by Humairaa Mayet
Edited by Tasmiyah Randeree & Randy Tsubane
Most, if not all, South Africans are not equipped to deal with the multiple financial struggles they face upon leaving school and home. Finance blogger, Nokuhle Kumalo, talks to us about how she creates content in the form of blogs to assist financially challenged individuals around the country.
“I got into financial blogging 'by mistake'. Upon completing my studies in 2019, I found myself having so many questions on financial decisions as a new young adult, like how to buy a car as a newly employed individual. To my disappointment, I struggled finding South African content on this and I decided that I would document my process so that when my peers get to this stage, they can leverage off of my “experience.”
With South Africa facing economic turbulence in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns, millions of people are struggling with their personal finances and do not know how to cope with these unprecedented difficulties.
It can be said with absolute certainty that neither primary nor high school provides students with adequate financial skills, thus the burden of having to learn how to manage one’s finances falls on the individual once they find themselves in the ‘real’ world. Kumalo, a financial blogger, seeks to assist those who feel that they cannot cope with the financial challenges they face.
Kumalo holds a degree and a diploma from UCT. Photo: Provided
In her blogs, Kumalo targets issues she sees as incredibly pressing and important, and this teaches her viewers how to navigate through different challenges. What began as a vlogging channel grew into a personal finance and ‘how to adult’ channel. Kumalo uses her platform to shine a light on things which often fall by the wayside.
Oftentimes, one struggles to find information on how to complete seemingly basic financial tasks. Kumalo saw a gap in the field when she set out looking for information for herself, and strived to fill this. Now, she runs a successful blog which allows her to share her knowledge with others.
It was such an embarrassing realisation that despite going through such great schooling and obtaining two finance qualifications, I still did not know how to file taxes.
Filing taxes may seem to be a simple task, however, it is quite the opposite. Regardless of the school or university one attends, how to file a tax return is never taught in the curriculum. Kumalo offers an accessible tutorial as to how to do this, among other things.
On her YouTube channel, Kumalo teaches viewers how to get registered and buy shares on Easy Equities, how to submit tax returns, her top 5 side hustles, how she bought her first car, and the basics of cryptocurrency, among other things.
Photo: Provided
Kumalo was not always interested in personal finance. Despite the fact that she pursued a degree in commerce, she did not give much thought to her own finances until she had completed university and began to wonder how to manage herself financially. Her blogs target young people, particularly those fresh out of university, and CA (SA) article candidates, given that she has experienced all of these phases. Her targeted focus allows her to curate her content specifically for her viewers.
Through her blogs, Kumalo seeks to assist those who have no other way of learning about the concepts and notions she focuses on. Her blogs are incredibly detailed but at the same time easy to understand.
The things I talk about are mostly advertised by big corporates, and for [my viewers] to see a 'normal person', such as myself, explain these things without the hectic jargon that makes them feel incompetent and confused, it could be the light at the end of the tunnel for some of them.
‘Side hustles’ are becoming increasingly common, especially because lots of South Africans have high living expenses with salaries that do not match up. Many jobs allow for the purchasing of the bare necessities, but few allow for luxuries, hence the need for a side hustle.
There are hundreds of side hustles, many of which can be slotted into daily life, perhaps at the expense of other aspects, such as sleeping less or having less of a social life. The side hustles which Kumalo highly recommends are drop shipping, hosting a mobile car wash, creating a branded product, going into the service industry and influencing.
More about Kumalo:
YouTube is her main hobby but she loves watching tv as well as cooking and baking.
She loves spending time with her family in KwaZulu-Natal, as well as spending time with her partner.
She also spends her time juggling articles, work, hobbies, and other tasks.
Follow and support Kumalo on social media:
Instagram: @nokuhle_kumalo
Twitter: @nokuhle_kumalo
Humairaa Mayet is a student of International Relations and Political Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand. She is incredibly passionate about issues of social justice and strives to make a difference in the world through as many avenues as possible. She spends her days listening to music, cooking and baking, and raising her plants.
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