Sistemas que apriorizan el factor armónico Serialismo

Quite often, the Sinathingi recipients turn to others to financially assist them – this may be for basic monthly expenditures on a regular basis or because of unexpected shocks which result in the need to scramble for alternative income. A handful of the CSG recipients explained that they borrow money from their family, friends and neighbours; and in large part to avoid the interest which would accrue from obtaining a loan from local stokvel societies (at times,

stokvels engage in short-term money lending to non-members in the community and charge

interest to increase the stockvel funds for members which are regularly dispersed in December). Money from family, friends and neighbours would be interest-free. Nomsa Ndaba, as the only breadwinner in her household and with three grant-children, indicates:

I ask my neighbours for help because they will lend me the money with no interest, so that is my first option before I get a loan from the stokvel societies since the money borrowed from the society is returned with hectic interest.

Likewise, Khethiwe Phungula says:

My neighbour helps me out at least I do not have to pay interest if one borrows money from them like with stokvel societies that charge interest if one gets a loan from them.

And Zola Kunene has a similar arrangement:

The grant money rarely lasts the whole month therefore I borrow money from my neighbours and they give it to me interest free.

These borrowing arrangements speak to the importance of community-wide social capital in Sinathingi township at least with regard to a number of CSG recipients. This assistance given by neighbours may not always be in the form of cash, as it may involve in-kind assistance. Phaphama Brown notes:

117

I go to neighbours to ask for food since I cannot afford to borrow money from the stokvel because their money is returned with interest.

Sometimes relying on neighbours is less problematic than borrowing from close family members, because dependence on the latter can be complicated and lead to strained relationships if repayment is not made or not made in time. Because of this, friends – as with neighbours – often becomes before any attempt to rely on family members. Pinky Mbhele borrows money from friends without interest:

I borrow money from my close friends and its interest free.

Mbali Jozela clearly indicates that she does not wish to rely on family members and mainly because of the ridicule heaped on her for becoming pregnant at an early age (now aged 24, she has been receiving the grant since 2008). After trying in the past to obtain money from family, she now relies on her friends:

I borrow money from friends because you know how family can get… they will pass all sorts of remarks that they never sent you to fall pregnant and now you keep on running to them for help.

For Mandisi Xulu, a similar situation arises with her family and therefore she tends to rely at times on stokvels instead. She reveals that tensions exist within her household between herself and siblings. Her siblings, according to her, keep tabs of how many times she has not helped the household overall, since they are all eating from one pot. She does not directly ask her siblings for help regarding her child’s needs and would rather ask her mother for financial help. But she claims that she does assist the household:

The [stokvel] money helps me to buy food and other things the household might need such as appliances or utensils, uniform, stationary, Christmas clothes and to save a bit of money for my child’s education. I mean my other siblings buy most of the things the household needs during the year because I only work part time therefore in December it is my turn to buy other things so the stokvel helps me a lot in this regard. Because as much as my family will not say much about one not helping financially ….they are actually counting the number of times you have helped out . At least I do not have to rely on them to buy my child the necessities on a day to day basis at least before the money runs out hence I ask my mother instead of my siblings for help.

Not all CSG mothers go through the same experience, as Nande Sokhulu can rely on her sister to help her out:

My sister helps me out the most especially when I run out of supplies for my child. I really do not know what I would do without my sister.

118

I have been very fortunate that my family helps me out with my needs regardless that I fell pregnant before time.

Bazamile Mabizela also relies on her sister and pays the money back without interest:

Well my sister helps me out and lends me the money and I pay it back with zero interest.

It must be recognised that, in assisting the CSG mother, these family members are often doing so at great sacrifice to themselves, as noted by Mandisi Xulu who borrows from her mother:

My mother helps me out although she has many mouths to feed but she helps me out with the little that she has.

In some cases, in obtaining money from family members, the family member does not consider the money given as a loan but as a gift and this, of course, greatly benefits the CSG mother:

My great aunt helps me in times of financial difficulty and she does not expect me to pay her back….As much as she’s willing to help me I cannot abuse my lifeline all the time (Zandile Zondi).

As Zandile implies, ongoing reliance on her great aunt may eventually lead to tension and conflict.

Besides neighbours, family and friends, a small number of CSG recipients claim that they were helped out by the father of their child or children:

The father of my child bails me out (Nandi Zwane).

The father of my child helps me out through and through (Nomathamsanqa Kwela). The father of my youngest child helps me (Ntsiki Mzamela).

Ntsiki has two grant-children and the help she receives is specifically for the younger of the two children, though she may allocate this money more broadly to incorporate her older child. In these three cases, it seems that the father of the child provides assistance on a voluntary and willing basis without any significant prodding by the CSG mother. In other cases, it is the exact opposite. Zethu Bhengu thus argues that the father of her child helps but only after almost forcing him to do so:

The father of my child only helps me after much begging and convincing him that his child might go to bed hungry.

Zethu is unemployed so any assistance from the father of the child is sometimes critical for the lives of her and her one child. Others who receive funding from the father of the child are not so desperate because of other direct sources of income, such as employment in the case of Nobuhle Zungu:

119

I am employed and the father of my children is employed as well so if all fails he would help me in times of need.

For someone who is employed, like Nobuhle, a helping hand from the father is the cherry on the top so to speak as it may allow for some kind of discretionary spending. Interestingly, one recipient, who is 53 years old, has children who are also grant recipients and they help her out at times:

My children help me out with their grant money as well (Phumzile Sibiya).