sanlamreality.co.za Spring 2020
What to do when markets drop
debate
Are data privacy laws bad for our economy?
travel
What happens if you get sick abroad?
entertainment Decadent desserts to make you smile
wellness
The sinister truth behind the home DNA kit trend
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SANLAM REALITY PROGRAMME Head of marketing and communications Francois Uys Communications manager Lucille Moore Communications coordinator Hasina Khan SANLAM REALITY CALL CENTRE Telephone 0860 732 548/9 Email info@sanlamreality.co.za Website www.sanlamreality.co.za REAL FUTURES (PTY) LTD Real Futures is a wholly-owned Sanlam Ltd company managing the Sanlam Reality Programme for the Sanlam Group. Chairman Jan Steenkamp Directors Gary Allen, André Larisma, Theesan Moodley, Jean Lombard Deputy company secretary Zuko Mgawuli
PUBLISHED BY NARRATIVE FOR SANLAM REALITY EDITORIAL Editor Sarah Browning-de Villiers Email mag@sanlamreality.co.za Content editor Dominique Bowen Contributors Anelde Greeff, Angelique Ruzicka, Christine van Deemter, Elsabé Brits, Gareth Forbes, Katelyn Allegra, Lynette Botha, Rachel Tripp, Richard Brown, Roy Cokayne, Thando Pato, Tori Hoffman, Tracy Lynn Chemaly PRODUCTION Head of production Nicky Scheepers Campaign manager Kelly Hendricks CREATIVE Creative group head Juan Geel Art director Marisa Steyn NARRATIVE, A DIVISION OF MACHINE_ Managing director Robyn Campbell Business lead Lauren Brabant Chief content officer Sarah Browning-de Villiers Account manager Juwairiyyah Ismail CAPE TOWN HEAD OFFICE Tel: 021 487 9100 Email: mag@sanlamreality.co.za 50 Harrington Street, Zonnebloem, Cape Town, 7925 PO Box 16258, Vlaeberg, Cape Town, 8001 All content and pricing correct at time of print.
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editor's letter and make it. Head to p.52 for a host of breathtaking spots to consider. But what does happen when travel abroad opens up, and you get sick? The experts tell you on p.56. I’m also delighted to share that during the initial lockdown period of April to May, Sanlam Reality made a R1 million donation to Meals on Wheels on behalf of you, its members. The donation has helped thousands of South Africans receive food during an unprecedented time. Being part of the Sanlam Reality community is fundamentally about living a rewarding life; what could be more rewarding than being part of giving back? Hold that in your heart as you enjoy this issue.
I sit writing this letter (from my home desk, of course) filled with questions: when will I travel again? How many of the small businesses that keep our country alive will still be open in a year’s time? How do I find certainty in a time of heightened uncertainty? None of us can be 100% sure of the answers, but in this issue we’ve tried to provide some pointers. Our entire Wealth section is dedicated to finding financial certainty in uncertain times, from navigating volatile markets to securing your retirement: turn to p.30 to start. When it comes to travel, I believe fervently in planning for the positive. I’ve already booked some of my travel for 2021, not only to keep me sane, but also to inject much-needed cash into the pockets of hoteliers, travel agencies and more. Local tourism is especially important: in 2018, it accounted for 8.6% of economic activity and 9.2% of total employment. Consider your advance booking a charitable donation,
SARAH BROWNING-DE VILLIERS, editor
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Photography: Kirsten Mackrill, Kim Berman, Katelyn Allegra, Shutterstock, supplied
Sanlam Reality is the loyalty programme of the Sanlam Group and its strategic partners. The programme helps members to make the most of their money in a way that’s honest, meaningful and real. Sanlam Reality empowers its members to make responsible financial choices and enables them to live their best financial lives possible. All because Sanlam Reality believes that taking care of your money should be rewarding.
spring 2020 14
Wellness
On the cover 6 Are DATA PRIVACY 24 34 56 64
LAWS bad for our economy? The sinister truth behind the HOME DNA KIT trend What to do WHEN MARKETS DROP What happens if you get SICK ABROAD? DECADENT DESSERTS to make you smile
52 Travel
30 Wealth
60
Entertainment
68
REAL WORLD Start saving like these members…
SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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“I get quotes with a good response time for anything from swimming classes and holiday packages to tyres, without doing all the work and phone calls.”
“Discounted Mango flights is one of my favourite benefits” “I go to Durban often, and save on flights and other travel like car hire and accommodation using my travel benefits.”
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5
get real
data privacy regulation
Data privacy regulation: necessary or restrictive? IN A DIGITAL ERA WHERE PERSONAL DATA SERVES AS A NEW CURRENCY, HOW MUCH SHOULD WE EXPECT GOVERNMENTS TO REGULATE IN TERMS OF PRIVACY... AND HOW MUCH IS OUR INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY?
“The right to privacy is a fundamental human right” The right to privacy is recognised as a fundamental human right in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution. That includes data privacy – requiring regulation to be upheld by individuals and businesses alike.
T&Cs aren’t enough Data privacy is concerned with the collection and processing of individual data. It looks to see how and whether this data is shared to third parties. When you sign up for something online or share your personal details to a service provider, how often do you read over the Terms & Conditions? Within there lies the information around how that provider is allowed to use your personal data. Think about, for example, your phone contract – and how much information your service provider has about your movements, directly linked to the personal
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GARETH FORBES leads the Publicis Data Sciences team in South Africa, with 10 years’ experience in data sciences.
information you shared when signing up. There are many in our country who lack the time or understanding to read and agree to T&Cs meaningfully – yet they should not be excluded from engaging in our digital world. Ticking a T&Cs box, therefore, is not sufficient by itself.
In Europe GDPR has been enacted; in South Africa, the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) has been fully enacted. POPIA regulates the processing of personal information that’s entered into a record pertaining to natural living persons. Companies have to communicate more transparently about their data-collecting activities. Ultimately, what this means for you is that you have more control, and more understanding, of how your data is stored, used and shared. Under POPIA, third-party data buying and selling is illegal. The good
Data may be the next big thing, but it needs defined rules of engagement. Regulation helps level the playing field A number of regulatory restrictions around the world have been created to get companies to rethink how they collect, store, process, and share data.
news here for individuals includes no more annoying cold calls unless you’ve opted to share your details with other parties. (Again, the hidden elements within T&Cs documents come into play here.)
Regulation offers protection According to Forbes, it’s estimated that approximately 2.5 quintillion bytes of information is generated on the internet every day. An estimated 90% of all the data held on servers globally was generated in the past two years alone. This begs the question: what would happen if something went wrong? Data breaches are far too common. According to CSO Online, about 3.5 billion people saw their personal data stolen in the top two of the 15 biggest breaches in this century alone. There needs to be a distinction between times when data was stolen for malicious intent, and times when organisations leave data exposed. As an example, Twitter left the passwords of 330 million users unmasked, but there was never evidence of misuse. Both distinctions fall under part of an organisation’s responsibility to protect their users’ data.
Data: a currency you should control Data privacy regulations have begun to give individuals greater control over the use of their personal information, and many will start to see its worth as currency and use it as such in the future. Regulation is an important aspect of data management; compliance will be the act that ensures the safety of all. Data has been heralded as the next big thing, but it needs defined rules of engagement.
Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
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“Data privacy is a controversy that shouldn’t exist” We live in a world of instant information. In the age of social media, Google, and virtual assistants like Siri, we’ve reached a point where we can read the news and order groceries without interacting with another person. This access to constant data has created opportunities for innovation that would have been inconceivable to people living only a few decades ago. However, users don’t always realise they’re sharing just as much as they’re receiving. While they’re mindlessly posting clothing pictures, and sending messages at the touch of a button, their data is shared, traded, and used by tech companies. This has created a growing controversy over the ethics of digital data collection and whether this practice violates the privacy rights of users. What’s forgotten is that users choose to use these tools, and a lack of understanding
RACHEL TRIPP is a journalist based in Washington DC who writes about liberty. Her opinion here is published with thanks to the Foundation for Economic Freedom (fee.org).
This circus of legislative punishment resulted from information sharing that Facebook denied was a data breach. Instead, Facebook argued that Cambridge Analytica had taken information users had agreed to make available by signing Facebook’s user agreement. This was a prime example of citizens and legislators punishing a private company whose T&Cs they didn’t take the time to understand.
Education, not legislation The issue of digital privacy and how to regulate data collection consistently baffles legislators. It’s
Regulation makes it harder for new tech companies to grow, depriving ourselves of the innovation that will make our lives better. about how companies are using their data does not legitimise their outrage.
