How To Make Money Fast In South Africa

The Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant mutations have impacted several lives in one way or the other. The impact is so tremendous that many now require some sort of palliatives or financial aid to make ends meet. if you find yourself in some kind of dire financial strain or you want to simply earn and save more for the uncertain days ahead or make money fast in South Africa, this article is for you.

One of the benefits inherent in the 21st century age of technology is that there are now numerous legal and fast ways to make money in South Africa and the world at large. Money making is no longer the sole prerogative of some few elite as any individual no matter the age or background can make money as long as they are willing to put in the effort.

How To Make Money Fast As A Kid

There’s no better time to start learning how money works and how to make it than when you are a kid. If you desire to make money fast in South Africa as a kid, then these are the kind of hobbies that you should be into right now to make some money.

Become A Kid Model

The baby care and young teens industry is one of the biggest in the world. If you want to make money fast in South Africa as a kid, then you (or your parents) should consider modeling as an option to earn some money. About 140 million babies are born every year around the world, and South Africa accounts for about a million of these bundles of joy annually. Industries and global brands have been built off providing care, comfort, style, entertainment, etc, for these young ones.

So who are the best models to help market these products and services to parents and their babies if not kids? There are children models for practically everything including nappies, clothing, soaps, hair and body creams, shoes, toys, and several others. In fact, there are so many modeling agencies in South Africa that are dedicated to identifying and promoting child models in the country. Parents can start off their kid’s modeling careers by booking studio sessions for them, and taking angelic pictures of them. These pictures can then be shared via social media platforms with the hope that someone would spot them.

Also, if you have a child that you feel has innate qualities that can help them become kid models, your best bet is to engage the services of modeling agencies and get your kid on the face of major products of both local and global brands. Your child may get lucky and be noticed by global child modeling agencies and could be on his or her way to global fame and fortune. Your child’s earnings as a kid model aren’t set in stone as it is dependent on so many factors, it can be in the range of a few thousand to millions of Rands on a yearly basis.

Kid Actors

There is probably no business like show business, and if you want to make money fast in South Africa as a kid, then you should be thinking about becoming a child actor right away. There are several television shows, soap operas, and full feature movies that require actors who are children. If you are currently showing promise like one who could turn out to be a rough diamond behind the tube, then your parents or guardians can be cajoled to help you actualize your dream and take necessary lessons to set you on your way to becoming a future star.

Former kid actors such as Sade Giliberti, Musa Mthombeni, Dineo Nchabeleng, Selea Thbekgale, Wright Ngubeni, and Hulisani Ravele began their careers aged between 5 and 7, and most of them have gone on to have very successful careers in the entertainment industry in South Africa. One of the secrets to succeeding as a child actor on Mzansi television right now is not to give up at the very first rejection or audition failure. Those child actors who succeed in the entertainment industry are those who get right back up when their expectations and burgeoning careers/dreams are knocked down.

They are willing to pick themselves up, learn a thing or two about acting, and watch the masters of the art do their thing. If you believe in yourself and possess a can-do spirit and attitude, then your chances of succeeding as a child actor are very high. The income you can make from acting at such a tender age may not be so significant, but if you show the right skills and get very good production, it can easily earn you hundreds of thousands of Rands.

Crafts Making

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If you are skillful with your hands and are dreaming of making money fast in South Africa as a kid, then you should consider making craft items that you can sell at a decent amount. You can learn how to make hand beads, necklaces, earrings, broach or pins, and other related items that people would be willing to pay for. You can also learn how to make decorative pots, flower pots, earthen cookware, lampshade covers, and other nice items that people would willingly pay for. If you have some sort of style and are very good with color combinations, you can also pick and arrange flower bouquets that you can sell around your neighborhood or via social media platforms.

In case you don’t have the innate ability to do these crafts, there’s no need to despair as these skills can be learned and perfected over time. To maximize your opportunities via these hobbies you should be ready to learn about entertainment ways to get these things done and apply them to your craft as soon as possible. You can also get help and assistance from your older siblings and parents about how to do a better job every time.

