"You Are a Chef": SA Student's R9 Budget Results in Elevated Sweet Potato Meal During Mampara Week

• South African content creator @glen.kreates picked up a sweet potato and greens from the street for just R9 during mampara week
• He turned the budget ingredients into a seasoned, pan-cooked meal served with toasted bread in a simple kitchen tutorial
• The video caught fire online, with followers calling him a chef and asking for their share of the plate

A South African content creator turned a R9 street find into a meal that stopped people mid-scroll. On 29 July 2026, @glen.kreates posted an Instagram Reel showing exactly what he could cook up during mampara week, a slang term for the lean days before payday.

He bought sweet potatoes and a green pepper for just R9, then transformed the inexpensive ingredients into a meal that impressed viewers, with many saying it looked restaurant-quality.

"This mampara, let's see what R9 can get us in the street. Sweet potato. Let us see how we can elevate this meal."

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Health benefits of sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are rich in fibre, vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and minerals that support overall health. They may promote gut health, boost immunity, support healthy vision and brain function, and help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Their antioxidants have also shown potential cancer-fighting properties in laboratory studies, although more human research is needed.

View the Instagram video below:

Mzansi wants an invite

South Africans flooded his page, many joking that they were ready to pull up to his kitchen:

@ney_ngwane said:

"You're too good 👏🔥🔥"

@tyronethefirst_ commented:

"Invite nyana? ❤️" (Translation: "Invite me, hey?")

@mbuyiselovilakazi wrote:

"My favourite show is on"

@pako_methusele asked:

"Wena o chef mos. Where's my share? 😭😭😭" (Translation: "You are literally a chef. Where's my share?")

@daddykholo suggested:

"Get a blender aight 👏😁 that looks really good"

@cookingwithnjabs_ summed it up simply:

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"For only R9 😍"

More Briefly News stories on budget meals

• A South African woman went viral after showing how she bought a simple lunch for two with just R12 by combining budget items from Pick n Pay and a local shop, earning praise for her resourcefulness during the cost-of-living crisis.
• A Soweto entrepreneur built a thriving street food business selling affordable home-cooked meals, with demand growing so much that customers now pre-order via WhatsApp before travelling to collect their food.
• Two South African students impressed social media after revealing they spent just R2,000 on a grocery haul from Checkers and Woolworths that they estimated would last them three months.

Source: Briefly News