Blame user apathy Technology is now commonplace, but so is user apathy. Users of apps, email services and social media platforms haphazardly agree to ‘Terms & Conditions’, but treat the warnings as a box to check before consuming their content. This same dismissive treatment is given to pop-up windows that warn of trackers and data collection mechanisms on websites. Those clicking ‘accept’ without a second thought are the same ones decrying tech companies for collecting and using their information. When reports surfaced that the political data firm Cambridge Analytica had used Facebook users’ information while working for the Trump campaign, it created a scandal so immense it spurred a federal investigation into Facebook. The controversy eventually forced Cambridge Analytica to close its doors.
impossible for governments to run alongside new technology’s progress. By trying to force regulations on an industry that’s ever-changing, we’re making it harder for new, smaller tech companies to grow, depriving ourselves of innovation that will make our lives better. Whether it’s the shows Netflix recommends or Spotify playlists perfectly cultivated to our tastes, data collection gives us products we like. The onus of digital privacy shouldn’t fall solely on tech companies. Users are in charge of their own online presence just as they are in charge of their physical presence. Education, not regulation, must play the largest role in helping users shield their data. For example, in October last year New York City launched its first library privacy week, a series of public workshops to help people learn digital privacy best practice. Before blindly hitting ‘accept’, skeptical users should consider the role they have to play in protecting their own information. People can’t complain if a lack of privacy is a risk they choose to take. SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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talking point
call-out culture
The dangers of
call-out culture Highlighting someone else’s faults or bigotry online may make you feel good for a while – but is it time to call time on the courtroom of clicks? By CHRISTINE VAN DEEMTER
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What is call-out culture?
Every few weeks, the internet churns out yet another scandal, bad experience or off-colour opinion, with thousands of anonymous commenters jumping in, pitchforks at the ready. Remember Justine Sacco and her racist tweet that led to #HasJustineLandedYet trending in 2013? When she posted that tweet before getting on a plane to South Africa, she likely had no idea that she’d be out of a job upon landing at OR Tambo. Then there’s the defining call-out movement of 2017: #MeToo, which led to the jailing of Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein. This is callout culture – and sometimes it works lightning fast.
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Standing up for what’s right… what could possibly go wrong? Whenever a corporation or person says or does something foolhardy or outright offensive, oppressive, insensitive or tone-deaf, people are quick to hashtag the experience, eager to share their indignation with the masses. This is the era of social media, after all – gone are the days of letting it slide, writing a letter of complaint to the offender, or – heaven forbid – confronting them face-to-face about it. Thanks to social media, we can #callout people or companies to the whole world, with just a tap. But is this online vigilantism always a force for good?
A powerful tool for justice Versions of call-out culture have existed for generations – albeit in more traditional mediums, like boycotts and rousing speeches. It’s propelled major social justice reforms, from the civil rights movement in the US to the anti-apartheid struggle. It’s one of the few weapons of the marginalised, helping call attention to issues too long swept under the rug. The #MeToo movement is an example of this. When sexual assault survivor Tarana Burke first used the hashtag on Myspace in 2006, she had no idea that a decade later, it would become viral shorthand for a global empowerment movement. As the allegations
How to call in of sexual misconduct against Weinstein broke in 2017, the hashtag came to the fore again, helping women create solidarity – while also showcasing the sheer magnitude of the problem of sexual harassment and assault. “So many people who deal with sexual harassment don’t have the means to file lawsuits or to get legal representation or legal advice,” Burke has said, highlighting the importance of a safe online space where people can share their experiences and get the support they need.
Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
Tragic consequences when it goes wrong Call-out culture can have a disturbingly dark side, too. The Netflix docuseries Don’t F*** With Cats explores the online hunt for a killer by thousands of people on a Facebook group – but when attention shifted to the wrong suspect, and a Namibian man who already struggled with depression was falsely accused online, he was so harassed and humiliated that he took his own life. There has been no justice for his death; none of his online accusers have been held to account. While it’s an extreme example, ruthlessly calling people out online can have severe consequences. If you post something others consider offensive, you could find yourself without a job, shunned by your community, your kids bullied at school. It’s difficult to defend yourself or engage in a meaningful, balanced dialogue online. Calling someone out, particularly over social media, seems to be quite the opposite of innocent until proven guilty.
Calling out isn’t above the law Make sure you’re acquainted with your workplace’s internet
policy so that you don’t overstep the line, and keep in mind that hate speech – discriminatory statements based on someone’s disability, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion – are punishable under South African law. And under the proposed Cybercrime Bill, cyber messages – from WhatsApps to emails, SMSs or Facebook – that advocate violence or damage to property will be criminalised. Remember that if you publicly shame someone, they could pursue defamation charges against you. You need to have evidence for your accusation and be willing to defend it.
If you want to address problematic behaviour or comments without publicly embarrassing the person, try these phrases: • What was your intention when you said that? • How might someone else see this differently? • What sort of impact do you think your words/ actions could have? • Why do you believe that to be true? • Why do you think that is the case?
sit back and feel pretty good about myself, because, ‘Man, you see how woke I was. I called you out.’ That’s not activism.” Over-punishing can also paradoxically turn into victimising. “What can often start out as well-intentioned and necessary criticism far too quickly devolves into brutish displays of virtual tar-and-
Over-punishing can also paradoxically turn into victimising. But there’s another way… Call-outs can be polarising. The constant fear of being called out online can lead to discussion and healthy debate being stifled. It can also devolve into lazy ‘clicktivism’; a way to showcase your social-justice credentials without doing any actual work. Former US president Barack Obama commented at 2019’s Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago: “If I tweet or hashtag about how you didn’t do something right, or used the wrong word or verb, then I can
feathering,” says media critic Ruby Hamad. Without a personal connection it’s hard to process apology and acceptance. Calling out also has material effects: it can ruin lives, sink companies (which impacts other innocent bystanders), and start court cases. This isn’t always a bad thing, but it’s not always the fairest or most constructive thing, either. Imagine if a thoughtless comment from your past was hashtagged across social media, then picked up by thousands of strangers? You’d be… screwed.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t have said that, but it is to ask: is public humiliation, without the benefit of the doubt or context, the most constructive way to give each other feedback?
Calling in, instead of calling out How can we balance the social good of calling out bad behaviour and the toxic results of overzealousness? The answer may lie in what activists have dubbed ‘calling in’. This takes away the public chastising of calling out and makes the interaction more personal. It’s when you talk to someone privately about their actions – and it can be a more effective way of changing behaviour. Instead of shouting into the cyber void, you address problematic conduct in a way that educates and hopefully heals. By asking compassionate questions and leading the person towards seeing things from a different perspective, you can reach mutual understanding. Of course, you may not want to confront an attacker or abuser – that’s okay. And this doesn’t mean that calling out isn’t the best course of action in some cases. It’s just to ask the question: will calling out achieve the best outcome, long term – or should you consider calling in, instead? If you’re calling in a company, you may be surprised with a refund or credit while offering feedback in a way that allows them to focus on changing rather than putting out a PR fire. Think reflection, not reaction.
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Would you rather have a robot for a doctor? What happens when you pit artificial intelligence (AI) against a doctor to detect cancer? Google Health and Imperial College London researchers found out when they designed and trained a computer model on X-ray mammogram images from 29 000 women. The AI won against one doctor; but when there were two doctors in the room? The doctors levelled up. The 2020 study suggested that AI could improve cancer detection, but critics have cautioned that analysis and diagnosis of early-stage lesions could do more harm than good because of the risk of overdiagnosis. Dermatologist and Dell Medical School academic Adewole Adamson explains: “There’s this idea in society that finding more cancers is always better, but it’s not always true. The goal is finding more cancers that are actually going to kill people.”
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wellness 14
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Would you dopaminefast?
Are we in the antibiotic end times?
It’s official: you can’t have it all
The sinister truth behind DIY DNA tests
The hidden power of your gut
WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO TO THE GYM AGAIN
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wellness
bites
3
Reasons Finland is still the happiest country in the world The 2020 World Happiness Report was published in March; for the third year running, the Finns came out top. So what’s the secret ingredient to Finland’s joire de vivre?
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YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
Happiness isn’t to do with how often or big you smile. Instead, as one of the report’s editors John F Helliwell notes, it’s to do with “the confidence that one lives in a place where people take care of one another”. The Finns have this in heaps, the report shows.
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THE POWER OF CONNECTION
A study in Psychological Science suggests that social relationships are “greatly important for human wellbeing”, and one of the longest studies of adult life, conducted by Harvard researchers, claims that good relationships, even
if not always smooth, offered the dependability a person would need when the going gets tough.
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LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS
There’ve been few times when this factor was more necessary than during the COVID-19 pandemic: the primal response is to cover one’s own back, but how much better can we weather a storm if we keep our connections strong and look out for each other? The Finns did just this, with groups volunteering to do grocery runs for others, and campaigning for those whose livelihoods were put at risk by the virus.
