I have nothing challenging to wake up to. Photo: Oupa Nkosi
Last week the Mail & Guardian spotlighted the devastating effects of the platinum downturn on a mining community. But middle-class professionals are also feeling the impact of the recession. Monako Dibetle reports on how a well-known press photographer is dealing with retrenchment
After 34 years of waking up to frantic calls from his office and meeting tight deadlines, the highlight of photojournalist Robbie Botha’s day is now driving his five-year-old daughter, Chloe, to school.
It has been only a month since Botha (61) was laid off as pictures editor of the Johannesburg-based daily, Business Day, but already he is finding his new habit — of waking up each morning to do nothing much — a crippling exercise.
”For the first time in my life,” says Botha, ”I have nothing challenging to wake up to.”
Botha is one of the country’s most prolific and experienced news photographers. With 34 years of unbroken service as pictures editor for Business Day and other titles in the Avusa stable, including the Financial Mail, he has been a source of guidance and inspiration to generations of aspiring photographers.
All this changed in March. ”My bosses called me one morning and asked me to come to the office. On my way there I had a sneaking suspicion I’d been retrenched,” he says.
Earlier, the staff were told that 16 people had been identified for possible redundancy.
”At first I never thought that I could be one of them because I was already nearing retirement age.”
Botha’s retrenchment story is no longer exceptional. With 35 000 jobs being shed each month, more and more employees of Botha’s age are targets for ”early retirement”.
Although he takes a philosophical view of his fate, this doesn’t ease the effects of his new status — psychologically or financially.
”I don’t really feel bad about losing my job because I’m old enough to receive a government pension. But the money is not enough and I still have to pay school fees for my daughter.”
Botha’s wife, Laura, is also unemployed and, as the sole breadwinner, Botha is worried about how the quality of their lives will change.
”My lifestyle has not changed much yet, although we’re trying to avoid unnecessary expenses. But the way things are going we might end up having to do major financial adjustments just to survive.
”My only relief is that our house and cars have all been paid up.”
Botha speaks plainly about feeling that he can no longer ”make a good life” for his dependants.
The first thing cut from the Botha household’s monthly budget was cable TV. ”It’s bad when you’re forced to do these things because my daughter only watches DStv and we were very used to it.”
Botha also thinks about the slippery slope of no longer being able to afford many things this middle-class family is used to — from car repairs to holidays.
When he greets us at his modest bungalow in Petervale, north of Johannesburg, he ushers us into the living room and invites us to take a seat. Looking critically at the worn blue sofas he says, as if suddenly realising the fact, that he could no longer afford to think about replacing them.
Botha is still organising his pension fund payout and, after a two-day wait in a queue, has successfully applied for Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) money.
”I went to Marlboro for my UIF application and there were close to 300 people in front of me,” he says ruefully.
”I’m happy that the company is giving me a good pension fund, thanks to my long service. In the meantime, I’ll focus on getting more freelance jobs as a way of bringing in some income,” he says.