You can also ask your parents or family members to gift you books on craft making, and put your newly learned skills to work. If you make very good items for sale, it can fetch you anything between a few hundred to several thousands of Rands on a monthly basis.

Brand Endorsement Deals For Kids

There are several brands that cater to the needs of kids not only in the country but all over the world. If your dream is to make money fast in South Africa as a kid then you (or specifically your parents) should be thinking of working on or getting a deal as a brand ambassador with kid-centric products or services. Kid-centric products such as child car seats, diapers for kids, feeding chairs, kids toys and games, and several others are always in demand.

There is that push by brands these days to have kids (maybe kids of popular celebrities in some instances) be the face of their kid-oriented products. If you can position yourself as one that should be considered to be the face of any brand, then you are on your way to earning some cool cash. If you are a kid and your parents are not celebrities but you wish to become a brand ambassador for companies that specialize in producing products for children, then there are a few things you can do to make yourself visible.

First, you can plead with your parents to take you to a professional photo studio and have a session where you mimic posing for your preferred brands. You can then use the power of social media to push out your pictures for the world to see and hope that luck would smile on you. Your parents can also engage the services of a professional management company, that will market you to major brands. If and when you are successful in this pursuit, you can have endorsement deals that can be in the range of hundreds of thousands of Rands or as a scholarship fund till you complete your studies.

How To Make Money Fast As A Teen

The truth is that all of us need money to meet our basic needs and enjoy the finer things of life, whether young or old, male or female. If you are in your teenage years and need to make money fast in South Africa, then these are the jobs you should be looking at right now:

Develop Apps

If you are technology-centric and really want to make money fast in South Africa, then developing Apps for a wide range of applications should be your go-to work right now. Apps – whether desktop or mobile platform based can be developed for a myriad of tasks ranging from the very simple such as calculating your daily/weekly expenses to the very complex such as a UI platform for financial transactions and several others. If you have the required skills to develop Apps, you can approach organizations from SMEs, NGOs, Fintech to very large corporations to develop their Apps for them.

In order to maximize your opportunities as an App developer, you should consider bringing on board other skilled developers when you get the chance to work on big projects. It’s also better to underpromise and over-deliver when taking on projects. It would also be in your best interest to constantly strive to keep abreast of the ever-changing operating systems in use, so as to constantly deliver the best value work for your clients. The average cost of developing an App in South Africa is about R 200,000, so your endeavors can easily earn between R 400,000 to a few million Rands every month, if and when you have built up a clientele and reputation to do so.

Own A Graphics Printing Business

One of the sure ways to make money fast in South Africa as a teen is to go into the graphics printing business. Several individuals or businesses want to print graphics – logos and designs, on shirts, T-shirts, robes, jackets, banners, mugs, notebooks, and several other items. You can be the business that makes this happen for those who desire to have such services. Several events also need banners or flyers advertising them, and yours can be the business that will produce all these at a very rewarding fee.

At the turn of every year, corporate organizations would require calendars, year planners, branded jotters/notebooks, pens, and other gift items to gift to their customers and you can position your business to receive these orders and make a decent amount of money. As you gain more clients, you can expand your business to produce large banners, event backdrops, event branding items, pamphlets, and program of events production. You can also diversify into the production of different types of portraits printing, picture framing, branded T-shirts depicting contemporary issues in the country, etc.

This is one business that will never run out of clients and what to do on a regular basis, and it has the potential to earn you between a few hundreds of thousands of Rands on a monthly basis, to a couple of millions or even more. As long as you are known for delivering quality work and on time, your business will continue to grow.

Design Websites Or Blogging Platforms For A Fee

If you are one of the few that possess very specific or specialized skill sets, and you intend to make money fast in South Africa, then you should consider designing websites or creating blogging platforms for those who intend to share their exciting views, experiences, or lifestyle with the public for a decent fee. There are many small-scale entrepreneurs who have products or services to sell and do not possess the technical skills to build or design their own websites or e-commerce platforms themselves.

