“Something Is Not Make Sure”: Payslip of Self-Taught UX Designer Raises Questions in SA

• A payslip of a self-taught UX designer intern who learned the skill entirely on YouTube, without a degree or certification, has got South Africans talking
• The intern works at a small IT company and takes home R6,930 a month after a R70 deduction
• People were divided, with some saying the pay is expected for an intern and others feeling the salary is not worth the effort it takes to break into the field

Salary content creator @liferesetwithboni posted a video on 24 May 2026 sharing the payslip of a UX designer intern who has no formal degree and no certification. Everything they know about UX design, they learned on YouTube. The person works at a small IT company and is currently on an internship. In the video, Boni broke it down and said:

"Here is a payslip of a UX designer intern without a degree. This is an internship. R7,000, and then a net pay of R6,930. What was the deduction? R70. I don't know what it was for."

Read also

"It's actually crazy": Cape Town man pays R60 to charge an electric car to full in Durban

What does a UX designer actually do?

A UX designer is responsible for making sure a product, whether it's an app, a website or a digital service, is easy and enjoyable to use for users and customers.

To get this job, a candidate must be able to understand what users need. They will then need to design how things look and flow, and test whether it all actually works. It's a field that pulls from different aspects which includes design, psychology and tech, meaning people often come into it from very different backgrounds.

According to Indeed, the average UX designer in South Africa earns around R34,545 a month, with top companies like Capitec Bank and Sanlam paying up to R728,000 a year. Cities like Johannesburg and Stellenbosch tend to offer the highest salaries in this field. Employers in Centurion and Somerset West offer the lowest amount of salary, averaging just under R30,000 per month.

Read also

"Unblock people, guys": TikToker highlights earning potential for non-creators on WhatsApp's monetization

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Mzansi debates the UX designer intern's pay slip

The comments came in quickly after Boni Xaba shared the clip on her TikTok page:

@sinothile_mntungwa said:

"Something is not make sure. 🙊"

@mzu98 wrote:

"He's underpaid, but he'll get there eventually."

@chessgeek shared:

"The R70 was UIF."

@chomilalela asked:

"Is it full-time?"

@nontsikelelo wrote:

"I need a bursary for BSc in genetics."

More on SA salaries and jobs

• Briefly News recently reported on a Takealot driver who gave a raw, honest look at his daily earnings.
• A young Eastern Cape woman with three formal qualifications couldn't find work until she got her hands on a free certificate, and the comments were full of people wanting to know where to get it.
• Belgium and Germany are actively recruiting skilled South Africans with packages of up to R97,000 a month, and one benefit included in the offer had people ready to pack their bags.

Source: Briefly News