
Gen Z may be the key to fixing SA’s debt crisis
While Millennials and Gen X buckle under rising debt, Gen Z’s openness to credit education and digital tools offers hope for reversing South Africa’s deepening financial crisis.

While Millennials and Gen X buckle under rising debt, Gen Z’s openness to credit education and digital tools offers hope for reversing South Africa’s deepening financial crisis.

Credit expansion is coming almost entirely from the deeper use of cards and personal loans by current credit-active consumers, rather than fresh market entrants, says RCS.

DebtBusters’ Q4 2024 Debt Index reveals a worsening cash flow crunch, with rising reliance on short-term loans and record-high debt service ratios.

With credit card originations growing by 9.3% and Gen Z leading the charge, 38% of new credit cards were issued to first-time cardholders – the highest proportion since early 2020.

Even as inflation eases, high interest rates continue to erode incomes, forcing many South Africans to rely on loans to get by.