By Rebone Tau
On Wednesday April 27, we shall be celebrating 28 years of democracy. Although the ANC government has undoubtedly made many gains in a number of areas like housing, education, water, roads, jobs, etc. – especially for blacks who were previously locked out of the 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 can 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 the 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 soon 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, like going to the shops for some, it is very difficult to have access to the shop if you don’t have a car.
There are certain areas that force you to buy a car because there are no taxis going there and you would have to get off somewhere and walk a long distance. If you ask many South African, what are the main things they think the government needs to improve on, they will tell you it is transport, health and education This is across all races. These challenges unite us as a nation because people are paying a lot of money that they do not have.
It is in the best interest 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. Having a good transport system will allow people to spend more money on other priorities – or save it. People cannot even invest their money as they are left with nothing at the end of the month.
In terms of health, the cost of medical aid is too high, but people do not have a choice because the public healthcare 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 place clean is a problem.
The education system is so bad that people would opt to take their kids to former Model C schools or private schools. The public schools are a real graveyard for brains, as many learners just get trapped in the same spot for years.
As soon as you move them to a private school, their performance changes. Being poor in South Africa means that your child will not get a good education, as you just have to settle for less. We need to really understand that when people lose their jobs or get indebted, it has a huge impact on the children, as they will have to change schools and at times find themselves struggling with the public transport because the area they live in does not have transport at all.
Our welfare state is faltering. It is every man for himself. The margin between the rich and poor is too wide. The World Bank indicated this in a recent report. It should be in the best interest of the government to make sure that people do not spend 90% on basic needs that their tax money should be providing them.
We need a government that can work hard towards making sure that people do not find themselves depressed days towards pay day, due to the expenses that could have been avoided if there was a good investment towards 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. You can easily be homeless after losing your job.
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.
* Tau is a political commentator and the author of “The Rise and Fall of the ANCYL” and a Research Fellow: Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) writing in her personal capacity.