'I was delighted to realise I could live a decent life as befits a graduate.. but my happiness was short-lived'

I AM a former teacher, principal and inspector of schools, who holds a BA (Hons); BEd; MEd; PhD and HPTC.

I retired on pension in 2003, having served the department of education for 37 years.

The gratuity I earned from the Government Employees Pension Fund was a humiliating R300,000 - compared with the millions others receive.

The monthly pension I earn from the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) as of now is R14,000 after tax has been deducted.

The R300,000 I mentioned above was spent on paying off my house and furniture.

Having realised the monthly pension I earn could not meet my financial obligations, I looked for a part-time job at a university, where I earn R15,000 after tax has been deducted.

I was delighted to realise I could live a decent life as befits a graduate.

Secondly, joining the teaching fraternity after a long time I spent at the circuit office made me nostalgic for the heydays of my practice as a teacher at the then Emmanuel school in Meloding township near Virginia in the late sixties, when teaching and learning were taken seriously.

I was happy I was positively contributing to the development of our young people.

My happiness was short-lived when I realised that at the end of the year, the monthly pension and salary I earned for the year are added together by Sars to enable it to tax my income again.

This is indicative of the fact that this government does not care about its senior citizens.

Chopo Teleki, by e-mail