Life has not been the same for a 35-year-old man who was retrenched during lockdown and could no longer afford to pay the monthly R1,000 to keep his son at a boarding school.
The father from Engcobo in the Eastern Cape was one of millions of South Africans who lost their jobs when the Covid-19 pandemic forced countries to impose lockdowns due to an increasing numbers of cases. He asked not be to be identified to protect his 14-year-old son, a grade 9 pupil.
“I had changed jobs and I was still on probation in the transport industry working as a driver when the country went into lockdown. A number of businesses had closed and our company struggled to stay afloat. Unfortunately I was one of the people who received retrenchments letters. As a father of two, I was really shattered,” he said.
The father said losing his job meant that he could no longer afford to pay for his son’s boarding fees.
“It was very difficult for me to call his mother with the news that I had lost my job. He is now staying with his mother’s friend who stays closer to the school. He also did not take the news of him becoming a day scholar and staying with a stranger very kindly. We enrolled him at a boarding school because we did not want anything to disturb his studies,” he said.
He said things have not been easy as he is still struggling to get a job.
“As a father, I am expected to provide for my family but unfortunately I couldn’t because there are times when I’d go to bed on an empty stomach. The pandemic brought nothing but misery to my family. My son was badly affected by the decision to be a day scholar. His mother does not have a proper job, so she can’t afford to pay school fees and also put something on the table,” said the father.
For a 42-year-old Joburg woman, the retrenchment came at the right time as she was planning her exit from the pharmaceutical non-governmental organisation she had worked at for the past six years.
“The lockdown pushed me over into a deep introspection as to what I wanted to do because I was no longer happy with what I was doing and I needed a break. When I received the retrenchment letter in February [this year], I knew it was time for me to get to know myself better. The company said I should serve two months notice, but I declined,” she said.
She said she had discovered a lot of about herself and was for the first time enjoying yoga in the morning.
“I am still going to apply – not just for a job, but for an employer that I want to work for. Companies need to realise that things have changed and be willing to accommodate their employees. They only prepare themselves for retrenchments and not their employees.”
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