Financial insights for South Africa
Expert guides on funeral cover, retirement planning and financial products for South Africans — free, unbiased, and never sponsored by a provider.
The Galaxy S26 on Contract: Telkom Is Cheapest on the S26 and Ultra, and the Ultra Gap Is R5 400
We compared the Galaxy S26, S26 FE and S26 Ultra on Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom. Over 36 months the 256GB S26 Ultra costs R39 564 at Telkom and R44 964 at Vodacom, and the cheapest network differs by model.
The Same iPhone, Up to R8 280 Apart: Four iPhones Compared Across South Africa's Networks
We compared the iPhone 16e, 15, 16 and 17 on contract. The gap between networks runs from R360 on the iPhone 15 to R8 280 on the 512GB iPhone 17, and the network that's cheapest changes with the model.
What Independent Schools Charge: A R 43 800 Starting Point, and High School Costs Twice as Much
We collected the published fees of 255 independent schools. The middle starting fee is R 43 800 a year, high schools start at R 67 140 against R 30 015 for primary, and a quarter of them start above R 64 108.
No Network Is Cheapest for Every Phone: Three Popular Android Phones, Four Networks
We compared the Galaxy A57, Galaxy A37 and OPPO A6 on Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom. The cheapest network changes with the phone, and the gap on one phone is R2 880 over 36 months.
iPhone 18 Pro on Contract: R1 119 to R1 299 a Month, and a R6 480 Gap Over Three Years
We compared the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max on Vodacom, MTN and Telkom. Over 36 months the cheapest 256GB Pro costs R40 284 at Telkom and R46 764 at Vodacom. Cell C doesn't list it yet.
We Read 14 Funeral Policies for the Waiting Period. Every One That States It Says Six Months.
Of 14 South African funeral plans sold to individuals, 11 state a six-month natural-death waiting period, none states a shorter one, and 3 give no figure at all. Suicide waiting periods differ: 6 months at Old Mutual, 12 at everyone else who states one.
We Read the Fee Documents of 28 Retirement Annuities. Ten Don't Publish a Rate You Can Use.
Of 28 South African retirement annuities, 13 publish a full fee schedule, 5 give only a fund-dependent figure, and 10 publish no rate an investor can apply. Where admin fees are published, they run from 0.3% to 4.2% a year.
What Public Schools Charge in 2026, and the Income Where You Stop Having to Pay
We collected 142 fee-charging public schools' own published 2026 fees. The middle one charges R 26 215 a year. Under the national exemption rules, a household earning less than R 262 150 a year qualifies to pay none of it.
Is Your School a No-Fee School? The Quintile Won't Tell You
We checked all 25 500 open schools against every province's no-fee gazette. Quintiles 1 to 3 almost always mean no fees. Quintile 4 is a coin flip: 836 of 1 813 are no-fee.