A tribute and plea to ‘AmaBreadwinner’

I recall reading an article on ‘age by generation’, i.e. the baby boomers, gen x, gen y and the millennials to mentions a few. My interest in the article was in the gen X, for reasons I will not disclose in this blog. The gen X is born between the mid 60s to the mid 80s. This period saw the emergence of the first patchwork families emerging as a result of the rise in the divorce rate, leading to children growing up in divorced and blended families. The gen X were perceived as the generation that battled to find their true sense. Needless to mention my disappointment when I learned that this generation has been coined the ‘lost generation’.

The gen X came after the baby boomers who were popularly known for their rebellion. The baby boomers in many ways are the generation that consumed, contributed and identified with the 1960s and certainly set the modern-day American trend. They questioned authority, raised the generation’s consciousness and dropped out of mainstream. If you wonder what that looks like, imagine a woman wearing bell bottom jeans, stepping out of a bus, colourfully painted with butterflies and daisies, carrying a placard that reads “END THE WAR IN VIET NAM”. The baby boomers successfully reshaped the understanding of life stages, and are currently changing everything known about aging and retirement. This article was written from an American’s viewpoint.

In Mzansi however, the gen X cannot be further away from descriptions such as lost nor unable to find their ‘true sense’. In most of South African homes, this generation brought hope to their homes. These are the sisters and brothers that installed the first gate motor at their homes, ensured that their mothers finally got the paving they had been yearning for. Home renovations before the wedding or the tomb stone unveilings would be subsidized by this generation. In some ways I feel that the Mzansi gen X have become trend setters in their own right. I recently learnt from one of my clients that in Mzansi, this generation is affectionately known as “AmaBreadwinner” (nge SiZulu sase Goli). I had a good chuckle upon learning this name, because it could not be more apt. I beg to argue that AmaBreadwinner have traversed the baby boomer’s generation and gen X referred to in the first two paragraphs and brought hope to many South African homes.

AmaBreadwinner have taken black tax to a whole different level. They have improved their homes, made tertiary education available to their siblings and somehow managed to make going away on vacation a norm.

AmaBreadwinner have not escaped without challenges of their own, particularly in recent times. They are the one generation that have suffered great loses during pandemic. They have either lost a parent, and or have a close friend who has lost their parent and or lost a friend of their own. Should you have suffered such a loss, tshediseha ngwaneso, alwehlanga lungehlanga. AmaBreadwinner have had the responsibility of ensuring that their aged parents are cared for during this time. Be it by stocking up on groceries for them so they stay put, safe at home or have their folks move into their houses with them.

The inspiration for this piece is to remind AmaBreadwinners of the kitchen units, the paint jobs and the garages that are still on the list of things to do for our folks. I plead with you all, can we please go and get vaccinated in numbers we still have a lot of trends to set for the generations watching us. We equally still have work to build our country just as we have built or bettered our parents’ homes.