A greater consciousness around carbon emissions has seen electric cars, buses and trucks hitting production lines. But can the same be done for passenger aircraft? In theory, electric propulsion would lower the operating costs – fuel, repairs, maintenance – currently associated with jet engines. But there’s a problem: electric propulsion can power an experimental aircraft, but even with large banks of batteries, only for short periods, shares Hugh Bowen, an engineer with a background in energy research. Spencer Gore, CEO of Impossible Aerospace, explains: “A lithium ion
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Energy content 1/40th
Distance 1/20th
battery cell has 1/40th of the energy content of the equivalent weight of jet fuel. If you were to take an existing airplane, remove all the fuel, engines and fuel systems, and replace them with batteries and electric motors, you’d only fly 1/20th as far.” “Specialist aircraft such as military drones and other experimental aircraft have flown with solar panels supplying the power needed, with batteries filling in when the sun goes down. But, with little or no payload capability, they aren’t of interest to commercial enterprises,” says Bowen.
Text: Dominique Bowen; Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
Are electric planes here?
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wellness
dopamine fasting
Do you need a
dopamine fast? We’ve heard about intermittent fasting, but can abstaining from dopamine, the reward pathway of the brain that’s connected to behaviour and memory, help you control your impulses, reclaim time, increase your attention span and reset your mind-body connection? By ANELDE GREEFF
What’s the deal with dopamine? Dopamine is one of the body’s feel-good neurotransmitters involved in motivation and learning – the evolutionary reward mechanism that signals that something’s worth doing again, like eating. Passed between the intricate network of neurons, the chemical is so intrinsically linked to processing information and proper brain function that it is, in fact, impossible to restrict or lower dopamine. While it does rise in response to rewards, it doesn’t actually decrease when you avoid overstimulating activities, which is why the term ‘dopamine fasting’ has been controversially misinterpreted, and the idea has been dubbed a wellness fad. But before you dismiss it, let’s look at dopamine’s role in
On average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones. The top 20% of smartphone users had a daily screen time in excess of 4.5 hours. That’s 68.5 days in a year! Source: RescueTime, 2018 a daily activity that’s as automatic as eating. It’s an omnipresent, antisocial time-suck that draws in young and old alike. Any guesses? It’s our smartphones.
Is your phone fuelling your addiction? Science journalist, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone and the founder of ScreenLifeBalance.com Catherine Price explains that our dopamine systems can be hijacked to establish habits that are not so good for us, or to create products that hook us. Our phones are booby-trapped with dopamine triggers in the form of apps that borrow their techniques from wildly addictive slot machines
KIDS + SCREENS:
– bright colours, rewards and unpredictability. Even the thought of picking up your phone can trigger a release of dopamine. We rely on our phones more than ever before. In a review of its 11 000 users in 2018, the RescueTime app revealed that, on average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones. The top 20% of smartphone users had a daily screen time in excess of 4.5 hours. That’s 68.5 days in a year! Even if we want to take a break, studies show that we feel anxious when separated from our phones. So if we know we’re wired to feel rewarded when we use our phones and we also know we can’t actually lower dopamine, how do we break the addiction? Dr Cameron Sepah, CEO of the scientific program Maximus and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at
UCSF Medical School, has drawn on CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), a practical approach to changing patterns of thinking or behaviour, to develop Dopamine Fasting 2.0.
What is dopamine fasting? If we understand the classical conditioning theory (Pavlov’s dog) and dopamine’s role in a conditioned response, we’re better able to manage addictive behaviours, whether it be excessive internet use or gambling. “When it comes to internet addiction, the scientific consensus is that, because it’s hard to abstain from the internet altogether, ‘clinicians have generally agreed
Dopamine fasting for little brains
5 Tips for managing your kids’ screen time. SCHEDULE SCREEN TIME and make it a predictable part of the day. It helps if something pleasurable follows on from it, like a walk to the park or a treat (as opposed to teeth brushing and bed) that’s contingent on concluding the session without a fuss. SET A TIMER, especially for games where 2 there isn’t a natural conclusion, and add a five- or 10-minute warning buzzer before the time’s up – have them choose the pre-alarm time so that they feel part of the process. TURN OFF THE AUTOPLAY on YouTube 3 and Netflix. BE CONSISTENT. The wilder the tantrums, 4 the firmer you need to be. Screen time should be seen as a privilege. MODEL HEALTHY TECH USE, choose 5 tech-free zones in your home (like the dining room and the kids’ bedrooms) and create times when you all unplug as a family.
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that moderated and controlled use of the internet is most appropriate to treat the problem’,” says Dr Sepah. Dopamine fasting uses a moderated protocol based on time restrictions. Dr Sepah took two specific components from CBT that can be helpful: Stimulus control – putting your phone out of reach or making it hard to access, engaging in incompatible activities like going outside without it, or using social accountability or software that literally blocks access to it. Exposure and response prevention – watching the impulse arise without responding to it. “We ‘surf the urge’, letting the desire naturally rise and fall over time like waves in the ocean, and non-judgementally refocus on the task at hand,” he advises. “Practising this is a way of retraining ourselves not to respond so impulsively to urges, which weakens the conditioned cycle of addiction through a process called habituation.”
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wellness
dopamine fasting
How to dopamine-fast in your daily life
Motivated to set a better example for her children, lawyer and mother of two Calli Solik gave up Instagram – her social media ‘Achilles heel’ – for a year. “I spent all of my free time just endlessly scrolling through Instagram, learning banal details about complete strangers’ lives,” she explains. “We tried to avoid screen time for our kids, and I found it hypocritical to constantly be on my phone. I also wanted to be more present as a parent. “There was a viral video doing the rounds about how screen-distracted parents are and it really spoke to me.” Opting to go cold turkey, she deleted the app and made an effort to be more productive with her downtime, when she’d usually start mindlessly ‘Insta-scrolling’, an easy trap for tired, wired parents.
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REPLACE BAD HABITS WITH BETTER ONES
Dr Sepah recommends replacing the ‘negative’ activity with one that reflects your values – exercise, cooking, serving others, getting outdoors, learning or creating; activities associated with wellness that can boost concentration, foster
meaningful connection and promote mind-body awareness. Calli set aside some tasks for herself – she started crocheting more; looked up new recipes; and researched activities for the kids. When she returned to Instagram after her sabbatical, Calli unfollowed the accounts of everyone she didn’t know personally to limit how overwhelmed she could be by
information. “I don’t go on until the kids are sleeping or playing with their dad so I’m not distracted when I’m interacting with them. I still crochet a lot and research recipes and activities, so it’s narrowed down the time I spend on Instagram,” she adds.
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“Everyone benefits from structure to manage their behaviour,” says Dr Sepah. “Dopamine fasting 2.0 recommends scheduling ‘fasting’ periods, such as 1-4 hours at the end of every day, 1 day/week, 1 weekend/quarter and 1 week/period, where we withdraw from behaviours that are specifically problematic, and
The point of dopamine fasting 2.0 is not monasticism or masochism. The goal is to train yourself to regain control and flexibility over your behaviour.
CREATE HEALTHY HABITS & SAVE!
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CREATE STRUCTURE: FASTING AND FEASTING PERIODS
only engage in them during scheduled ‘feasting’ periods.” A feasting period could be 5-15 minutes after meals. “Choose whatever time periods make sense for you, but that schedule has worked in my experience.” Dr Sepah cites the Chinese government’s compulsory online gaming curfew for minors. “They use fasting and feasting schedules: having video-game-makers program a feature that disallows use from 10pm-8am (fasting), and only allows use for 1.5 hours/day during weekdays and 3 hours/day during weekends (feasting).” He encourages parents to figure out what limits make sense for their families. “The point of dopamine fasting 2.0 is not monasticism or masochism. The goal is to train yourself to regain control and flexibility over your behaviour.”
Photography: Shutterstock
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IDENTIFY YOUR AREAS OF WEAKNESS
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wellness
report
Have we entered the antibiotic end times? During the latter part of the Second World War and in the following decades, antibiotics have saved hundreds of millions of people from dying of common infections. It was a revolution in healthcare, but now antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency. By ELSABÉ BRITS
A
ntimicrobial resistance causes an estimated 700 000 deaths annually worldwide, and every country is affected. If not properly addressed, the number could grow to 10 million per year by 2050. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in America each year, and more than 35 000 people die as a result. The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited focus on global healthcare issues, so why aren’t we talking more vigorously about antibiotic resistance?
process of natural selection. The bacteria adapt on a genetic level, through natural selection, to survive and build a defence mechanism against the antibiotic.” Everyone is therefore at risk. No one can escape antibiotic-resistant bacteria once it infects them.
How does antibiotic resistance happen?
