Every week, more South Africans are doing the maths and realising that their salaries simply don’t stretch to the end of the month. Not because they are irresponsible. Not because they are living beyond their means. But because the cost of living has outpaced income so aggressively that even employed households are battling to keep food on the table.

The Sunday World article published 31 May 2026 captured this reality with painful accuracy:

Microloans are no longer being used for big purchases or emergencies — they’re being used for basics. Bread. Rent. Taxi fare. Electricity. Survival. And while that truth is uncomfortable, it is also important. Because behind every statistic is a real family trying to stay afloat in an economy that keeps tightening.

But here’s the part of the story that often gets lost: microcredit, when done responsibly, transparently, and with dignity, can be the difference between a household coping and a household collapsing. The good that is possible — and already happening.

I’ve spent years leading large, labourintensive operations across South Africa. I’ve seen the pressure frontline workers carry. I’ve seen the quiet panic of a parent who needs R300 to get through the week but has nowhere safe to turn. And I’ve seen how quickly desperation pushes people into the arms of unregistered lenders who charge impossible rates and use intimidation as a collection strategy. This is why the microlending industry matters. This is why how we lend matters even more.

When structured ethically, small loans can:

• Protect households from predatory lenders A regulated, transparent loan is always safer than borrowing from an informal lender who can double the amount owed overnight.

• Bridge genuine short-term income gaps Life doesn’t wait for payday. A child needs school supplies. A shift is cut. A responsible microloan can stabilise a family in moments like these.

• Support dignity and agency Access to credit, fair credit, gives people room to breathe, plan, and participate in the economy without shame.

• Prevent long-term financial collapse A small, affordable loan today can prevent a household from falling into arrears on rent, school fees, or transport; costs that, once missed, spiral quickly.

This is the part of the story we must keep telling. Not to romanticise debt, never that, but to recognise that in a country where wages are stagnant and inflation is relentless, microcredit is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.