Money gotten from stokvels is spent on alcohol, meat, clothing and other unnecessary consumables, writes Siyabonga Hadebe. busrep
PRETORIA – For three weeks he reminisces about how good he feels about his great achievement that he had constructed a wall all year-long. But when he is asked where the wall was, he finds it hard to pinpoint exactly where the wall stood. Nonetheless, he wakes up a few weeks later and starts to build a wall that he’ll bring down again after fifty weeks.This scenario represents a stokvel.
The nature of stokvels in the present form is such that once people have received their lump sum, the party begins. Money gotten from stokvels is spent on alcohol, meat, clothing and other unnecessary consumables. This spending generally takes place in just two weeks during the Christmas holiday period. It is part of the national culture to celebrate conspicuous consumption and reckless spending. Thanks to bonuses and stokvel payouts.
Stokvels were meant to provide some financial relief for families when they were started many years ago. But now they are the biggest cost rather than saving. Short-termism, alcohol and parties destroy the potential value of stokvels - they resemble the destruction of a wall that took a long time to build.
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