Bacteria develop resistance in the same way, whether antibiotics are used by humans, or in farming, or for veterinary use: through overuse and misuse. Dr Blaauw says that when you don’t take the full Why should I be concerned? course of antibiotics, or when you do take antibiotics Dr Duane Blaauw, a senior researcher at that you do not need – for instance when you have The Centre for Health Policy in the School a cold or flu – “you select the bacteria to get resistant”. of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand, Research published by Dr Blaauw and a colleague explains what is happening. “There are two dimensions we are worried about: the common infections like various last year shows that doctors are also to blame. The sexually transmitted diseases, study, which investigated urinary tract infections, unnecessary antibiotic pneumonia and some prescription in primary 78% Of patients sent to diarrhoeal diseases. Some of healthcare in South Africa, a public clinic and 67% of these bacteria are becoming found that 78% of patients very resistant to antibiotics patients sent to a private GP sent to a public clinic and 67% and are affecting many of patients sent to a private received antibiotics when people. The others are the general practitioner received superbugs, which are mostly antibiotics, even though they didn’t need them. acquired in hospitals. They antibiotics were not clinically Source: CHP (South Africa), 2019 are extremely drug resistant.” indicated for these patients. He explains that it is Prof Olga Perovic, principal the bacteria that become pathologist at the Centre resistant to the drug, and not the other way around. for Healthcare-associated Infections, Antimicrobial Patients sometimes mistakenly believe it can’t affect Resistance and Mycoses (CHARM) at the University them, because they think ‘they themselves have not of the Witwatersrand, says antimicrobial resistance is become resistant’. a growing public health threat, indicating the beginning “Anyone can get drug-resistant bacteria, and they can of a post-antimicrobial era. “The misuse of antibiotics get it randomly at any time. People are confused about derives from selling them over the counter, self-medication, what resistance means. It is part of the evolutionary and lack of diagnostics to confirm bacterial infections, as
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most upper respiratory tract infections have a viral origin where antibiotics have no effect. Furthermore, the use of antibiotics in the veterinary sectors and food production is of concern.”
What is being done about it? Dr Blaauw says the current research is focused on finding a “very good rapid test to tell the difference between a viral and bacterial infection. It would be one of the most promising inventions at the point of care”. The solution is not to find new antibiotics. “We’ve basically exhausted the ways to attack the bacteria, and it is difficult to find new strategies. We can’t be optimistic that we will find a new class of antibiotics that will change everything, because there is a limited repertoire, and we have looked at everything. The bacteria are not passive; they change the whole time. As soon as we find something new, they fight back.” Prof Perovic says: “To be able to make any impact and to slow the resistance development process, the public needs to know and be aware. A prerequisite for the realisation of many actions is education and awareness programmes among consumers, farmers, policymakers and food industry. There is insufficient, easily applicable information for consumers.” One of the latest new developments was done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and published in Nature earlier this year. They used an artificial intelligence algorithm to identify new antibiotic candidates by first training it with a collection of molecules with known antibacterial activity. Having learnt what molecular features to look for, it next scanned through the structures of known molecules currently being Don’t use other people’s antibiotics. Vaccinations are the best investigated for human disease way to protect yourself against infections. treatment. Several candidates Don’t insist on antibiotics when you were identified in this way, Antibiotics are generally not don’t need them; we all need to save and one – a drug actually being recommended for sinus infections, them for when we really do need them. investigated for the treatment a sore throat (except for a strep throat, of diabetes – was found to have Always complete the full course as also called streptococcal pharyngitis), been active against a range prescribed, even if you feel better. allergies, and some skin infections. of pathogenic bacteria. Antibiotics do not help for colds, Practise safe sex: chlamydia, The question is not if, flu or bronchitis. They’re mostly gonorrhoea and syphilis have but when resistance rises given for lower respiratory infections, become increasingly resistant to to such levels that an antibiotic not upper respiratory infections. antibiotic treatment. becomes unusable. In the meantime, researchers continue In doubt about a prescription you’ve received, how to properly complete a course to investigate alternatives of medication or whether you’ve been appropriately diagnosed? Always seek – and we must all do our part expert medical advice, and feel free to request a second opinion elsewhere if you wish. in using the antibiotics we are prescribed responsibly.
Photography: Shutterstock
Simple ways you can help reduce antibiotic resistance
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wellness
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striking balance
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No, you can’t have it all And nor should you, for your own happiness. Owning less is essential for the planet and our wellbeing – but wanting less is the real sweet spot. By CHRISTINE VAN DEEMTER
ure, Jeff Bezos has more dollars than there are visible stars in the sky. But he was also blackmailed by a tabloid that wanted to publish private photos of him. And while Steve Jobs revolutionised the digital age, he had a less-than-perfect relationship with his eldest daughter, even denying paternity for a few years. Ditto John Lennon, who treated his first family so badly, Paul McCartney wrote a song for his son Julian, imploring the heartbroken five-year-old to “take a sad song and make it better.” Is the point that genius inevitably comes with a side serving of unsavouriness? No – it’s that no one can have it all. Even the smartest, richest and most talented people trip over at least one hurdle of life, yet why do we keep chasing the myth of ‘having it all’?
More choices than ever before The answer probably lies in modern life itself, with its myriad opportunities – or trappings. We have such a wealth of choice before us today, from what career to follow to what to have for dinner. A couple of generations ago, people couldn’t even dream of going to Bora Bora or having an exotic dish for dinner; there just simply weren’t that many options. If your dad was a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, chances were you would be, too. And if you were a woman or other minority, your pool of life choices was even shallower. Modern freedoms and technological advancements opened up the world, selling the promise of having everything you want in life. Fulfilling career? Of course! Loving, supportive spouse? You betcha. Roaring social life, banging body, money in the bank? Tick, tick, tick.
When you have it all... except happiness Except… why is your jaw permanently clenched, your face pallid from constantly staring at a screen, and your body so tired the whole time? Why do you always have the fear of missing out (FOMO)? “To be persistent and not let the ball drop on any level creates a constant stress,” says Jo’burg-based life coach Dr Marlet Tromp. “Because this stress does not have a moment SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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striking balance
5 Ways to deal with
FOMO
The ‘fear of missing out’ – or even Zomo, in the COVID-19 pandemic parlance of missing out on friends’ Zoom gatherings – can be a debilitating symptom of always wanting it all. Here’s how to conquer it.
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Slow down. Don’t sprint through everything. Take your time when eating, talking and being with your loved ones. Savour the moment instead of rushing to the next one.
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Say no. Not everything is important. Focus on the areas of your life that bring the most meaning and reward. If it helps, list the three things most important to you; let the rest go, removing them from your schedules, inbox or to-do list.
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Practise mindfulness. You don’t have to turn the garage into a chanting studio, but a daily gratitude check-in with yourself will help you appreciate what you have. Social media is the worst for mindfulness: limit your social media time per day, and silence your phone from 7pm-7am.
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Focus on fulfilment over pleasure. Yes, the rush that comes with acquiring a new shiny toy is fun, but doesn’t last. Shift your perspective to experience feelings of accomplishment, connection, fun and self-respect instead of only pleasure.
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Give your mind a break from multitasking. The pressure to do it all – and do it all at the same time – stresses out the brain, since it can only effectively and satisfactorily focus on one thing at a time. Turn your notifications off; when you’re doing something, focus just on that and do nothing else. Put down your phone.
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of relief, you run the risk of burnout and becoming depleted.”
Pick your focus, let go of the rest Does this mean you have to practise better time management? Sleep less so you can do more? Not necessarily. As the world comes to grips with the devastating environmental impact of consumerism – something the COVID-19 pandemic has lifted a lid on as the world reconfigures itself following a global shutdown – there’s never been a better time to break out of the chains of having it all. Instead of telling yourself that you have to achieve everything, start focusing on what you find the most valuable – and scale back the rest. Do you value family time? Work fewer hours, not more, ostensibly so you can afford that family vacation. You have to be brutally honest with yourself about what exactly it is you want, and what you are giving up for it in return. Are you holding on to a certain lifestyle at the expense of being with your loved ones? Why?
Be okay with okay instead of excellent all of the time Cape Town mother of two Linda* knows the stresses of trying to always be ‘head girl at work’. “I stopped taking care of my health because I was ‘too busy’ at work,” she says. “The weight crept on; I was tired and moody the whole time. I remembered how active I was at school and how much I loved sport. I missed that sense of accomplishment and joy. So I stopped being the first to come in and the last to go home and started leaving on time to go swimming. Two years on I’m happier, healthier and more productive than ever – all because I made the mental shift to prioritise my health over being a model employee.”
Choose quality over quantity “To the world, a person who ‘has it all’ seems to have picture-perfect relationships,” says Dr Tromp. “The sad truth is that relationships go through tremendous stress to keep up appearances, not necessarily spending quality time
Photography: Shutterstock, Freepik
wellness
How to refocus your priorities and want less
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In order to figure out how to spend your resources, you need to know what’s important to you.
