Simon Lethoba lost his job at a mine in North West two years ago. Ever since, he’s not been able to get another.
The father-of-two, who resides in Stilfotein, North West, says he’s had to move to a smaller place to live.
“I was renting a four-room house while I was working. But when I got retrenched, we had to move to a place we can afford since there was no longer a stable income,” he says.
Simon has since had to take whatever casual job he can to make ends meet for his family.
“When I have managed to make some money, I help my girlfriend buy some more of what she sells. She is selling sweets and chicken feet to help put food on the table,” he shares.
He says the selling doesn’t bring much but it’s better than nothing at all.
With only high school education, he is losing hope of ever finding another job as good as the one he had at the gold mine. He is reluctant to share which mine he worked for. But he says he worked there for about five years. He adds that things are going from bad to worse for people in his community.
“Mines are retrenching more people. We are just sitting here in the township not knowing what to do,” says the 30-year-old.
Managing director of LuRhu Investment Solutions Thoko Mngomezulu tells Move! it is imperative to build an emergency fund for when bad times strike such as retrenchment.
“It’s important to have an emergency fund so that you can still provide your family with security during an unforeseen event. Planning for the unexpected will also ensure that you’ll be able to still pay off your debts should you lose your income, become ill, or can’t work for a while. It can also help you stay out of debt, which will not only cost you more in interest but could make it harder to come right: remember, a good credit record is a requirement in many jobs and a bad one might hamper your efforts to get back on your feet,” she says.
An article on Careers24 lists five things that you must do immediately if you lose your job.
1. Be gentle on yourself.
2. Express your emotions.
3. Learn from the experience
4. Make the change.
5. Update your CV
