Jammer om te Hoor

^{Copyright © 2026 Illustration by Wilhelm Laufs}

Is it true the bank will provide you temporary accommodation when they repossess your house? I’ve heard they will put you up in a small apartment while you try to get back on your feet. If possible I would prefer something a bit bigger, if not, the apartment would be fine. But, I would prefer something bigger. Is it true? It sounds too good to be true. Please comment down below.

Edward Snowden calls America “The Land of the Fee and the Home of the Slave.” It pretty much sums up South Africa too. We really have a fee for everything. Additionally, inflation constantly devalues our money. Tomorrow you have to work twice as hard to afford the necessities you bought yesterday, and with shrinkflation the content of our beloved products keeps on getting smaller and smaller while the packaging stays the same size.

Through quantitative easing privately owned reserve banks all around the world print money out of thin air and then lend it to the governments they manage through buying their bonds. The governments promise to pay it back with interest. By doing this they enslave people who haven’t even been born… as it will also be the next generations’ responsibility to pay back the interest on these loans through their taxes. A big old “YOU OWE INTEREST” stamp, straight onto the forehead as soon as a newborn exits the womb… The principal can never be repaid. Only the interest can be serviced.

Do you think it is okay to stamp a newborn baby on the forehead like this? Please comment down below.

It is an unsustainable system built on debt. It enslaves people and serves only a few. 

Why don’t the great powers of the world focus on developing a sustainable financial system for the people? A free market where your savings (energy traded for money and then saved) keeps its value. If you save your money diligently, you should be rewarded, not punished by it being devalued. You shouldn’t need to make fancy investments to retain the value of your saved energy/money. This system is old and causes so much sadness, depression and suicides. To me it feels as if we are trapped in a never ending cycle, where today’s freedom fighters inevitably become tomorrow’s totalitarians. Ultimately, just pawns on a chessboard being moved by those who own and control their debt.

To own a house is everyone’s dream, but it is virtually impossible to afford a mortgage anymore. For most young married couples both must work in order to cover the installments and stay afloat. It seems like upward mobility is an illusion and the middle class is rapidly disappearing. I won’t be surprised if most of the big bakkies and fancy new cars you see on the road are being driven on the breadline, as they keep their owners up at night doing calculations and worrying about how they will make next month’s payment. But at least they think their “friends” think they are worthy.

I think true wealth comes down to building a debt-free life for yourself. A debt free life provides a good night’s rest. The price, however, is to choose to give up comfort, convenience and many of the unnecessary luxuries and aspirations we have become so accustomed to. You don’t really need much to be happy.

But… you do need a roof over your head. It goes a long way.

In 2004 Andre Swiegers released as song called Jammer om te Hoor. It always helps me to feel better when I’m doing my calculations and worrying about how I will make next month’s mortgage payment. He sings about many different characters. All of them struggling to get by. Among them is a guy called George. Unfortunately, the bank came and repossessed his car and house. But, at least, they didn’t take him too…

“Ek hoor George is op sy voete gehelp, die bank het sy kar onder hom uit gevat. Die dak oor sy kop het ook saam gegaan, maar gelukkig is George nog daar.”

Translation:

“I hear George was helped on his feet. The bank took his car from under him. The roof over his head also went with, but at least George is still there.”

Poor old George. I hope he is back on his feet by now. It has been 22 years. I hope he is doing well and enjoying a fantastic new debt-free life. If by any chance you listen to this George, please comment down below. Please let us know how you are doing?

Listen to Andre Swiegers’s song Jammer om te Hoor here. Listen to my cover of Jammer om te Hoor here.

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Thanks for reading.