This is where your skills as a website builder or designer would be needed and you can do that for a very worthwhile fee. There are also other people who lead very interesting lives, or who possess certain skills (such as tailors, chefs, explorers, etc) and wish to share them with the public. You can help them design a blogging platform where they can share all this information with the public while paying you a decent fee. Some of the major ways to maximize your opportunities here are to be very professional in your work, to under-promise and over-deliver on your deliverables, and always work towards providing the best value for your clients at all times.

Strive to always make it easier for your clients to use your designs without having to call you up at every turn they make. The average cost of building a basic website in South Africa is around R 500, while really elaborate sites can cost as much as R 50,000, so what you can make from designing websites on a regular basis could range between a few thousand Rands to hundreds of thousands of Rands on a monthly basis – depending on the type of website you are building and for who.

Work Around Your Neighborhood For A Fee

Doing odd jobs around your neighborhood is another sure way to make money fast in South Africa as a teen. There are several chores that very busy individuals won’t have the time to do around your neighborhood which you can do for a fee. You can help wash the cars of very busy working professionals, take dogs for walks around the neighborhood or to the dog parks, cut grass or mow the lawn, help to wash and groom dogs, mend fences and do some other yard work and several other jobs that can pop up.

You can also be some sort of middle man that connects people to service providers like carpenters, plumbers, painters, etc, and collect some “commission” from either of or both parties. Getting your first few jobs may be a challenge as people don’t really know or trust you yet, but as you execute your tasks to perfection and begin to earn the trust of people, you will be able to maximize your opportunities around your neighborhood and increase your revenue from your tasks.

You can also ask your current clients for referrals in order to widen your client’s list and earn more money. Let’s assume you fix your fee at R 20 per task (or more) and undertake like 5 tasks per day, you will take home R 100 daily, and between R 2,000 to R 3,000 on a monthly basis – which is not bad and can help you meet a few pressing needs of yours.

How To Make Money Fast In A Day

We all have needs and want on a daily basis, and if you want to make money fast in South Africa to meet your particular needs, here is a list of some of the jobs you can engage in:

Own and Operate A Barbershop

If your goal is to make money fast in South Africa, especially on a daily basis, then you should seriously consider opening and operating a barbershop or providing barbing services at the home of your prospective clients for a premium fee. If you do not have much capital to start any venture, then this business is a good idea for you because the equipment/tools that you will need to start the venture includes a professional hair clipper, medium to a large mirror, barbing apron, chair, aftershave lotion, combs, and brushes. You can start operations as a Barber either from a street corner or a fully furnished barbing Salon.

To maximize your clientele base and returns from your barbing business, you can offer home services to clients and charge a premium for that. You can also offer a few other services such as curls/waves and dreadlocks making, offering hair loss remedies, hair designs, and tint, just to mention a few. You can also further differentiate your business by making sure that your clients not only look good after a haircut but that they also smell good and have minimal signs they have just been to the barbers. This business can help you generate between a few hundred to thousands of Rands per day, and make hundreds of thousands of Rands on a monthly basis.

Own and Operate A Hair Saloon

 

Opening and operating a women’s hair salon is one sure way to make money fast on a daily basis in South Africa. It is popularly said and believed that the crowning glory of a woman’s beauty is her hair, so owning a business that services this all-important part of a woman’s beauty is always one sure way to smile to the bank every time.

There’s no gainsaying the fact that women love to look good at all times, and for all occasions. If you are operating a hair salon, you might as well offer other complimentary services – such as running a nail studio as well as selling fashion accessories that would complete a woman’s well-done hair and nails. This is one way to maximize your opportunities in the business and improve your income.

One can even diversify into running a fashion boutique to make your business a one-stop-shop for customers. The extent or limit of your income is dependent on a few factors, which if you get right can fetch you hundreds or thousands of Rands on a daily basis. This business is one that can easily make you a millionaire if and only if you get the business mix right, and remain customer-centric in your orientation at all times.

Open and Operate A Car Wash Service

If you do not have lots of money to invest in setting up a semi-automatic or fully automated car wash service and you want to make money fast in South Africa, then setting up a hand wash car service is your best bet to achieve your aim. You can start your own small-scale hand car wash service right there in your very own neighborhood or you can choose a strategic location that has lots of busy car owners who do not have the time to wash their cars themselves.

