“You Did This”: Johannesburg Domestic Worker Yaya Sells Out Homemade Rusks in 30 Minutes

• A Johannesburg domestic worker named Yaya went viral after realising she sold out her entire daily rusk order in just 33 minutes, with her emotional reaction capturing hearts across SA
• The hardworking mum runs her homemade muesli rusk business through a TikTok page @yayas_rusks, opening orders every Monday and gaining massive support from followers
• South Africans are increasingly turning to side businesses to cope with rising costs, as inflation sits at 3.2%, with food and utilities being the main contributors to price increases

A Johannesburg domestic worker has touched hearts across South Africa after her emotional reaction to selling out her homemade rusks in record time went viral. Yaya, who runs the TikTok page @yayas_rusks, was filmed realising she had sold her entire daily order in just 33 minutes, with her face going from confusion to pure joy as happy tears flowed.

Content creator @yayas_rusks shared the heartwarming video on 21st June with the simple caption: "You did this ❤️"

The clip shows Yaya sitting down, looking at something in front of her, before the realisation hits that her rusks had completely sold out. She turns to someone helping her with the business, asking in disbelief if that's really what happened. The video includes text explaining:

"Watch Yaya's face as she realises she sold out her rusks in 33 minutes," perfectly capturing the genuine shock and happiness of a hardworking entrepreneur seeing her dreams come true.

Building her rusk empire

Yaya has been steadily building her homemade muesli rusk business from her Johannesburg home, with orders opening every Monday through links posted on Instagram. Her TikTok bio proudly reads "Rusk influencer, nanny & mom," showing how she's juggling multiple roles while building her brand.

The support she's received has been incredible, with followers gifting her personalised chef's aprons with her name and business printed on them, plus long-sleeve sweaters embroidered with the words: Chief Rusk Officer.

Her journey represents many South Africans who are starting side businesses to supplement their income during tough economic times.

SA celebrates Yaya's success

The video has gained thousands of reactions since being posted, with South Africans flooding the comments with love and support for Yaya's achievement.

@Kels gushed:

"We need Yaya's rusks on the shelves of different stores. I love rusks."

@SouthernWinterStorms wrote:

"In Bloemfontein, but will buy if you guys ship countrywide at some stage!"

@Zêlla 🇿🇦 added:

"👏 This makes my heart smile 🌟💯 Watch out big brands, here comes Mamma Yaya 💪🏻"

@MissKarlaJean said:

"She deserves all the success and more! ❤️"

@Die_van_Rooyens commented:

"Just here, crying with strangers 🥲💕"

@Gharko praised:

"Well done!!! We need to have more circular economy."

Rising costs drive entrepreneurship

According to Stats SA, annual consumer price inflation was 3.2% in February 2025, with housing and utilities contributing 1.0 percentage point to this rate. Food and non-alcoholic beverages contributed 0.5 percentage points, while restaurants and accommodation services added 0.3 percentage points.

These rising costs are pushing many South Africans to find creative ways to earn extra income, with small businesses like Yaya's becoming increasingly popular.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Other women building successful businesses

• Briefly News recently reported on a SA woman who runs her shipping company in China, but what she told locals about her journey from doubt to empire left them completely speechless.
• A woman launched a successful taxi business that had Mzansi applauding, though her secret weapon for breaking into the male-dominated industry surprised everyone.
• A South African woman showed her vending machine earnings that inspired Mzansi to hustle, but her advice about securing locations first revealed a game-changing business strategy most people miss.

Source: Briefly News