'My husband is very proud, but I don’t give a damn. No one must know we’ve had to use our credit insurance to cover our bond. That is because of a man who doesn’t want the world to know that he’s shitting bricks...'
“My husband is very proud, but I don’t give a damn. My husband doesn’t even know about this interview. He doesn’t know that I approached a debt consultant. No one must know we’ve had to use our credit insurance to cover our bond. That is because of a man who doesn’t want the world to know that he’s shitting bricks,” says a Cape Town mother, wanting to be identified only as Shireen.
There is no one strict definition of middle-class in South Africa, with various definitions in the public domain. According to Statistics South Africa, about half of South African families are considered poor, while about 30% are considered working to middle class. Shireen says life has been particularly hard during the lockdown. Her husband works in the automotive industry, and she handles the family’s finances. He has been told he can return to work only when lockdown reaches level two.
Shireen feels that although the social relief effort during the coronavirus lockdown has rightfully been focused on the most vulnerable — poor and underemployed communities — working to middle-class people have been largely left to fend for themselves. Head of research and consumer education at National Debt Advisors, Moeshfiekah Botha, says more and more working families are reaching out for some form of credit bailout or asking for advice about how to negotiate with their creditors.
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