Struggling to get by

I’m the sole breadwinner in our family and support myself, two medically and mentally challenged adults, and two children on a salary well below R10 000 a month.

As a result of the lockdown, I now work only a few days a month, with a dramatic and corresponding decrease in salary.

I’m grateful to still have a job, but my situation, while never good, is now dire. Take into account fuel, prepaid water and electricity, essential medication with no medical aid, meat and groceries and I have a payslip clearly stating, “Not this month, dear!”

Perhaps I’m being ultra-sensitive when I come across posts on Facebook saying things such as: “I worked the whole lockdown! Who else can repost?” or “I haven’t lacked for anything through this whole pandemic”.

I feel the comments are somewhat insensitive and smack of superiority and smugness but maybe I’m interpreting them incorrectly. I feel strongly for those worse off than me, and am genuinely happy for those who remain unaffected by the lockdown, but we’re not all so fortunate.

We also want to work every day of the week. We also want to be meet our financial obligations. We’d also like to feel we’re not lacking the barest of essentials.

For the first time ever in my life, I’ve had to put my pride aside and accept the help of an old and dear friend. If not for her, I don’t know where I’d be today. IT’S NOT EASY, EMAIL

We all sighed with relief when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that workers who lost income due to lockdown would benefit from UIF’s Covid- 19 Temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) (YOU, 28 May).

While there are those who already benefited from the relief scheme, there are still workers from many companies who are still waiting for their first payment.

Some workers had their companies applying for them too late or even worse, some companies didn’t bother to apply for Ters for their workers.

The most frustrating part is that some employers don’t update their employees about new developments.

Many workers haven’t educated themselves enough to know what needs to be done for them to get what they deserve.

The employers know better. They must help their employees by applying for Ters funds for them or allow them to apply for themselves.

No one was financially prepared for lockdown. The people who are living from salary to salary and who haven’t yet received their relief funds are starving.

I hope the department of labour could speed up the process to pay the Ters beneficiaries before people completely run out of groceries.

People can’t afford to buy nutrient-rich food if they don’t have an income every month. PERCY MOFFAT, MAMELODI EAST