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ASSIGN VALUE to each dimension. This will change over the course of your life – if you’re just starting in your career, it may be more important than, say, seeing your friends every day. Use this to guide your decisions in life.
IDENTIFY all the dimensions of your life: family, friendships, physical and emotional wellbeing, material comfort and career.
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ASK YOURSELF “Who do I want to be in each part? How important is this part in relation to the others?”
STAGGER your goals. Remember that while you may be able to have everything you want in life, you probably can’t have it all at once.
MAKE TIME FOR WHAT MATTERS Use your Personal Assistant benefit to help you get things done quickly, so you have more time to spend on the things you value. Use your benefit in the free Sanlam Reality App or visit sanlamreality. co.za/benefit/ personal-assistant. Download the Sanlam Reality App
There’s no rule book that says you need to be all things at all time to all people. You only have to live with yourself. together. Often people drift apart but stay together for the wrong reasons. Social relations become complicated as the person who ‘has it all’ often does not have certainty as to which friendships are authentic. The ones that are authentic sometimes do not get the time that should be invested into these relationships.”
You’re going to drop a ball – choose which one it is Harvard University professor Howard Stevenson likens this delicate balance to walking on a balance beam while trying to juggle an egg, a crystal glass and a knife. Something is going to fall. We are all bombarded with choice and responsibility, Instagram posts about what our peers are doing, reminders that we could be the perfect parents, employees and partners if we would just try a little harder, give a little more. Isn’t it time to walk the balance beam of life on your terms? Instead of inadvertently
dropping the most precious item, choose to put one down consciously. The trick is to not feel guilty about your choices – and why would you, since you’re focusing on what is important to you? There’s no rule book that says you need to be all things at all times to all people. You only have to live with yourself. *Names have been changed
What are investment and opportunity costs?
Leisure hours 12 10 8
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Work hours
Almost every decision you make comes down to cost. Investment costs are what you put in (time, effort) and opportunity costs are what you lose by choosing that option. If you’re spending 10 extra hours a week at work – the investment cost – you are losing that time to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your kids – the opportunity cost. With every decision, make sure the benefits align with your values and priorities.
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wellness
home DNA testing
The sinister truth behind home DNA kits A DNA test may seem like harmless fun – but what happens when it reveals more than you bargained for? By CHRISTINE VAN DEEMTER
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W
hen something only ever used by doctors and detectives becomes easily available, it’s tempting to dip your toe in their gene pool. Maybe it unearths a fascinating link, like that you’re related to Einstein; or it reveals your heritage, tracing your family over oceans to post-colonial beginnings.
How do home DNA kits work? A home DNA test couldn’t be simpler – all it takes is an online order and a courier for you to unlock your genetic destiny – just swab your cheek, fill in a short questionnaire and send it off. After a lab test (most companies use independent laboratories), your genetic information will be available to peruse online. The question is, are you ready for the results? And who holds your DNA information now? What might seem like innocent fun could have surprising results.
What could possibly go wrong? Horror stories abound about at-home DNA kits revealing long-hidden family secrets and even one-in-a-million genetic abnormalities. Countless people have learnt that their parents are not, in fact, biologically related to them, or that they have siblings they never knew about. One at-home tester told Reader’s Digest how his genes revealed that he had a higher percentage Neanderthal DNA than the general populace – and how his wife was not as surprised as he would’ve liked her to be… In South Africa, it’s mandatory to offer counselling if you go for an HIV test – because the results can be traumatic and life-changing – yet when it comes to DNA-test results, there’s no counselling or expert to break the news, explain the results, and offer you next steps...
How is your DNA tested?
Your DNA is extracted from the saliva on your cheek swab and searched for various genetic variants. The building blocks of DNA are called nucleotides and come in four varieties (adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) paired together in various combinations – six billion of them. Your genetic information – called your genome – is digitised as a string of letters (A, T, C and G), which is run through an algorithm to pick up patterns.
Not as accurate as you may think DNA testing promises to reveal your ancestry and your chances of developing serious illness. One Cape Town dad decided to do the test because his 20-year-old son was curious. “My son loves to travel and he wanted to see where in the world he might have connections,” Dave* says. “My dad thoroughly researched our family tree in South Africa, but we didn’t have any information about our ancestors prior to arriving in the country. It also didn’t include my mother’s side, so my son wanted more detail. We decided to do the test together.” Dave confirms that doing the test is quick and easy, with the biggest hurdle being the actual mailing of it, since it’s not regarded as regular postage and incurs extra duties and longer queues. After four weeks, they received their results online. “It wasn’t particularly surprising – on my side, I had a small percentage of Jewish ancestry, which was news, while my son showed a tiny percentage of Indian ancestry. Neither of us had any genetic African connections.” While it made for “fun braai conversations”, Dave isn’t convinced about the test’s accuracy. “My wife’s father was Italian, yet no Italian showed up in my son’s test – this could be because there’s no real consistency in how they refer to the results; sometimes they mention geographical areas (for example, ‘the Balkans’), other times ethnicity. Our lack of African genetics might also be due to a lack of data from the continent.”
Who owns your DNA data? While this is not a test you can fail – hello, Matric maths – it does come with a plethora of anxieties and possible legal loopholes. “Your DNA would be considered personal information and controlled as such,” says Neil Kirby, director at Werksmans Attorneys and head of its healthcare & life sciences SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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wellness
home DNA testing
GlaxoSmithKline invested $300 million in 23andMe, insisting on access to 23andMe’s data. While 23andMe promises this data is anonymised, they also have this clause in their privacy policy: ‘There’s a chance that someone with access to data or results could expose personal information...’
practice. “Largely, however, what may or may not be done with the DNA test results will depend on the consent that a person provides when the swabs are submitted. The terms and conditions of the use of the kit will therefore have to be understood at the time that the test swabs are submitted for testing, as well as what the provider of the kit is going to do with your information for purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). “Without the effective provisions of the Act, presumably, the person requesting the test will own the results, but the person providing the analysis will also be in possession of that information and may be using that information to establish a database – and a valuable one at that.” The value of your genetic information is something worth considering: the company who does your DNA test could have third-party agreements to sell or share CHECK YOUR your DNA results. HEALTH THE This begs all sorts of ethical questions SMART WAY that may hit us in the near future: for Take a Basic Medical example, whether insurers should be Test annually at able to access this data; or what about Dis-Chem or Clicks dating apps and sites, so you could screen to check in on your potential partners for genetic illnesses overall health, and or predispositions before going on a first you’ll earn up to date? It may sound crazy… but crazier things have happened. In 2018 GlaxoSmithKline invested tier points. $300 million in 23andMe, one of the world’s most popular at-home DNA You can also do testing companies. They insisted our online Wellness on access to 23andMe’s data as part Check and earn a of the sale. While 23andMe promises further 3 000 tier that this data is anonymised, they also points. Learn more at have this chilling clause in their privacy sanlamreality.co.za/ policy: “There’s a small chance that earn-points. someone with access to the research data or results could expose personal information about you.”
10 000
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Should you declare DNA results to your insurer?
Yes, says Karen Bongers, product development actuary at Sanlam Individual Life. Genetic testing can have various outcomes, from negative to confirming a diagnosis or identifying an increased risk of developing a disease. “The health questions clients answer when applying for risk cover include a question about whether they’ve had genetic testing done,” she shares. “We consider this information during underwriting; it can affect our decision. Non-disclosure could result in a claim being declined.”
Cracking cold cases… using your DNA In America in 2018, police cracked a cold case (the Golden State Killer case) that had been unsolved for decades. How did they do it? They uploaded DNA of the killer found at the crime scene to GEDmatch, a publicly accessible
Worried about hereditary diseases?
Doing an at-home DNA test could lead to anxiety about your own life. You’re confronted with all the ways in which your ancestors met their demise – heart failure, cancer – and you could also face a prediction that you might develop a condition like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. While this may help you take preventative action, if you think you could be at risk, reach out to a therapist or your doctor to guide you through your results and devise the best plan forward. And remember, just because you may show genetic variants, it doesn’t mean you will develop a certain condition. Lifestyle plays an important role in health.
Photography: Shutterstock
A killer had been brought to justice, but DNA records not intended for use by the police had been harnessed. What precedent has this set?
DNA database. They didn’t identify the killer, but they did identify a relative… and through the relative, they tracked down and arrested 72-year-old Joseph DeAngelo. Speaking to The New York Times in 2018, University of Washington ethicist Malia Fullerton admitted: “This is really tough. He was a horrible man and it is good that he was identified, but does the end justify the means? A killer had been brought to justice, but DNA records not intended for use by the police had been harnessed; no warrant, no attorney, no knowledge that the police were even combing through your DNA on GEDmatch – what precedent has this set?”
