How Can I Make a Second Income in South Africa?

By Dave Nyam •  Updated: 05/29/24 •  5 min read

At present, many people are discovering that one income stream is simply inadequate to fulfill their financial commitments and dreams. This has given birth to the ‘side hustle’ or the second income. This generally means the additional cash earned away from the primary employment. That could be a part-time duty, entrepreneurship, or monetizing your hobby. In SA, there are several ways to generate excess coins. This article will cover the opportunities and tips on the most lucrative cases.

How Can I Make a Second Income in South Africa?

Freelancing: A Flexible Option

Numerous people looking for other ways to earn money are choosing freelancing. It entails a process where you provide your talents and abilities per project to different clients. This may involve writing, graphic designing, programming, and consulting. The flexibility of freelancing allows one to set their own pace. Therefore, you can select the projects that coincide with your expertise and preferences.

Online Surveys: Quick and Easy

These opportunities provide a simple and quick way to earn some coins. Many corporations are ready to pay for the consumers’ feedback. This explains why online surveys are one of the ways they receive this information. The pay for each survey may be low, but completing these surveys efficiently and quickly can lead to a reasonable amount of money afterward.

Selling Products Online: Capitalizing on E-commerce

E-commerce development has become a profitable way to make cash by selling online items. It could mean trading handcrafted items, retail goods, or digital pieces online. Thanks to sites like Etsy, Amazon, and Shopify. These pages have made creating an internet-based shop to be a straightforward process.

Tutoring and Teaching: Sharing Knowledge

If you have knowledge and skills in a particular area, offering tutoring or teaching can become a promising side job. This can be both in person and online. For instance, VIPKId and Chegg Tutors provide an opportunity to get students from around the world.

Pet-Sitting and Dog Walking: For the Animal Lovers

For animal lovers, pet sitting and dog walking can be another income source that brings joy to their hearts. It may consist of caring for pets while their owners are away or walking dogs regularly.

Bartending and Hospitality Jobs: Flexible and Fun

Waitressing and hospitality jobs are stunning choices for those students who want to do part-time jobs. Such opportunities provide flexible working time. Thus, they suit those seeking to earn more beyond their primary job.

Photography Services: Capturing Moments

If you are talented enough to be a great photographer, offering photography services may be a rewarding side job for you. This can vary, for instance, photo shooting of events, portraits, or maybe signing contracts for selling your images online.

Personal Fitness Training or Coaching Service: Promoting Health and Fitness

Due to the growing health and fitness awareness, personal training and coaching will be appealing side jobs. This can be done by giving personal training sessions, designing custom workout programs, or providing nutritional advice.

DJ Services for Parties and Events: Bringing the Party to Life

Consider this if you are a music enthusiast and can rock a party. It can be equally fun and profitable. This might be by playing at parties, weddings, or other events.

Food Truck or Catering Services: Serving Up Delicious Food

If your favourite thing is cooking and serving food, a food truck or catering services are excellent ways to earn a second income. This can be incredibly lucrative at weekend events and festivals.

Other Weekend or Part-Time Jobs

Other half-time jobs may also serve as an additional source of income. These also cover jobs such as night shift call centre and customer service, part-time sales work at weekends in retail, delivery services for food orders over the night and at weekends, and carpooling and ride-sharing services like Uber, Bolt and Zebra cabs.

Which Side Hustle Pays the Most in South Africa?

The profitability of a side hustle depends on factors such as demand for the service, the skills a person has, and the time it takes to execute the task. The most lucrative side hustles in South Africa are blogging, freelancing, pet sitting, baking, marketing, photography, delivery service, dropshipping, podcasting, selling photos, video production, app development, babysitting, digital media, logo designing, real estate, tutoring, Airbnb hosting, becoming a driver, online teaching, selling goods, monetizing a YouTube channel, and professional coaching.

What Earns the Most Passive Income?

This is the form of income that is, in some respect, defined as progressive passive income if one puts some effort into growing the income. Some of the most profitable passive incomes in South Africa include real estate investment, dividend-paying stocks, peer-to-peer lending, digital products such as e-books and online courses, affiliate marketing, intellectual properties such as books, music, and patents, and equipment and property renting such as cameras, drones, or parking spaces.

Opportunities for a second or passive income for a person from South Africa are ripe. The trick is finding out what best suits your skills, interests, and lifestyle. With the right effort and consistency in using such a means, a second income could be attained with an extra R5,000 to R20,000 monthly or even more.