15 December 2019
The end of 2019 is worthy to celebrate on many fronts, but also marks the end of what has been a tumultuous decade for South Africans. This is a decade that started with the euphoria of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the first on the African continent, and ends with the country battling to keep the lights on.
The pulse of our economy hardly beats, and our household debt levels are stressing many a people.
But the show must go on and we must celebrate the gift of family, life and good health during this festive season.
But we must do so with due financial care and responsible actions.
It is incumbent upon us as individuals and as a collective to tread carefully this festive season to ensure we start the new decade on a better footing.
We are a highly indebted society, so we must not spend money we don’t have this festive season.
Like responsible citizens and parents, our actions in December should not be at the expense of our children’s education. Only a foolish man utters the word amen before he even says his prayer.
Simply put, let’s ensure that when the sun rises in the new year we have money for school uniforms, school fees and lunch-box money, and probably that new hairstyle kids love to have on the first day of school.
Those who were fortunate enough to get paid bonuses in this moribund economy should not treat such bonuses as a licence to splurge on needless items.
Bonuses should be used as a springboard to start the year on a better financial footing.
The likelihood of our economy going into recession next year is very real, as is the possibility that rating agency Moody’s could finally lose patience with South Africa and downgrade the country to junk status.
These are matters out of our control but spending wisely is.
We must also drive with care, respecting the rules of the road and our fellow road users.
The tide of poverty can never be reversed if bread winners perish on our roads just because we knowingly drive under the influence of alcohol or speed.
As people of good conscience, let us not be the reason a wife becomes a widow or a child is left without parents this December.
More than 1 600 people died on the country’s roads during last year’s December holidays.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula in September called for strict observance of all road rules following the deadly crash on the N1 freeway in Pretoria, which claimed at least seven lives.
The transport minister said at the time: “We encourage all road users not only to observe, but also to obey all the rules of the road and ensure they behave responsibly at all times.
“Roads are a shared space that all users must utilise responsibly. Road safety is also everyone’s responsibility, without exception. It starts with you.”
We are called upon to be responsible, in every way, not because it is December, but also in the new year.
We wish all our readers in the country and beyond our borders a safe Christmas and a prosperous new year.