Before you swab – think If you’re considering doing an at-home DNA test, keep in mind that results can vary depending on how the company tests the DNA and that the more precise results they promise (for instance, which foods you should eat and what kind of exercise you should do), the more likely it is to be based on pseudoscience and very small sample groups. For South Africans, the results may also not include ample enough data from Africa – so perhaps it is only fun braai conversation fodder, after all. *Name has been changed SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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wellness
the power of your gut
Go with your gut
Your gut affects everything from your mood and happiness to your immune system and even your personality. By RICHARD BROWN Impacting your health & happiness Lined with millions of nerve cells collectively called the enteric nervous system, your gut acts as your body’s second brain, with the ability to function independently from your central nervous system. Dr Jay Pasricha, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, explains: “The main role of our ‘second brain’ is controlling digestion, from swallowing, to the release of enzymes that break down food, to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption, to elimination. The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain – with profound results.” It’s estimated that 90% of the body’s serotonin, often referred to as the ‘feel-good hormone’, is made in the gut with the help of trillions of microorganisms called gut bacteria or gut microbiota.
Crucial to your immune system Hannelise Rademen, a registered dietician and expert in gut health, says that our microbiota or gut bacteria is fundamental to our
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What is your gut and why is it important? The gastrointestinal (GI) system, or gut, is made up of tens of trillions of microorganisms, each playing an integral role in the health of your body and the mind. The gut is one long organ consisting of your mouth, oesophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines. It’s responsible for the absorption of vitamins, minerals and energy through food, and expelling the remaining waste. Seems pretty simple right? Wrong. Recent studies have shown that the GI is much more complex than just taking in food, digesting and ejecting the unnecessary. It’s been linked to a multitude of health issues, including immunity, chronic illnesses, stress and even mental health. If the gut isn’t operating at optimal level it won’t absorb the necessary nutrients from the food we eat, which will then have a negative impact on our physical health, with symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. An imbalance will also have a negative impact on our emotional wellbeing, which could lead to mental health issues.
overall health. Not only does it assist with digestion, it also helps with the production of vitamins B and K, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal mucosa, and plays a role in the immune system by creating a barrier effect, continuously protecting the body against pathogens.
A diverse gut microbiota, or lack thereof, can also be linked to behaviour and personality.
As unique as your fingerprint... and linked to your personality, too “Did you know that no two guts are the same? Two thirds of our microbiota are specific to each one of us,” says Rademen. “Your microbiota is as unique as your fingerprint.” Your gut microbiota has a surprising relation to hormones as well, explains Rademan, influencing nearly every hormone in your body and forming a key player in the body’s endocrine system. Not only does it produce hormones, but it plays a part in signalling glands on how much of each hormone should be produced and released. A diverse gut microbiota, or lack thereof, can also be linked to behaviour and personality, as researched by Dr Katerina Johnson of the University of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology. In her research she studies the intriguing link between gut health and autism; how having a large social circle may lead to more diverse gut microbiota; and the effects stress has on your gut. “We lead stressful lives with fewer social interactions and less time spent in nature, our diets are typically fibre-deficient, we inhabit over-sanitised environments and are dependent on antibiotic treatments,” Dr Johnson writes. “These factors can influence the gut microbiome and may be affecting our behaviour and psychological wellbeing.”
Photography: Shutterstock
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Holy crapsule!
Crapsules are a new delivery method of faecal microbiota transplants (FMT), usually done via colonoscopies or enemas. FMT is when you deliver healthy stool (a rich source of microbiota) from a donor to an ill patient. FMT is used to treat a bacterial infection called C. difficile when other treatments fail; however, studies are being done on the possible benefits of crapsules in the treatment of IBS, obesity, Crohn’s disease and fibromyalgia. Crapsules as a health supplement – yes, actually buying capsules filled with someone else’s healthy stool and taking them yourself as an enema – are not yet approved by the FDA (US Food & Drug Administration), and a lot of research is yet to be done to prove their success….
A diet rich in fibre from sources such as wholegrains, fruit and vegetables has proven to improve gut health. Fermented foods such as kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and pickled ginger also increase healthy microbiota.
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LIFESTYLE
Regular exercise has a host of health benefits, including for your gut.
Stress management and sufficient sleep also assist with managing the variety and quality of the microbiota in your gut, leading to a healthier, happier you.
3
PROBIOTICS
Before stocking up on probiotics, do your research. Probiotics have a positive impact on gut health, but aren’t all the same and don’t all have the same function.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders, and can be debilitating, with symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to bloating, constipation and diarrhoea. It can start at any time in your lifespan, and seems to affect women more than men. There’s no one specific cause or cure; however, managing lifestyle and stress, and adopting a gut-friendly diet of fibrous foods and feeding your gut microbiota with natural (and/or) supplemented probiotics can help. Speak to your doctor for personalised advice.
EARN TIER POINTS
The art of gut health DIET
How understanding your gut can help you manage IBS
Different probiotics do different things. So pay careful attention and consult your doctor. Refrigeration isn’t always necessary – only one out of the 10 most researched probiotics belong in the fridge. Although your aim should be to follow a nutrient-rich, healthy diet, taking the correct probiotic supplement can assist in keeping your gut microbiota healthy.
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Why financial anxiety is a pandemic in itself The importance of containing and easing fear is arguably as important as that of containing a disease or outbreak – at least for our financial health. Economist Robert J Shiller says that COVID-19 has brought about two pandemics. The first is the COVID-19 health pandemic; the second: a pandemic of anxiety over the economic consequences thereof. Never before in the history of human pandemics have stock markets been so volatile, says Shiller, because they’re driven by nervous investors hanging onto every word of health experts. How to contain this financial health pandemic? Avoid reacting to short-term predictions and fluctuations. “During sharp market drawdowns, it’s difficult to stay invested, or better yet, to use this as an opportunity to enter the equity market,” says Shawn Phillips, a research and investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam. “Yet the data – and history – suggest you will be rewarded if you do.” Markets recover – it just takes time. Speak to your financial planner to know how best to manage your finances during this time.
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40
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What to do when markets falter
What are Index funds?
Credit vs debit card
Fund fact sheets decoded
Sanlam Credit Solutions
your wealth benefits
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wealth
bites
Why does it take so long to develop a vaccine? Each stage of development takes time to roll out tests, gather results, and ensure safety and accuracy. According to Vaccines for Africa (VACFA) a vaccine development process averages 12-15 years.
Complete pre-clinical (non-human) testing and development.
Complete clinical (human) testing and development. This is generally with healthy volunteers.
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Develop a vaccine using a number of strategies, including:
Using an inactive strain of the virus, to create immunity without causing infection.
Using a weakened but active strain of the virus, not strong enough to cause infection – this is how measles and some flu vaccines work.
Using specific parts of the virus so that your body can recognise the vaccine and build immunity, without becoming infected.
Get a vaccine approved for widespread use.
Roll out clinical testing to larger population groups, ideally including test groups of people who are at risk – for example, healthcare workers.
Text: Thando Pato; Source: Henry Ford Health System; Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
Determine the genetic sequence of a virus.
Post-approval monitoring. As a vaccine is rolled out to millions, you can pick up side effects that were unknown from smaller test groups. Approved vaccines remain closely monitored for years after they’re rolled out.
Because of the long, resourceintensive process, approved vaccines can be extremely expensive – another prohibiting factor when trying to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 that could be available to all.
For a COVID-19 vaccine, trials are underway everywhere from Cape Town to Oxford, with the hope that one can be fasttracked for use by 2021.
PROTECT YOURSELF Reality Plus and Health members get up to 30% off Sanlam risk products. Learn more at sanlamreality.co.za/ benefit/sanlam-life-cover.
How COVID-19 has driven a more open-source economy JANUARY
• Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, China, shares first genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus. • Code-sharing site GitHub, working with Johns Hopkins University, shares COVID-19 dashboard to track cases globally.
MARCH
• Nextstrain – an open-source virological-analysis website – is receiving 50-200 sequences a day from labs around the world. • Crypto-currency miners redirect their computing power, previously used to mine currencies, to research institutions via website FoldingAtHome, helping researchers solve complex calculations that require enormous computing power. • Prusa Research, 3D printers in the Czech Republic, make their face shield designs for 3D printers open source, so anyone can print them.
APRIL ONWARDS
• Facebook groups like Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies coordinate volunteers to use their skills or supplies to do everything from using private 3D printers to make PPE to sharing manufacturing tips and suppliers. • Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA, develops the OpenLung ventilator. Anyone with approval to manufacture ventilators can access the open-source reference material.
