Thembalethu Qolo, KTC
Many people have given up on their dreams because poverty stands in their way to success.
This has been the reality for many people. I know friends who decided to stop attending school or university because they didn’t have food or money as their families were under the helm of poverty.
The sad reality is that the living standards for many of those people have worsened. They are now regretting life and are blaming themselves for giving up. Even those with jobs struggle to hold on to their positions.
I guess giving up studying because of poverty is not a justifiable reason, but just an excuse. Many may want to argue against my utterances. They might say I don’t know their real situations. My answer is simple, I know real life experiences where both parents were killed in front of a 16-year-old boy.
He struggled but he never gave up. And now he owns a restaurant at the V&A Waterfront.
Poverty should encourage people to work hard in order to succeed. The desire to be successful must be greater than the reason to quit due to poverty.
In fact, people who are not willing to do hard work to get out of poverty are mostly willing to make babies without realising they are passing over the poverty to the next generation. Those people are embracing defeat and are selling out.
People must learn to self motivate. Be prepared to work even harder than others. Dedicate your time on valid things that will add value. Stop hanging around people who see obstacles only.
People must stop playing the poverty card as it does not work anymore. It is the same as the race card. Poor or rich, black or white nothing is impossible. Participating in illegal activities because one is poor is not beneficial nor is it a solution. The reality is once a person has a criminal record it is difficult to be accepted at a work place or at an institution of further training to earn a qualification.
People, it is high time we see the reality as it is. Many people who have been born poor have made it to the top. How did they do it? Determination, dedication and hard work, no other recipe.
You are not the first person to be poor and you are not the last. The choice lies with you to choose to stay in poverty or to get out.
