The VAT might go up on the 1st of May… or it might not. But the worry? That’s already here. While politicians debate percentages, South Africans are already doing the maths that matters… the kind that keeps fridges full, lights on and families going.
South Africa (22 April 2025) – I’ve been thinking a lot about the VAT increase and what it actually means for us as South Africans. Not just on paper. Not just as a line item buried in a budget speech. But what it really feels like.
And what will it cost us?
Please grab a cup or tea. And take a deep breath. This is longer than my normal “long” posts.
I’ve shared this before, but I’ll say it again, because it shaped who I am… I started working when I was 15 years old. First at Nando’s, then Emilio’s Pizzaria and eventually Ascot Mews, a beautiful wedding venue in Alberton.
I started as a “busser” with the ashtrays on the wedding tables (like cleaning them… cause you could smoke indoors back then). Then I became a waiter. Then a manager. And eventually, I worked right next to the wedding coordinator, her right hand, helping create some of the most important (and memorable) days of people’s lives. It was hard work. It was long hours. And it taught me many lessons.
One of the lessons may be the most valuable lesson of all: the difference between personal money and corporate money.
Let me explain.
Personal money (or emotional money, as I like to call it) is the money you “feel”. The one you budget with. The money you use to buy school shoes, to put food on the table, to pay for electricity, to help out a friend, to save for holidays (or weddings) and sometimes (mostly) to stretch from the time you get paid until you get paid again.
Corporate money is the kind you move around on a spreadsheet. It’s strategy. It’s structure. It’s a “necessary loss” or a “long-term gain.” You don’t feel it in your stomach when it’s gone. You don’t lie awake at night because something costs more than it did last week. It’s as if corporate money is not real. It’s “someone else’s”.
And that, right there… is the disconnect.
You see, our government, our presidency and the politicians who voted for the VAT increase… they’re playing with our emotional money as if it’s corporate money. They make decisions with a spreadsheet lens, adjusting tax and hiking VAT, without ever really feeling what that means for the single mom, or the pensioner, or the young couple trying to build a life, or you, or me.
They’re just shifting numbers. While we are being forced to shift priorities.
Because that extra 0,5%? It doesn’t sound like much in a press conference. But for someone buying nappies, bread, electricity or petrol. It’s everything.
Emotional money hurts when it’s mismanaged or taken without thought. It hurts in the pit of your stomach, in your chest, in that quiet moment when you wonder if you’re doing something wrong… or if the system is just not made for people like you and me to ever breathe easy.
And this is what gets me.
Politicians don’t feel that. Not really.
They don’t feel the panic when debit orders bounce, or the shame of saying no to an invite because petrol’s too expensive. They don’t feel the tightening. The shrinking. The daily recalculations of a life that no longer fits in the same budget it did last year. Or last month. Or last week.
Because they play with corporate money.
And all we have is emotional money.
We are the people picking which bill can go unpaid this month. We are the ones choosing the cheaper options, cutting back on data and skipping meals… not because it’s the latest fad diet but because it is for survival.
And the frustrating part is not just the hike.
It’s that we didn’t ask for this. We didn’t break the system. We’ve been showing up, working hard and trying our best. We are not the ones who need to be punished for mismanagement.
But here we are. Paying more. For less.
And look, I don’t have all the answers. I can’t fix the economy with an Instagram post or a heartfelt caption. I know… “bad” Good Things Guy. But I can remind you of this:
You are not alone. You are not crazy for feeling overwhelmed. You’re not weak for struggling to make it work. You are living through something that was never meant to serve you… and doing so with more grace and strength than those who made these decisions could ever understand.
So what now?
We pull together. We keep sharing ideas. Swapping savings tips. Supporting small businesses. We buy local where we can, we call out the nonsense when we need to, and we take care of each other… because let’s be honest, nobody else is going to do that for us.
And above all?
We pay attention. We remember. We don’t let frustration turn to apathy because apathy is exactly what they count on. And when the time comes, we vote with our hearts and our heads.
It’s going to be tough.
But so are you.
So are we.
And if they’re going to play games with our emotional money, then we’ll fight back the only way we know how… by showing up for each other. By remembering what real wealth looks like: Community. Kindness. Courage. And resilience.
Let them keep the spreadsheets. Let them drink the Veuve. And wear the Louis Vuitton. And drive those expensive cars. And build fire pools. And hide money in couches. And go on expensive holidays to Geneva (but definitely not Switzerland).
But let us not forget.
We’ve got each other.
by 