Squeeze on our pockets leads to domino effect

IREAD recently that a survey had shown that single income families in South Africa could no longer afford to own homes. After the rates, electricity, water, sewerage, insurance and transport to and from work had been paid, there was nothing left for food, clothing or home maintenance.

This is particularly true for people living on fixed incomes. Bus drivers, train drivers, Sassa employees, metalworkers, municipal workers and food packers can go on strike when their incomes no longer cover their expenses.

Pensioners can’t strike. There’s also not much leeway when it comes to cutting back expenses.

No matter how frugal you are, you still have to eat and dress and wash. And the cost of washing is becoming quite a problem in this city anyway. This situation obviously has ripple effects. If you used to employ a gardener once a week, you have now probably told him you can afford his services only once a month.

If you used to tip the car guard R5, you probably slip him only R2 now, with a mumbled apology.

Also, you go to the shops less frequently, so the car guard gets fewer tips anyway.

Like pensioners, car guards and casual gardeners also can’t come out on strike.

Maybe the solution is to become better neighbours.

Instead of heading off casually and individually to the shops, we could co-ordinate our shopping and arrange a neighbourhood transport roster. One vehicle instead of two, one parking tip instead of two.

Maybe we could take this idea even further and have a list of who needs to go where – organise for all those who need to go to the medical centre to be picked up on Tuesdays, all those who want to go to the library to go on Thursday, and so on.

I doubt whether this is a practical idea. We older people tend to be very set in our ways.

“Library on Tuesdays? Good heavens no. I wash my hair on Tuesday. And Thursday is out too because we play bridge on Thursday.”

I also doubt whether any group of South Africans of any age could agree on the scheme like that.

Politicians of every party are well paid and presumably physically in reasonable health, but they are arguing among themselves in almost every province.

They don’t even seem sure who is actually in charge any more. What chance do a collection of grumpy geriatrics have of organising a transport schedule? Maybe it’s time we formed a new party. We’ve seen how badly the EFF, DA and ANC have fared. Now vote for the GGG Party, grumpy grannies and granddads. We can’t do worse than the rest. We’ll show those young whipper-snappers how it should be done!

Last Laugh

An elderly widower had been dating an equally elderly widow for some years and eventually he decided to propose to her. To his joy, she said yes.

The next morning he phoned her and said: “I feel so embarrassed. I know I proposed to you last night but I can’t remember whether you said yes or no.”

“I’m so relieved you phoned,” she said. “I know I said yes last night, but this morning I couldn’t remember who had proposed to me.”