If you were to receive millions of rands right now, what would you do with the money? Well, whatever you decide on, make sure that it doesn’t land you on I Blew It. If you want to know what not to do when you start rolling in dough, check out how these former millionaires lost it all.
Mixing with the wrong crowd
Mpho, who’s been described as an extrovert, was involved in an accident and ended up in ICU. When he regained consciousness, he found out that he had lost his eyesight in his one functioning eye. He explained his reaction after being told that he’d not be able to see at all.
“I started screaming, feeling helpless because all I could see was darkness… I was told about counselling, the Road Accident Fund and lawyers.” He shared that he thought his life was over as he couldn’t do anything for himself.
But then he received a R2.5 million pay-out. The excitement was too real, and he bought himself two cars immediately. Before long, Mpho had 15 cars, including a truck.
The people in his community called him a Gupta. He said he’d sometimes go shopping and end up spending R5 000 on other people’s groceries. “No one left my house without eating, drinking or smoking.”
Mpho was so rich that celebrities started befriending him. He regularly gave them money and bought them petrol. Shopping sprees in Sandton would cost him R20 000 a pop, and Mpho barely blinked.
He didn’t realise that things would change for him until he saw that he had less than R350 000 left in his account. He knew he was broke when he was down to R50 000.
Now he’s left with almost nothing, and plenty of regrets. “My biggest regret is that when I got a large amount of money, I trusted the wrong people thinking we’d work together. However, they were sucking me dry and setting me back.”
Too much money to handle
After 25 years of working, Babra’s mother passed away. As if that wasn’t enough, she lost her sister and niece after her mother’s death and had to bury them. Babra explained that she tried to stop the pain by drinking.
But then her mother’s funeral policy and pension paid out. She got around R1.3 million from her mother’s pension fund, and just over R100 000 from the funeral policy. The first thing she did was give some money to her aunt to renovate her house. She also bought tombstones for her mother, sister and niece.
This was followed by endless partying and spending sprees. Babra and her friends were known for hosting parties. It was all about having a good time, and Babra would reach her daily withdrawal limit every single day because of her reckless spending habits. She bought a few cars (but couldn’t even drive) and invested R200 000. Babra didn’t care how she spent the money and would sometimes tell her friends not to go to work – she would pay them their daily rate instead.
“I didn’t know what to do with my money,” she said. She also ended up renting two taverns, although she didn’t know how to manage a business. “I wasn’t making a profit because we were drinking the stock. Only a few people paid.”
Babra had so much money that she’d call married men and tell them to leave their wives.
The money ran out as quickly as she got it: “I started realising that the money was running out when I had only R70 000 left in my bank account.”
She had to sell her cars, furniture and other possessions. “I don’t know why I wasted money. My mother trusted me, that’s why she chose me as the main beneficiary. But I’ve let her down,” Babra said on the show.
A millionaire overnight
Winning the lotto is a dream that some people will probably never achieve. But Eddie was lucky enough to win twice. The first time, the truck driver won R7 million and that was followed by R1 million in the quick pick.
“I felt it in my veins that one day I would win. I didn’t know how but I always told people that I would win,” he shared.
Eddie’s lifestyle soon changed, and he bought himself some cars. He also started wearing expensive suits that were imported from Italy.
“They were delivered to OR Tambo International Airport, then taken to Halfway House for the importer to distribute them to rich people like me.” He used some of his money to help his local church, built himself a house and built one for his mother.
Eddie had unhealthy spending habits and explained that he’d have R40 000 on him at times.
“I used to withdraw money and fill all my pockets.” He spent a lot of his money on parties, trips and gambling. Because he wanted to share the stage with Soul Brothers, Eddie spent R500 000 on organising a festival. He only made R76 000 profit.
His money vanished after some time. This led to him selling his cars and other valuables. Eddie no longer has friends and the people he helped when he had money have disappeared.
“When days are dark, friends are no more. I remained with no one.”
A footballer’s riches to rags tale
Imagine being so talented that you end up scoring a deal with one of the biggest soccer teams on the continent. That’s what happened to Thabiso, a talented football lover. The former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana player was scouted in his early teens and scored a huge contract when he officially joined Kaizer Chiefs’ first team. He received a signing-on fee of R250 000.
“I was over the moon with joy. My family and community were happy for me,” Thabiso said. He shot straight to the top and even landed sponsorship deals. There were many changes in his life – he started wearing expensive clothing brands and driving luxury cars.
Because of the stress that came with his job, Thabiso also developed a smoking and drinking habit. He then started experimenting with drugs, including cocaine, and his life went downhill from there. The former star moved from Kaizer Chiefs to Amazulu. By this time, he had lost himself and had no discipline: “I started dodging work.”
Thabiso paid a huge price for his mistakes and ended up losing his career.
“Things are tough now. I only have a pair of sneakers and a few jeans. When I’m alone, it hits me that I can’t even afford groceries. I’m a burden to my mother now. I regret it a lot, especially because I’ve hurt her.”
Catch all these and other crazy moment from the third season of I Blew It now streaming on Showmax