• University College London (UCL), UCL Hospital and the Mercedes Formula One team create a ‘continuous positive airway pressure’ device approved for use during the pandemic. The design has been made available openly to manufacturers and researchers.
It remains to be seen whether a successful COVID-19 vaccine will become open source. SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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wealth
COVID-19
What to do when markets
CR CRASH SH
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global recession. While the economic climate is undoubtedly tough, there’s hope for investors and opportunity amid the downturn. By ROY COKAYNE
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I
About the author
Roy Cokayne has been a financial journalist for over 30 years, writing for the likes of MoneyWeb, Business Report and more.
nvestors, particularly pensioners, are faced with a major coronavirus-induced conundrum: what do they do with their investments following the crash in stock markets globally?
Where do we find ourselves? According to Shawn Phillips, a research & investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam, between 24 and 28 February 2020, stock markets worldwide reported their largest one-week declines since the 2008 financial crisis; by mid-April, the JSE was down by more than 28% since the start of the year. The JSE decline has been exacerbated by downgrades to South Africa’s national credit ratings to subinvestment grade by the respective rating agencies. Phillips says the rapid change in market sentiment was caused by two issues creating fear in the market, and reminded investors of the 2008 global financial crisis: COVID-19, and the fall in oil prices due to the price war between Saudi Arabia and OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). Phillips says investor concerns are around the potential impact of COVID-19 on global growth, and how other countries will contain the virus. “As a result, volatility has spiked, and we have seen a flight to safety.”
time,” he says, also crediting Mansoor Narker, a research and investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam, for his insights.
1
The 5 things you need to know
THE MARKET COMEBACK WILL HAPPEN – BE PATIENT Peter Urbani, Head of Portfolio Construction at Sanlam Investments Multi-Manager, says that throughout history, there have been many similar instances of dramatic volatility in stock markets. “Historically stock markets have risen by far more than they’ve fallen, and the actual time taken to recoup the losses was – on average – twice as fast as expected.” Data from the JSE Total Returns Index since 1925 shows that the average of the 10 worst drawdowns in history was a staggering -39.5%. The current drawdown for the period May 30 2019 How will SA fund its crisis? to March 31 2020 only ranks 13th in the 40 worst Conrad Koorts, a Certified Financial drawdowns since 1925. Planner® and investment specialist at Urbani highlights that the average return on the Firebird BlueStar Financial Advisory Services JSE in the 12 months following the bottom of these authorised by Sanlam, says the scale of the pandemic 40 worst drawdowns was +33.7%, effectively more is unprecedented in modern times, and the full impact than double the average annual return of +14.5%. of the virus must still filter through to markets. Historical data, says Urbani, also shows that South Africa has had to tap into outside funding the average expected time to recover from all 40 sources, such as the IMF (International Monetary Fund) drawdowns since 1925 was 24 months, while the actual time to recoup losses after a major We think that once the virus has been drawdown was only nine months contained, the focus will switch to economic – effectively more than twice as fast as expected. stimulus, which will fuel markets again. This applies to all significant – Conrad Koorts, CFP® and investment specialist stock market crashes, including the 2008 global financial crisis, 1987 ‘Black Monday’ market crash, 1998 Russian and the New Development Bank, to deal with the Debt Default and Asian financial crisis and the 1929 effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and look at Great Depression. the viability and continued funding of state-owned Urbani says that a +27.8% return is required entities (SOEs). “The upshot is that much-needed to recover from the current -21.72% drawdown economic reforms may have to be instituted sooner on the JSE and the expected time to recover is than later. between 17 and 23 months, although a more realistic “All these events suggest continuing dismal expected recovery time, based on the average actual economic growth, which could mean the performance rate ratio, is seven to 10 months. of the JSE will be somewhat uninspiring for some SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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wealth
COVID-19
LET’S SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE VISUALLY: The y-axis shows annualised returns, while the grey dot represents the 10 worst daily drawdowns (ranked from worst to best, left to right on the x-axis) with the corresponding bar charts showing the subsequent returns after those drawdowns occurred.
10 Worst days on the ALSI (JSE All Share Index) from 28 February 1997 to 28 February 2020 60.00%
Annualised return
50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% -10.00% -20.00%
-11.92%
-7.54%
-7.12%
-7.08% -6.99% -6.49% -6.48% -6.22%
-5.81%
-5.73%
10.00
9.00
8.00
7.00
2.00
1.00
1 year
6.00
3 year
5 year
5.00
4.00
10 worst days
3.00
Source: IRESS
As Phillips points out, if you consider the 10th worst daily return of –11.92%, the subsequent returns were: 1.63% (one-year); 16.86% (three-year) and 16.09% (fiveyear). When looking across the 10 worst days, it’s clear
As always, it is important to remain calm and to stick to your long-term investment plan. – Shawn Phillips, research & investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam
that the subsequent one-year, three-year and five-year returns have been compelling. The average subsequent returns after the 10 worst returns were: 25.17% (one-year); 16.61% (three-year) and 17.60% (five-year).
A timeline of key market crashes & recoveries
1929
1987
Great Depression/ Stock Market Crash Recovery time 21 months
‘Black Monday’ Market Crash Recovery time 19 months
TRYING TO TIME THE MARKET IS RARELY A GOOD IDEA Despite the good news that markets always recover, it’s very difficult to know when this will happen. Realistically, the impact and measures implemented to address the pandemic are unprecedented and will have a severe negative impact on economic activity and economic growth, which will ultimately feed into the financial performances of JSE-listed companies. In a media briefing on 14 April, finance minister Tito Mboweni said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the greatest challenges South Africa has ever faced. In June, he forecast that the South African economy will grow by 0.9% and inflation will average 4.5% in 2020. In this economic environment, what are the prospects for the JSE? Urbani admits there are a lot of “unknowns” to which nobody knows the answer. Azar Jammine, chief economist at Econometrix, believes the market is currently only being supported by the expectation the dip in activity is a temporary phenomenon that is “going to be a thing of the past by the third quarter”. Jammine highlights the many uncertainties related to COVID-19, including the rate of infection in South Africa, whether there will be another spike in infections, and the fact that there is no certainty about when the pandemic will end. “Those ‘ifs and buts’ are clearly not being discounted in the markets,” he said. Trying to time the market, disinvesting or moving to cash asset classes accordingly, is unlikely to pay off. If you can, stick to your long-term investment strategy – it’ll pay off. Phillips agrees: the data suggests that investors are rewarded for staying invested, and equity markets do, in fact, rebound.
1998 Russian Debt Default/ Asian Financial Crisis Recovery time 19 months
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2008 Global Financial Crisis Recovery Time 29 months
GET EXPERT ADVICE In volatile times, it’s important not to panic, but rather get advice from trusted financial experts. Book a meeting with one today, by visiting sanlamreality.co.za/ contact-an-adviser.
IT’S A GOOD TIME TO BUY, IF IT SUITS YOUR PROFILE Koorts says now is a great time for investors to assess and revise their BE WARY OF MOVING financial plans with the help of a financial planner, INTO CASH ASSET CLASSES and focus on the road ahead. For very cost-sensitive investors, He recommends a phased approach instead Koorts says Satrix (satrixnow.co.za) of investing more aggressively in equities. This, offers a variety of options. But he’s cautious about despite acknowledging the sell-off in equity markets converting investments to cash, stressing this may has been indiscriminate, resulting in the shares prevent further losses from being incurred, but of many quality companies now trading at substantial does not help if losses have already been inflicted. discounts and thereby creating a good buying A better option than a cash-only portfolio would opportunity for savvy investors. Equity returns be to look at risk-appropriate solutions that have have been substantial for investors who have a broad range of asset classes to target both growth taken advantage of such opportunities to buy and capital preservation. at market lows. Koorts maintains the If you have taken a bit of a knock in your portfolio and investment options you you are currently in the process of retiring, try and should consider in the current environment are dependent see through the retirement event and continue with on your risk profile, adding that the same type of strategy you had pre-retirement. each investor will have unique – Francis Marais, head of research at Glacier by Sanlam circumstances and different risk tolerances. Multi-asset type investments are always a good “After the recent interest rate cuts, cash offers choice where the investment manager can allocate even fewer long-term real returns, so be careful!” among many different asset classes and underlying Francis Marais, head of research at Glacier by instruments, he says. Sanlam, echoes this view – but acknowledges that There are also managed solutions, such as wraps, if you’re retiring in the COVID-19 storm, you face where investments are further diversified among a difficult period. different managers and investment styles. Marais questions the wisdom of some investors In addition, endowment options can be considered, who want to abandon growth assets completely. where offshore exposure can be gained without taking Disinvesting from your current strategy into cash on unnecessary currency and other risks, he says. is not necessarily the best option, he says. SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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COVID-19
As an example, Marais points to this thought exercise: what would have happened if an investor had retired during July 2002, September 2008 or October 2008 – when the JSE experienced significant negative monthly returns? This graph (below) shows the different outcomes if an investor retired during each of those periods and disinvested from a medium equity fund into a money market fund and stayed there, comforted by the fact that they no longer faced any risk. (Assuming a retirement of R5 million lump sum, withdrawing at a rate of 4% per year.)
