“It’s Her Land, Though”: Woman Builds Rental Unit at Home but Mom Takes Over Profit, SA Divided

• A young lady shared how she invested her own money and effort into building a rental flat at her home, only to lose it all
• She detailed the experience, which was later shared by a content creation page on Facebook, explaining how her mom took over her rental income
• Social media users had mixed reactions, with some sympathising and others saying the mom had every right to do so
• Briefly News spoke with Mlondolozi Kani, a construction company owner on the costs of building a rental flat in SA

Building something from scratch takes hard work, but losing it all? That's the next level of pain. One young woman learned this lesson the hard way after pouring her money and energy into a rental project at her mom's house.

The woman's clip was shared on Facebook by user Rybrox, a viral content page, attracting massive views, likes and comments.

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Young woman loses rental flat investment

In the clip, the lady details how she spent R30K out of her pocket to build a one-room flat for rental income. From bathroom supplies to hauling cement, she did everything herself. The project took her a year to complete, but she finally got a tenant paying R3.5K monthly.

She gave her mom R1K, helped at home financially, and covered expenses like electricity. But things took a turn when her mom demanded the full R3.5K. She took over and directed the tenant to deposit rent on her account, but later sold the house, leaving the daughter with a loss of the R30K investment.

Watch the Facebook video below:

Building costs in SA

We at Briefly News had the pleasure of speaking with Mlondolozi Kani the owner of Kannjani Construction and Supplying Services. We asked him how much building costs are compared to 2021/2022. He said:

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"Building costs in Mzansi have increased since 2022 because of rising material and labour expenses. Even though it was more affordable to build a few years ago, current prices are significantly higher in urban areas. Location plays a big role, major cities being more expensive than rural areas."

The team asked him what the cost factors are in building a small rental flat, and he shared:

"Key costs include labour, the building plan, and material prices. Simple designs and strategic material choices can help lower costs. Urban areas generally have higher costs due to demand, and building regulations and permits can add expenses."

We asked Mlondolozi if building a rental flat in the backyard was a good investment in 2025. The man responded:

"Regardless of where they are situated, rental flats will always be a good investment, if planned well. The demand for rental housing is still high, but rising costs mean those looking to invest in such properties must budget carefully and choose locations, to ensure profitability.

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Mzansi reacts to the rental property drama

The clip had social media users flooding the lady's comment feed. Many were shocked that her own mom could do that, warning her to never build on someone else's land again.

Others said her mom was within her rights since she owned the property, while some felt a 50/50 profit split would have been fair. The situation sparked a heated debate, with people arguing about land ownership, family dynamics, and financial boundaries.

User @Lindiwe Mandili said:

"The caption is soo wrong.... I think they should have shared the profit 50/50, at the end of the day. You built in her land thats why it was a total loss when she sold the house. As kids, let's not take advantage of our parents too. Tenants are more than just giving your mom electricity money."

User @Nkosnathi Nathi added:

"Your mum did good, 👍👍when u feel like u are ready financially as a young lady or young man, look for your own place & build there & stop being entitled in your parent's place, grow up go out look for your own 👍👍."

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User @Celine Pinky Nkoloma commented:

"Not all parents are good people. That's it!"

User @Hilda Thoko Hlongwane shared:

"Even siblings can cause problems."

User @Smosh Priyanka Kailey added:

"Yoh, I wanted to add rooms on my mom's property but now my eyes are open xem thank you so much 🔥🔥❤️"

User @Linda Ncube said:

"But it's her land though...you should have bought your own stand to avoid such disputes."

3 Briefly News articles about parents and kids

• A stressed mom showed off her daughter's school shoes, which were cut at the back to resemble Gucci fur slides, asking what to do with her, but online users complimented them.
• A daughter bought land and built her mom her first home, restoring her dignity after being a laughingstock in her community.
• A daughter captured her mom praying for her in tongues after suspecting she had a boyfriend, leaving online users in stitches.

Source: Briefly News