What actually pays in South Africa?

EasyEquities is one of South Africa's best-known investment platforms. Not a side hustle in the traditional sense — you invest money rather than earn it from tasks. But with no minimum investment, fractional shares, and a R50 referral bonus per friend you sign up, it's a legitimate way to grow your money. Included here because its referral programme is a common beermoney source.

Prolific connects you with academic researchers and AI companies who need real people to complete studies. Unlike typical survey sites that pay pennies, Prolific requires researchers to pay at least £6/hr (~R133/hr) and recommends at least £9/hr (~R199/hr). You'll answer research questions, evaluate AI outputs, fact-check content, and take part in behavioural experiments. South Africa is on Prolific's list of supported countries. Studies pay in GBP or USD, and you cash out via PayPal. The catch: most new sign-ups go on a waitlist, and some people wait months for an invite.

Franc is a South African investment app that lets you save and invest from as little as R10. It is FSCA-regulated (FSP No. 49998) and charges a 1% annual fee, plus a transaction fee of up to 0.76% on its two ETFs (none on the money market fund). The app is designed for people who find traditional investment accounts intimidating — you pick a goal, choose a risk level, and Franc builds a strategy from three funds: the Allan Gray Money Market Fund, the Satrix 40 ETF and the Sygnia Itrix S&P 500 ETF. Franc advertises 'up to 7%' interest on its money market savings, while the equity ETFs track the JSE Top 40 and the S&P 500 for higher long-term growth.

Facebook Marketplace is one of the most widely used ways to buy and sell second-hand goods locally in South Africa. Listings are free and there are no fees for local cash-on-pickup sales. Most SA transactions happen in person — meet the buyer, hand over the item, receive cash or instant EFT. Popular categories include furniture, electronics, clothing, baby gear, car parts, and appliances. Meta's 10% selling fee applies only to shipped and checkout sales, which appear to be US-only, so it should not affect SA sellers doing local handovers.

Satrix is a South African index-tracking fund provider. Its online platform, SatrixNOW, lets you buy Satrix ETFs and unit trusts with no investment minimum, and it is administered by EasyEquities. This is not a side hustle: you put money in and the return depends on the market, so you can lose money. The costs are published: a platform fee of 0.50% a year on the first R500,000, plus 0.10% brokerage and 0.075% settlement fees on ETF trades (VAT of 15% applies).