South Africans spend more than R500 billion a year on weddings, funerals, religious gatherings and initiation ceremonies, according to a new University of Cape Town study.
The report, Celebrations Economy 2026, comes from UCT’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing and was launched at the university on Friday. It found that this money reaches far beyond venues and catering. Transport, clothing, food, retail and hospitality also benefit.
“In a country dealing with high unemployment, the celebration economy has become an increasingly important source of economic development,” said Professor James Lappeman of the Liberty Institute.
Researchers found people who spent up to R1 million on weddings. They also found R70 000 spent on homecoming ceremonies linked to initiation, and R140 000 on tombstone unveilings.
A related study counted 9 000 weddings in all nine provinces over 32 days, from April 1 to May 2, 2026. Gauteng had the most with 2 070, ahead of the Western Cape with 1 970 and KwaZulu-Natal with 1 200.
North West recorded 810 weddings, the Eastern Cape 780 and Limpopo 690. Mpumalanga had 580, the Free State 540 and the Northern Cape 360.
Religious gatherings also bring in large sums. The study estimated that the ZCC Moria pilgrimage adds R5 billion to the economy. Of that, R2.5 billion goes to taxi and bus operators and R1.5 billion to food vendors and retailers. Another R1 billion goes to church missions and local trade.
Paul Egan, managing consultant at the Liberty Institute, said people keep celebrating despite money problems. He said these events help them keep up relationships and step away from daily hardship for a while.
“They are also one of the few times when we come together as equals, and social hierarchies temporarily fall away,” Egan said.
Dr Tumelo Chaka, chief marketing officer at United Stations, spoke at the launch. Chaka said businesses must look past income and demographics to understand why people spend.
“To truly understand South Africa, we need to understand the rituals, emotions, relationships and cultural meanings that influence how people spend,” Chaka said.
Martin Neethling, a consultant and former chief marketing officer of PepsiCo-Africa, said celebrations are “powerful, consistent drivers of spend”. He said the Covid-19 pandemic showed how much people need human connection and shared experiences.
“We really need to connect with people. That was the fundamental learning out of this,” Neethling said.
The findings came as shoppers prepared for the holidays. Wonga’s Summer Spending Survey estimated that South Africans will spend R289 billion during the festive season.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.