South African xenophobic mob leader Phakel’umthakathi (born Nkosikhona Ndabandaba) has once again revealed his economic ignorance and dangerous fantasy, claiming South Africa should pay every citizen R1 million ($60,926.75) annually for life, while foreigners do all the work.
“South Africa can pay South Africans 1 million every year for the rest of their lives. Let’s say the average life expectancy is 70 years. South Africa can pay 70 million to each person to sustain themselves. We don’t even need to work,” he said during the SA Podcast Hub interview.
“We can have these elite, these legal immigrants coming to South Africa to work for us, like in Dubai. Among the Arab immigrants, only foreigners are working; the citizens, the owners, and the indigenous people of Dubai. They don’t work. We can have that in South Africa.”
He went further, painting a delusional picture of his presidential ambitions: “If I were given a chance as president, in 12 months, I will transform this country to be the second most beautiful country in the world, better than America.”
The Mad Math
With approximately 60 million citizens, paying R1 million per person would cost R60 trillion annually — ten times South Africa’s entire GDP of roughly R6 trillion. His “70 million per person” calculation would require R4.2 quadrillion, an amount that does not exist on planet Earth.
The Dubai Delusion
His reference to Dubai reveals another layer of ignorance. Emiratis work; they own businesses, hold government positions, and participate in their economy. The comparison is lazy, misleading, and intentionally divisive.
A Dangerous Pattern
His dangerous fantasy fuels real-world violence. His followers, inspired by promises of free money, burn shops, loot businesses, and chase away the very people who — in his own fantasy — would be working for them.
Phakel’umthakathi is leading desperate people toward an economic fantasy that will never materialise. Let him do the math. Let him build something. Until then, his R1 million fantasy is nothing but a dangerous distraction.
