You can never predict what life has in store of you – loved ones die unexpectedly, accidents happen and situations can change overnight. Mbalenhle Sibanyoni says her sister had to become the breadwinner and a s a result the hero who saved her family from homelessness and hunger after they suffered a tragic loss.

“My older sister Sarah is my Qhawekazi because of the sacrifices she made in her life so that me and my little brother could have a better future,” says Sibanyoni.

“When I was seven years old and my brother was three months old, our mother passed away. Sarah sacrificed her education. She dropped out of school so she could get a job as we had no other family to care for us. She made sure my brother and I never went hungry and always put my education first.

All these years she has been my best friend, a sister, a mother, a father and all that I need. Because of her I could focus on school, and in the end I won a bursary to attend university. She still takes care of our family and now I want to help improve her life.”

Sibanyoni is lucky she had a sister who was willing to make a sacrifice but she and her siblings’ lives could have turned out differently if her mother had taken out salary protection.

Sibanyoni was one of the three winners of the “Nominate Your Qhawe” competition. Entrants had to share a story about the person in their lives who made sacrifices to help them achieve their goals and win a surprise experience to the value of R5,000 for their Qhawe and R2,500 to invest in their future.

Responsible people make responsible decisions, and if you run the risk of leaving your family destitute when you can’t earn a living anymore, your decision to take out a salary protection policy should be an easy one.

Your income supports the lifestyle you enjoy. Where would you be without it? The reality is you could be left struggling to pay everyday expenses such as your bond, rent, groceries or school fees.

Stangen Salary Protection will pay you a monthly income if you become “disabled” as a result of illness or injury and become unable to work. The payments will start after you have been off work for three months and will be limited to 75% of your after-tax income immediately before you became disabled.

Still unsure about whether salary protection is an important consideration for you? Here are some questions you should ask yourself to help you make the important decision:

1. Do I pay the bills in the household? It’s simple - if you are the breadwinner in your family, you need to protect your salary.
2. How will my family cope with less money? Perhaps you and your spouse share the financial responsibilities at home. If you didn’t earn an income, which expenses would you need to cut if you had no alternatives?
3. Does my company offer any salary protection, as part of my group scheme? You need to check with your human resources department if your group risk policy does cover income protection. This is important because your income cannot be covered twice. If your company doesn’t offer income protection cover, then you need to put a policy in place.
4. Does my job put me at a significantly higher risk of becoming disabled? Certain jobs have more risk associated with the them, than others do. If it does, then, coupled with questions 1 and 2, you may need salary protection cover.

It’s time to wise up and take charge of your financial situation by visiting Stangen’s website for more information or calling +27 10 202 7600 to discuss your options.

This article was paid for by Stangen.