In true 041 fashion, Mvume Ndimba blends sharp wit with unfiltered honesty, pulling us into a story that starts with a cousin named Lammie and ends with a question many South Africans are asking in 2025: What even is money anymore?
Recently in the group chat we spent the better part of our work day talking trash about our kids (as parents do).
And this reminded me of a story I shared with the rest of the 041 Team that I want to share with you all.
Back in the early 2000s I was about 8 years old, and my cousin, who was around 8 years my senior, was given the task of dropping off his annoying baby cousin at a friend’s party. My cousin and I had very different upbringings.
His education was predominantly in the neighbourhood he grew up in, New Brighton. So he didn’t really learn how to speak English until his mid-to-late teens when he started getting into rap music. (He still speaks English with an American accent, and so do all the friends he grew up with.)
So when cousin “Lammie” (his nickname) went to drop me off at Tim’s house (that one house on the corner of Kragga Kamma and Circular Drive — you know it if you’ve seen it), he was literally surrounded by white people, for the first time ever.
He leaned over to my other cousin “Smoke” (also a nickname) and said, “I’mma bring my knife when we come fetch this little dude and stab all the white folks up.”
Lammie went on to move to Germany and marry a white lady and so far has zero stabbings under his belt. Big cap.
But that’s not the point of this story.
The point that stuck with me was on our way home, after making me panic that he was going to come back and ruin the party (he didn’t, he was super sweet to everyone when he came to get me), Lammie stopped at the Caltex on the corner of Ntshekisa and Marwanqa Street. This was before they revamped it, but also before it fell apart.
Lam took R5 out of his pocket, paid the petrol attendant and got 1.3L of fuel. I remember laughing my little ass off in the backseat, having never seen somebody buy fuel with a coin before. I don’t remember exactly what I said to him, but I do remember making him feel super bad about it. (Don’t feel bad for him — he used to beat me up when I was little!)
But I often think about that day. I don’t remember Tim’s face, I don’t even remember being at his house really, but I remember how my cousin was a damn liar and couldn’t stab up anything. And I remember fuel being cheap enough that R5 could actually allow him to drive for a couple days.
And that got me thinking.
“Has anyone else noticed how broke everyone is right now?”
Usually I’d be making jokes or trying to make light of our economic situation (in true South African fashion) but it’s getting ugly out here.
Mercedes Benz, Shell, Total — hell, even Tupperware — has now gone under as a result of poor lid management. These events should suggest that we’re about waist-deep in a recession.
South Africa is in trouble. But guess what? It’s not just us.
Apart from a handful of countries that have cut unnecessary government spending, reduced kickbacks for big corporations and in some cases even removed entire departments, the rest of the world is broke too.
And that brings me to my “hits blunt” thought about all of this (if you know, you know).
What even is money? Besides being cool-coloured paper with Madiba’s face on it, what is it really? Why can’t my R100 get me drunk or move my car more than a few hundred meters if it’s still the same R100 from Thabo Mbeki’s era?
I’m not an economist or even financially savvy. As a layman I look at the exchange rate, CPI and GNP as just indicators. They don’t tell a story, they just point in a direction. Either our economy is growing or it’s dying.
So imagine my confusion when I read that our GDP is expecting “subdued growth” in 2025.
My flabbers were ghasted when I read that inflation in 2008 was around 11.5%, compared to 2025’s 2.7–2.9%. Yet somehow, in the space of six months, my favourite bourbon shot up 30% in price right before my eyes.
New Balance sneakers are now R2000 a pair. Having a braai went from being easy and relaxing to a financial decision that could affect the rest of your month.
I say all that to say — I have no idea how money makes sense anymore.
Macroeconomic indicators suggest we’re slowly improving. Tell that to my bank account.
Salaries are higher than I’ve ever seen them since I started working. (Once upon a time I earned R6500 a month and that was enough to fuel my car, keep my girl happy, travel the province, and still get some action on the side.)
Today, that money won’t even last two weeks. And by “survive,” I mean keeping the lights on and food in the fridge.
Make it make sense.
My colleague and I were talking about how much easier life was before kids. We shared stories about what we did and where we went, and ended up blaming our kids for being lazy, broke, and expensive.
While all these things are true, for once — it’s not their fault.
I think the real reason our economy is gaslighting us into thinking everything’s okay is because the indicators haven’t caught up to reality.
The truth is your money doesn’t hold the same value anymore. That R1 you had in 2024 is now worth 60 cents.
Sure, some sectors are booming. Streaming is growing. Side-hustles have changed the game. Apps like Uber, Upwork, even Bumble (I heard people selling feet pics or worse) are opening doors.
But that doesn’t change the fact that, overall, things are rough.
CPI is sitting at 102.10, compared to the 41.9 we saw during the 2008 recession. Does that mean much to the average person? Not really. Because in 2008 I could get a pack of smokes and a snack for R41.90. That same purchase now? R102.10.
(I said I’m not an economist.)
But I am someone with eyes. And here’s what my eyes see:
1. It has never been more expensive to be the best South African you can be.
(Just being social can cost you R5000 a month — DStv, braais, petrol, drinks, power, etc.)
2. There’s never been more money up for grabs than there is now.
Even though we’re stuck in this recession that refuses to say its name, I believe there’s never been an easier time to go get the money.
If your car doesn’t break, Uber drivers can make good money.
If your sense of shame is low enough, you can get creative online. People are out here making dollars for feet content or “custom” clips.
There’s money out there. You just can’t be complacent.
Those who got to work through the first two ANC terms were likely the last to survive on one salary, educate their kids, feed their families and run a secret side family.
The rest of us? We’ve had to hustle, pivot, learn.
The indicators don’t work. The bulbs are fused.
Just like our parents’ advice that education = freedom, or my cousin’s outdated Top 5 rappers list — it’s all changed.
This is not the time to be complacent.
This is not the time to play it safe.
Not in this economy.
P.S. Yes, I’m aware of the Trump–Elon breakup, the Epstein list that keeps morphing, and those Afrikaans guys who got arrested in the U.S.
I just don’t want to talk about it. Not yet. Not until the thing I’m waiting for happens…
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