After obtaining a permit from your local authority for the space and the right to begin operations, you will need to have buckets, car wash microfiber cloths, brushes, car wash soaps, and a few other items to start operations. If you want to maximize your operations and returns from this business, you can add car detailing service as well and help give your customer’s car that all-around professional clean-up. You can also sell different types of fragrances, diffusers, and others to your customers at a fee.

Since professional automated car wash franchises charge their customers between R 250 to R 400 per wash, you can charge between R 50 to R 150 per wash to get them trooping in through your door. All things being equal, you are likely to go home with hundreds of Rands daily, and could even make between R 10,000 and R 25,000 monthly from your endeavors and enterprise.

Provide Transportation Services

There are hundreds of thousands – if not millions of public bus commuters in the country on a daily basis, and if you want to make fast money in South Africa, then providing transportation services to commuters within your community or inter-state is one venture you should consider urgently. You can provide this service via operating a taxi, minibus, long-distance bus rides, and even via the popular ride-hailing services in the country such as Bolt, Uber, InDriver, etc.

You can get a vehicle to use for this business either via a loan from the bank or through a hire purchase agreement, or you can simply use your current vehicle to earn extra daily income via the ride-hailing app services. To maximize your opportunities in this business, you have to possess a customer-centric orientation and be very courteous. You also have to at least possess excellent vehicle maintenance knowledge and pay good attention to your vehicle’s requirements. You can also add another vehicle to your fleet as time goes on for goods haulage.

The choice of the type of transportation service you decide to render to the public, as well as the choice of vehicle ownership scheme you choose to adopt, would determine the revenue you would earn from the provision of this service. The ballpark figure you can earn daily from providing transportation services would range between several hundreds of Rands to a few thousand, when you put all the income together in a month it can simply run into several thousands of Rands.

Run Errands For Others At A Fee

If you need to make money fast in South Africa and don’t intend to invest any money in setting up a formal business venture, then advertising your availability and service as one that can run errands for others at a fee should be your go-to endeavor. There would be quite a few people in your neighborhood who are either too busy to run errands themselves or won’t mind paying someone else to do it for them.

This type of endeavor is based on absolute trust and on the confidence that what has been agreed upon would be done, and this is what you must do to maximize your opportunities. It would also be in your best interest to know the contents of any package you may be asked to deliver while undertaking these tasks, so as not to be on the wrong side of the law. While it may not be the most lucrative job in the world, it would definitely put some Rands in your pocket on a daily basis, and as you become known better as a reliable “hand” to commit important errand runs to, your clientele and income will keep increasing.

Sell Basic Groceries Around Your Neighborhood

Any business-oriented individual who intends to make money fast in South Africa – especially on a daily basis, should as a matter of necessity consider setting up or renting a shop to sell groceries to individuals and homes within your neighborhood or a targeted area. Our world is so fast-paced and rapidly changing right now that a lot of people don’t have the time and luxury to buy the basic things they need at home either from the market or big retail stores. You can choose to be the bridge between your (potential) customers and groceries items they can’t get from the store or market due to their very busy schedules.

If you can identify the class of people living in the neighborhood that you intend as the location of your business, then you can easily decide or predict what their household or groceries requirements would be. You will then stock your shop accordingly in anticipation of their patronage. Possessing a warm and pleasant personality would help welcome customers to your shop, and having excellent logistic and organizational skills would help keep your shelves stocked which will translate to more money for you. If you aggregate your daily income on a monthly or yearly basis, this business can easily make you several hundreds of thousands of Rands per annum.

How To Make Money Fast Online

There are several online platforms to make money fast in South Africa. If you intend to improve your financial status, here are some of those you should seriously consider:

Sell Your Professional Service Online

If you have any skill no matter how little or time to spare, and you want to make money fast in South Africa, then you should seriously consider selling your services online. Your skill could be graphics designing, painting, wallpaper installation, secretarial or front desk expertise, logo design, affiliate marketing, baking, cooking, etc. The truth is that there would be someone out there who requires the services that you have to offer and would be willing to pay for it – provided they know about you.

