Every person for themselves in SA
ALTHOUGH the ANC government has undoubtedly made many gains in a number of areas, like housing, education, water, roads, jobs, etc. – especially for black people who were previously locked out of South African society – the national project is clearly faltering.
What do freedom and democracy mean for the indebted middle class and the nation at large when you look at how expensive life has become, and many people are struggling to survive?
There used to be a much-celebrated emerging middle class in South Africa. It was almost one million strong, and formed the backbone of the country’s revenue-collection efforts.
There was a sense that, if the country grew this base, it would continue to expand opportunities for others. However, that hope is gone. What we have now is an indebted middle class that is living a month away from poverty. This cannot be blamed on what is known as “black tax”.
Many people have to spend a lot of money because public services are not up to scratch. We do not have a good education system, transport system, or health system; I could go on and on. This means that after you have paid your taxes, you still have to use another chunk of your salary to pay for better quality private services.
The government has to do a lot when it comes to education, transport and health systems in order for the middle class to be able to manage their finances and not take too many things on credit. If, God forbid, someone loses their job, that person cannot survive for six months to a year on their savings – because there are no savings to talk of. Bills pile up quickly as they have to pay school fees and medical aid.
Most people cannot wait for their next pay day because they are broke most of the time. The price of petrol has now made it worse. Some people have even downgraded their cars, as they will not be able to afford the petrol. Uber and Bolt have really saved many people who live in areas that do not have any transport system locally. For some, it is very difficult to access to the shops if you don’t have a car.
It is in the best interests of the government to improve transport, health and education systems, as they are really human rights. Furthermore, people pay a lot in taxes for these services. People opt to buy cars because we do not have a proper transport system.
In terms of health, the cost of medical aid is too high, but people do not have a choice because the public health-care sector is a mess. People prefer private doctors and hospitals because one is certain to get better service and medication there. A small headache or minor procedure can kill you in a public hospital because, when you go there, sometimes there are no doctors. Sometimes, there is no medication. Other times, just keeping the places clean is a problem.
The education system is so bad that people often rather opt to take their kids to former Model C schools or private schools.
The public schools are a real graveyard for brains as many pupils just get trapped in the same spot for years.
We need a government that can work towards making sure that people do not find themselves depressed days before payday due to the expenses that could have been avoided if there was significant investment in education, health and transport.
There is nothing as scary as not knowing how you would survive if you were to lose your job, considering the unemployment rate in this country.
It would be nice to have more certainty. It would be nice to have services that work. Most people in this country are not trust fund babies with rich parents.