“Not All White People”: KwaZulu-Natal Ranger Breaks Silence About Growing Up Poor in SA

• A KwaZulu-Natal game ranger opened up about growing up in poverty, saying he sometimes went to a neighbour's house to eat
• The ranger says the only help he received was from his grandparents, who saved a small amount for his studies
• People shared their own stories of struggling and working their way up from nothing

A KwaZulu-Natal game ranger got South Africa talking after opening up about his childhood. He shared the clip on 28 April 2026 from Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, on his TikTok page @nick.duranty with the message:

"Not all white people are privileged. Some had to work very hard to get where they are now. Learn to stop playing around, wasting time and work hard."

Nick says the video came after people accused him of being privileged following a previous post he'd made. He pushed back, saying his family struggled. His mother raised him and his sisters on her own. He shared that he would go next door to eat at a neighbouring Black family's house when things got tough.

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The only help he got was from his grandparents putting aside a small amount of money for him to complete his college course. After that, he was on his own. He spent months phoning and begging for someone to give him a chance. When he finally got his foot in the door at 18 years old, he was placed in tents in the bush with Zulu colleagues who didn't speak English. He says those men taught him everything he knows about the bush and that he's still friends with them today.

From there, Nick says he did every job asked of him until he earned his promotions. He also pointed out that he speaks multiple African languages. This is something he says he learned because he really wanted to understand and connect with the people around him.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

SA relates to the ranger's story

People were moved by Nick's honesty, and many shared their own stories on his TikTok page:

@Alison said:

"I never had the chance to study after school. I had to go straight to work because my parents couldn't afford it. I did part-time courses while working, and everything I have today is something I've built up over the past 20 years."

@Living_on_a_prayer wrote:

"I worked from the age of 12 to buy my stationery for school. I had to do athletics barefoot."

@001benten10 shared:

"I have a Grade 10 certificate. I started as a storeman in a 6-metre container. My first salary was R122 a week. I didn't have the money to study or even survive. Parents disowned me. I worked my backside off and still do..."

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@AnthonyGasAdvance wrote:

"I have Grade 9. I left home at 17 and worked for eight years in a factory. I took that money and started a small business. Today I'm running three businesses. It's the power of will."

@Luisa_dingley said:

"I started working at the age of 10, delivering newspapers just to buy clothing and shoes my parents couldn't afford. As soon as I finished school at 15, I got a part-time job and worked my way into a management course."

Other South Africans working hard

• Briefly News recently reported on Young Stunna finally moving into his new mansion.
• A young woman celebrated building her own rooms at home with her own money and the cost estimate she shared impressed many.
• Nhlanhla Mafu said proud was an understatement after her son Ciza walked away from the Metro FM Awards with something that left the whole family emotional.

Source: Briefly News