Nkosinathi Radebe,a 27-year-old from KwaZulu-Natal, stumbled into gambling after giving a stranger a lift to a shopping center in 2022. That simple act led to a conversation, and soon,addiction. His life spiraled into chaos, marked by personal loss and emotional turmoil.
The stranger's story of turning R5 into R100 online piqued Radebe's interest. He quickly dove into gambling, starting with small bets of R20 and R50. At first,he won up to R700,which only deepened his urge to gamble more.
But luck didn't last. Radebe began borrowing money from friends,often R200 from several people weekly, to keep gambling. His addiction escalated,culminating in a moment when he gambled away R2,000 meant for a family furniture payment. He lied to cover it up .
"I was constantly walking on eggshells," he said . Every rand,even grocery money, went to gambling. His family stepped in to settle the debt,but Radebe kept gambling, falling deeper into debt.
Things got worse in Johannesburg, where he moved for work,hoping for a fresh start. Instead, he lost his entire salary to online gambling within three months. "My landlord complained about unpaid rent. My family got fed up and told me to come home," he said, grappling with the emotional fallout.
The strain was immense. Radebe felt his family's disappointment and lost trust. "I was stressed and depressed. My family had lost all trust in me,but they still showed up for me," he shared. Realizing he couldn't quit alone, he reached out to the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) for help and blocked gambling sites on his phone.
Now, Radebe's life is improving. Counseling sessions are down to once every six months. "I’m doing much better now . I’m enjoying my job and money instead of gambling it away. I’m rebuilding trust with my family," he said,reflecting on his recovery .
Radebe warns about gambling's deceptive nature . "It makes you believe you’ll solve your problems,but it takes everything from you. It hooks you with initial wins,but you can never build anything through gambling," he cautioned . His story is one of many, as 2,670 young people sought help for gambling addiction in South Africa last year, a growing concern .