The present Covid-19 pandemic has made it imperative for many businesses (especially in countries that are worst hit by the pandemic and its variants) to outsource their operations to external persons, just to keep their businesses running. You can either create your own website or do it in conjunction with people of like minds.

You then sell your services, or you can leverage on both local and international platforms where services are matched with potential employers, such as Fiverr, Upwork, 99designs, Guru, Toptal, PeoplePerHour, Freelancer, and such others. These platforms offer you the opportunity not only to provide your service to global employers but also to earn foreign currency as well. Some advertised jobs on these platforms can be as low as a few tens of Dollars (USD) or run into $ 5,000+ on a monthly basis; with the opportunity to even undertake more than one job at a time.

Open An Online Store

Another opportunity that the current global Covid-19 pandemic has made available to all who intend to make money fast in South Africa, is the opportunity to open an online store and sell wide-ranging products via this medium. The need for social distancing and observance of very strict Covid-19 protocols aimed at limiting person-to-person contact has forced a lot of people to now shop online, rather than in physical stores or large retail malls. There is no limit to what you can sell online, as long as it is legal and not injurious to people.

Your online store can sell items such as wristwatches, belts, makeup kits, shoes, clothes, jewelry, hair and beauty products, and large items including cars and trucks – the choice really is yours. To maximize your opportunities and returns in your online store, it would be best to identify or predict major needs peculiar to your immediate environment and sell items that meet these needs in your store.

You should also consider using already established e-commerce stores that are credible and have a huge customer base in place already to advertise your store. This move will take away all the pains of sourcing for buyers and spending years to get their loyalty. Your income via this medium is limited to your vision and industry or your ability to effectively fulfill customer orders. You can make just a few thousand Rands online or even millions of Rands, depending on these factors.

FOREX or Cryptocurrency Trading 

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if your goal is to make money fast in South Africa, then you need to consider a career in FOREX trading or mining/trading in crypto-currencies. There are several FOREX trading platforms and Apps online where speculators can put their knowledge and skills about foreign currencies to the test and profit from them. You buy foreign currencies when they are at certain levels and trade with people from all over the world who are in need of specific currencies, and the difference in your trade is your profit margin.

In the case of crypto-currencies such as Ethereium, Dogecoin, Bitcoin, etc, the fact that you were not one of the first miners of this currency doesn’t mean you can’t still benefit from it. Cryptos are becoming more popular these days and the fact that several multinational corporations – like Tesla, are willing to accept them as forms of payment only means that they would be around for so many more years to come. Cryptos are also at probably their highest values now, with just one unit in some cases running into several thousands of dollars. So, you can take advantage of some cryptos trading App, like Patricia in South Africa, to transact business and make a decent amount of money – which can easily make you a millionaire, and set you on your upward financial journey.

Monetize Your Blogs, Vlogs, and Other Social Media Platforms

Advertising companies have made providing content online very lucrative these days, and if you want to make money fast in South Africa, then you should consider providing content via any of the social media platforms and monetize it as soon as possible. If you are a talented writer, story writer, entertainer, poet, cook, a comedian then you can share your talent with the rest of the world. If you have an interesting passion that you would like to share with the public and you are not camera-shy, then you can make a video while sharing your passion and post it on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or even on Twitter.

You can also decide not to use any of the popular social media platforms available, and decide to rather create your own website and share your content thereon. As the popularity of your platform or channel grows, you can decide to monetize your content by allowing advertisers to run their adverts via your platform to reach your followers and subscribers.
To maximize your opportunities in your endeavors, you can take on the adverts from major brands in South Africa and earn some cool money.

You can also use your platform to promote products or brands and dictate your rates to would-be advertisers. Some social media influencers have also been known to have used their content and platforms to bag endorsement deals with corporate bodies which comes with a very lucrative sign-on fee. The beauty of creating your personal content and owning the rights to it is that you can determine your own income – which can be in the ballpark range of just a few thousand to millions on Rands over the course of time.

