Every Heritage Day, South Africans celebrate traditions, values, histories, and dishes that define their identity. Among these deep traditions, the concept of Ubuntu holds a special place, manifesting in supporting family, assisting communities, and jointly acknowledging both successes and difficulties.
This spirit of collective care influences many aspects of life, including attitudes towards finance. For many South Africans, financial decisions are rarely purely individual; a salary often supports several people, and a raise can open opportunities for an entire family. Financial success is often measured not only by personal achievements but also by the ability to help others.
This is where discussions about the 'black tax' often arise. However, reducing this topic to just one term is dangerous, as it may miss a deeper truth: supporting family is not merely a financial obligation. According to Ayanda Radabe, a senior product specialist at OM Bank, it is an expression of responsibility, gratitude, pride, and care.
She insists on not idealizing reality. The pressure associated with the need to support parents, siblings, children, and extended family can create a significant burden on working citizens in South Africa.
According to the Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor 2026, four out of ten working South Africans now belong to the so-called 'sandwich generation,' simultaneously supporting both children and parents or other adult dependents. Among working youth of Generation Z in South Africa, this figure reaches 43%, meaning young people who have just started their careers are already responsible for two generations.
The ultimate goal should not be a society where more people bear this responsibility. True progress lies in a society where fewer families are forced to rely on one person, allowing each generation greater access to opportunities, financial security, and economic participation.
From Financial Support to Financial Strength
One of the most significant outcomes of social mobility is the ability to create opportunities beyond a single generation. While helping the family with immediate needs remains important, long-term financial sustainability is achieved by creating pathways to independence. Such paths can include investing in education, encouraging saving habits, building reserve funds, or helping relatives obtain financial tools and services that improve their well-being.
Thus, financial support transforms from simple help in the moment into an investment in the future.
Finding Balance Without Losing Values
The concept of Ubuntu does not require self-sacrifice to the point of financial crisis. In fact, sustainable support begins with protecting one's own financial future. Setting boundaries, planning ahead, and building personal financial resilience are not acts of selfishness; they are necessary to be able to continue helping others over the long term.
The challenge for many South Africans is to find this balance: remaining committed to family and community while ensuring financial stability for themselves and future generations. This is where prudent money management becomes meaningful. It is not necessary to reduce help to those who matter, but it can be provided in a way that does not undermine your own progress, and today's support does not turn into a crisis requiring help tomorrow.
The modern banking sector plays an important role in this process. Even a simple function, such as instantly sending money to parents or siblings without incurring fees that eat into an already limited budget, changes the calculations of family support. This is the role the bank should play in this situation: not as the main protagonist, but as the second pilot. Those who give, save, and sacrifice are those who support their families.
A Legacy Worth Preserving
Radabe notes: "As we celebrate Heritage Day, perhaps the conversation should move beyond the concept of the 'black tax' and focus on the values underlying it. Ubuntu remains one of South Africa's greatest strengths. It reminds us that success is often shared, and communities thrive when people support each other."
She adds that the true measure of progress is not how many people financially support others. "It is how many families manage to become financially resilient enough to stand on a stronger foundation together. That is the future we must help build for Ubuntu: a future where caring for one another remains a defining value, and every generation has greater opportunities for financial independence and prosperity."