South Africans talk about money constantly. We discuss the cost of living, salaries, interest rates, school fees, debt, groceries and the petrol price. What we rarely discuss is how money makes us feel, and why we behave the way we do with it. Nedbank recently took that conversation to a comedy stage with The Money Roast, an event that used humour to open up the money talk many of us avoid.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The format was a genuine comedy roast, led by a toastmaster and fuelled by a panel of popular South African personalities who poked fun at familiar money habits. The guest of honour was not a person, but South Africa’s relationship with money itself. Placed firmly in the hot seat, it faced uncomfortable truths about financial anxiety, family obligations and social expectations, all delivered with candour and laughs.
“The Money Roast was designed to bring the hidden dynamics of our money behaviours into the open in a way South Africans can relate to,” says Khensani Nobanda, Group Chief Marketing Officer at Nedbank. “Money is part of our everyday conversation, but the feelings and behaviours behind it often remain unspoken. Humour has made it easier for people to recognise themselves in the conversation. When we can laugh at the habits and pressures that shape our money choices, we can begin talking about them more honestly.”
The numbers behind the jokes
Once the laughter settled, the discussion moved to Nedbank’s Money Relationships Report, which draws on the 2025 NedFinHealth Monitor. The report looks at the progress working South Africans are making financially, as well as the emotions that continue to complicate their money lives.
- 46% of respondents feel financially better off than they did a year ago, yet money remains the biggest source of stress for 51%.
- 37% still find it embarrassing to ask for financial help.
- 71% have a monthly household budget, and budgeters are more likely to spend less than they earn and to report lower financial stress.
Money, family and the pressure to provide
The findings also reflect the realities of earning and sharing money in South Africa. One in four respondents (24%) said financially helping others is a source of money stress, up from 16% in 2023. Meanwhile, 41% named borrowing from family or friends as their most common form of debt. The message is clear: financial wellbeing is shaped not only by income and knowledge, but also by relationships, expectations and emotion.
“The Money Roast was about making the invisible visible,” says Nobanda. “The Money Relationships Report gives people the insight and language to understand what drives their financial behaviour, while the event showed that these conversations do not have to begin with judgement. They can begin with recognition, honesty and even laughter, and lead to practical action.”
To learn more about Nedbank’s Money Relationships Campaign and check your financial health, visit nedbank.co.za.