How To Make Money Fast Offline

It is true that we live in the Internet age presently and that technology has made it very easy for many people to earn money online. There are still several opportunities to earn money fast in South Africa offline, some of them include:

Become A Photographer Or Video Producer

One of the easiest ways to make money fast in South Africa today is to become a photographer or a videographer and capture memorable events and scenarios that people would be willing to pay for. There are several events such as birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, child naming or christening, and several others, which individuals cherish and would love to have memories of. They would be willing to pay for pictures and/or videos to document such memorable events. Corporate bodies also have valuable events that they would love to capture for several reasons, and these events would need the services of professional photographers or videographers.

If you are willing to learn more about the craft and keep abreast with modern technologies needed to become more professional in this business, then you would be able to maximize your opportunities in this business. Advertising your services and showing some of your best works via social media platforms would also enable you to reach more potential clients and expand your reach. The rewards for your efforts in this business is a wide-ranging one and would depend on several factors- the type of job you are undertaking, the net worth of your clients, the quality of work you intend to deliver, the type of clients (either private or corporate), and several others. You can make on a monthly basis income ranging from a few thousand Rands to even a few million, based on a combination of several factors.

Open A Retail Store

One of the surest ways to make money fast in South Africa is to open either a small or medium retail store and sell items that your customers would need on a daily basis. There will always be a gap between consumers, the markets, and the big retail shops/malls. It makes sense to position your business to bridge this gap in your neighborhood. If you can take stock of what individuals and homes would need on a daily basis without running to the markets or the big shopping malls, and provide these items in your locality, then you would be filling a need that rewards handsomely.

The stock on your shelves can range from groceries, school supplies, small household equipment, fruits and vegetables, and so much more. Your ability to anticipate, accurately predict, or deduce from past records those items that are in high demand and make sure that you never run out of them will help you build a high customer base, and guarantee quick turnovers.

Taking time out of your very busy schedule to also engage with your customers and find out what they need and how you can best serve them would also help your business greatly. Your success in this business will depend on several factors such as the size of your store, your customers, frequency of purchases, etc. These factors would guarantee you profit margins ranging from a few tens of thousands to several hundreds of thousands of Rands on a monthly basis.

Write and Publish A Book

Another avenue to make money fast in South Africa is to identify an area (or areas) of interest or passion and write a book shedding more light on this subject area. For example, If you love working with kids and understand what enthralls them, why not publish a book that kids would find worth reading? There are several subject areas ranging from educational, entertainment, finances, starting a business and/or obtaining loans, etc, that you may have superior information about and can put your knowledge in a book for others to read and learn from.

We live in a world today where information changes rapidly and some people really need to keep up with these changes. Some people crave entertainment, and if you are gifted as an entertaining writer, many people will buy your books. You can offer both hardcovers and much cheaper electronic copies of your book, in order to expand your reach and maximize your returns. If you are lucky to write a bestseller, it can turn you into a multi-millionaire in a very short time, but if not, your efforts will definitely still earn you a tangible amount of money to live on.

Help To Plan and Organize Events

There are some certain innate and learned skills that can help you make money fast in South Africa, and one of these is to become an event planner or organizer. Countless numbers of events – weddings, birthdays, music shows, talent hunt shows, product or service launches, corporate or government project groundbreaking or commissioning take place in South Africa on a daily basis. These events need highly skilled people to conceive, plan and execute them. Your job as an event planner is to take away the stress of planning and undertaking that event from your client and channel your skills towards making it a very memorable and/or impactful one.

As you take on your first few event projects and execute them successfully, you can leverage your success to both advertise yourself to more clients. You can also acquire more skills to become a better event organizer/planner. Creating lasting memories and leaving very good impressions on your clients, can get you referrals which is a very good way to maximize your opportunities in this business. Based on the fact that the average cost of hiring an event planner in South Africa is around R 45,000 per event, this is one business that can bring in income in the range of between R 1000,000 to millions of Rands on a monthly basis – depending on your type of clientele and events.

Feyisayo Oluokun
Feyisayo Oluokun
Feyisayo is a passionate writer, voracious reader and a lover of romance. She is interested in doing intensive research, traveling and exploring new things.

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