflation pressures South Africans

According to Economics.com, South Africa's annual consumer price inflation rate reached 2.8% in April 2025, though this seemingly low figure doesn't tell the whole story for ordinary families. Housing and utilities were major contributors, rising 4.4% annually, with electricity, gas and fuel prices jumping 11.6% year-on-year.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw inflation accelerate to 4.0% in April, up from 2.7% in March, marking the highest annual rate since September 2024. Meat prices, especially beef products, increased significantly, while coffee prices soared 20.2% annually. These increases hit family budgets hard, especially when combined with administered price increases for electricity tariffs and municipal rates.

The bigger picture shows that many South Africans are earning the same salaries but paying more for necessities, creating the exact scenario described in the viral video, where workers feel like they're simply passing money through to service providers rather than building wealth.

Watch the Facebook reel below:

3 other stories about rising costs in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on a man complaining about electricity prices that had Mzansi riled up, but what he revealed about how long his electricity now lasts compared to before shocked everyone.
• A woman shared her detailed medical bill breakdown after giving birth at a private hospital, though the total amount she paid for the C-section delivery left South Africans speechless.
• A content creator who earns in dollars showed her R10,000 weekly grocery shopping spree, but her reason for staying in South Africa instead of moving to America surprised many people.

Source: Briefly News