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It’s a luxury I can’t afford”, “It will never happen to me”, and, “I don’t believe in insurance” are just some of the reasons people give for not insuring their property or vehicles. For the uninsured these reasons may seem valid but, in the long run, may prove more costly. Between 65 and 70 percent of the estimated 12 million vehicles on South African roads are uninsured, and this percentage is growing annually. If you are involved in a crash, you only have a three in ten chance of it being with someone who is insured, and therefore able to cover any damages. This means that to keep you on the road, insurance is not a luxury, but a necessity.

According to the SAPS’ data, burglaries at residential premises decreased by almost 2% from 2016, though robberies at houses were up by 7.3%. Despite showing a decrease year on year, burglaries still far outstrip robberies in South Africa in number, and after general theft and drug-related crime is the biggest crime category in the country. Data captured at police stations across the country recorded 246,654 cases of home burglaries between April 2016 and March 2017 – roughly 676 a day. Meanwhile, the SAPS recorded 22,343 house robberies over the same period – or 61 every day.

South Africa's unemployment rate increased to 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019, Stats SA announced on Tuesday morning. The jobless rate at the end of the fourth quarter of 2018 was 27.1%, meaning the rate has increased by half a percentage point. According to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first quarter, there are 16.3 million employed people and 6.2 million unemployed people between the ages of 15 and 64 years in South Africa. All sectors barring manufacturing, trade and transport cut employment. At 142 000, the construction industry cut the most jobs while financial services trimmed 94 000 positions. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon in reaction to the jobs numbers, the government said the high rate of unemployment was a "serious concern".

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the fees charged by South African private hospitals are among the highest in the world, on par with countries including Germany, the UK, and France. “Private hospital prices in South Africa are on par with prices in countries with much higher GDP levels – including the United Kingdom, Germany and France,” said Francesca Colombo, head of the WHO and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) health division. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Wednesday that the price of private healthcare in South Africa has increased by 300% in the last 10 years, moving from R42 billion in 2002 to R142 billion in 2014. “In 2002, the total expenditure of private health care was R42 billion. In 2014, it was R142 billion. It increased by 300% in a decade. If it continues like that, in another decade it will be half a trillion rand.”

If you died today, it is highly unlikely that your dependants would be able to maintain their current standard of living. And you and your dependants could be even worse off financially if you were suddenly unable to work as a result of illness or an accident. These assertions are supported by the findings of an independent study commissioned by the industry that shows that South Africa's 12.4 million income earners bet-ween the ages of 16 and 65 are woefully under-assured - by about R18 trillion - against death or a calamity that would leave them unable to work. So, if you are Mr or Ms Average and the main breadwinner in your family dies or is disabled today, you will either have to cut your living expenses by between 30 and 34 percent, on average, or earn more - you'll need an extra R3 177 a month if the breadwinner dies or an extra R4 696 a month if the breadwinner is disabled and unable to work. The same average family, however, could be saved financial hardship if a further 2.4 percent of income is spent on life assurance and 1.5 percent is spent on disability assurance, the research suggests.