Closing balances 70 000 000.00 60 000 000.00 50 000 000.00 40 000 000.00 30 000 000.00 20 000 000.00 10 000 000.00 —
Stay invested
Switch to money market
Switch to 100% equity
13 July 2002
15 121 591.61
9 157 127.64
61 837 962.55
30 September 2008
7 978 067.26
6 780 296.42
16 475 847.05
31 October 2008
8 114 138.09
6 770 737.61
18 236 736.30
13 July 2002
30 September 2008
It is during times of market stress that investors make emotional decisions, such as switching their investments to cash, which could hamper long-term wealth creation. – Shawn Phillips, research & investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam
31 October 2008
Source: Glacier Research & Morningstar
In each of these periods, explains Marais, if you’d realised your losses and moved into a living annuity consisting of 100% cash, you would have been worse off. You would also have had lower monthly incomes as at today. Moreover, staying invested would have significantly outperformed a cash strategy – a compelling case against disinvesting from equities, if this can be avoided:
Income growth 18,00% 16,00%
15,28%
14,00% 12,34%
12,12%
12,00%
SHOULD YOU BE GOING OFFSHORE? Koorts says investing offshore will give you exposure to sources of returns you might not have access to locally, and lowers the risk of having ‘all your eggs in one basket’. Diversification is a cornerstone of any individual investment strategy and lowers the overall risk of a portfolio; the asset mix should be tailored to your unique risk profiles and circumstances, with the help of a financial planner. Capital preservation is key if you’re closing in on retirement, and low volatility solutions are better suited for this stage of the investing cycle, he says.
8,00% 6,00% 4,00%
6,49% 3,56%
4,41% 2,77%
4,30% 2,73%
2,00% 0,00% 13 July 2002 Stay invested
30 September 2008 Switch to money market
Source: Glacier Research & Morningstar
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31 October 2008 Switch to 100% equity
Data and information correct at time of print. Glacier Financial Solutions (PTY) Ltd is a licensed financial services provider. Any information contained in this presentation/document as well as any opinions expressed and information provided by any employee, officer or director of Sanlam Life Insurance Limited (“Sanlam”) and any of its subsidiaries during and pursuant to this presentation, shall not be construed as advice as contemplated in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 37 of 2002. Neither Sanlam nor any of its subsidiaries accordingly accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from the use of this document or its contents. Sources: ‘The Comeback Is Better Than The Setback’ by Shawn Phillips, Glacier by Sanlam; ‘Peter Urbani: Stay invested – here’s why market recovery may be fast, strong’. BizNews.com, April 14 2020; ‘Times like these: as if retiring isn’t life-changing enough’ by Francis Marais, Glacier by Sanlam
Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
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We’ll reward you for responsible credit management. Sanlam Reality members get up to
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wealth
index funds
and why is everyone talking about them? What is an index fund? An index fund is a type of mutual fund designed to measure and track the performance of an index, such as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s All Share Index. Investment houses, such as Satrix, offer an array of index funds that track different types of indexes.
What makes index funds different? Regardless of whether you invest in an active or passive fund, your money is pooled together along with other
40
investors’ savings. But that’s where the similarities end. Index funds are referred to as ‘passive investments’ because they track a specific index and do not take active positions relative to that index. Research is focused on the design of the index, rather than on individual companies, to capture a wide range of investment strategies that can be tracked by index funds. In contrast, an active fund has a fund manager or a team that actively and carefully chooses what the fund invests in to ensure the best returns. The fund manager or team are also supported by researchers and analysts. Their collective
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Are index funds a good option for retirement planning?
On average, index funds outperform active funds, and they’re cheaper – it’s this combination that makes them a good option to invest in for your retirement. That’s not to say you have to opt out of other types of investments, though. In fact, diversity in your portfolio is generally recommended by expert planners. “Index funds are viable strategies that can be used within a retirement solution. You can invest actively or invest passively or do a combination of the two. It really depends on what you want to achieve,” explains Kingsley Williams, chief investment officer at Satrix. And that’s just it: your retirement planning is unique to your goals, timelines and risk profile – so you should always speak to a financial planner.
Photography: Shutterstock; Glacier Financial Solutions (Pty) Ltd and Sanlam Life Insurance Ltd are licensed financial services providers
Investing can be a complex and expensive endeavour, but index funds have increased in popularity due to their simplicity and low fees, which have made them attractive for investors. But what exactly is an index fund and how does it work? By ANGELIQUE RUZICKA
How to invest
aim is to outperform a particular benchmark. The investment industry often debates the pros and cons of active and passive funds. Some argue that index funds are limited by what the particular index it follows does and, because there are fees involved, it will never have the ability to outperform that index.
The pros When it comes to costs, index funds appear to have the upper hand when compared to active funds. This is one of the reasons why index funds have risen in popularity. “The majority of funds will underperform the index purely because of costs. What that means is that
It’s possible to invest in index funds directly. They’re accessible through LISP (linked-investment service provider) platforms. Glacier by Sanlam is an example of an investment platform that offers investors access to a wide range of funds and assetmanagement companies. “We also have a platform called SatrixNOW, which allows you to buy our unit trusts and ETFs directly, with no minimums. The Satrix Access Range gives you easy access to our flagship funds: Satrix Top 40, Satrix MSCI World, Satrix Balanced and Satrix Money Market. You can also trade ETFs online through your brokerage account,” adds Williams. If you find the choice of index funds intimidating or confusing, you should approach an accredited financial planner for advice on the right index funds for your portfolio. Seeking advice from a professional can also help you achieve your financial goals. “Your financial planner has a key role to play in making sure you invest in a taxefficient way, and to help you achieve your financial goals. You can reduce investmentmanagement fees by utilising index funds that will reduce the overall cost of your investments, and put the odds more in your favour towards achieving your goals,” says Williams.
When it comes to costs, index funds appear to have the upper hand compared to active funds. This is one of the reasons why index funds have risen in popularity. only a minority of funds will actually outperform the index. This is where an index fund becomes powerful. While an index fund will also have costs, it is typically more cost-effective than an actively managed fund. On average, it will underperform the market by less than an actively managed fund,” explains Kingsley Williams,
chief investment officer of Satrix. “Recent research we’ve done on SA unit trusts, which is supported by global research, shows that after costs, a broadly diversified index fund has delivered consistent top-quartile performance over long periods of time, i.e. outperforming 75% of actively managed funds.”
The cons The greatest limit to an index fund is that it can never outperform the index it’s tracking because of the way it’s structured. While it’s typically cheaper
than an active fund, its fees will always ensure that it just comes short of that index’s performance. So, the downside is that investors can lose out on what an active manager can potentially achieve: which is beating an index or benchmark. In some instances, fund managers have achieved stellar returns for investors. But it’s tricky finding the managers that will attain that kind of performance and even maintain or repeat it. Williams points out: “When you look back you can always identify the best fund. But when you have 100, 200 or even more [funds to choose from] all you can see is how they performed historically. You never know if what you invest in today will outperform in future. The challenge is knowing which one to invest in that will give you that outperformance, and that’s incredibly difficult, as funds do perform in cycles.”
GET EXPERT ADVICE Speak to a financial planner to get advice tailored to your specific needs. Visit sanlamreality.co.za/contact-an-adviser to book an appointment.
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Your kids now have free schoolwork help, just a call away
We’ve added the Dial-A-Teacher benefit to help lighten the load.
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credit vs debit card
wealth
Credit card vs debit card: when should you use what? You know the difference between a credit and debit card, but what is the best way to harness both for smarter spending?
Credit card
TO MAKE SAVING EASIER A credit card with a cash back offering, like the Sanlam Money Saver credit card, can help you save by giving you guaranteed cash back every time you swipe. One way to use your credit card is for your monthly costs that you’d normally use your debit card for. Before you’re charged monthly interest, transfer money over from your account – you’ll enjoy the cash back reward without paying the credit card interest.
FOR BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST FRAUD Some credit providers like Mastercard provide protection against liability for credit card fraud. It can be more prudent to make online payments, including travel bookings, using a credit card that carries this extra protection. Bear in mind, this only comes into play on the condition that you’ve used reasonable care in protecting your card from loss or theft, and you immediately reported your loss or theft to the relevant financial institution.
Text: Dominique Bowen; Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
FOR SMARTER TRAVEL Are you a frequent flyer? A credit card could be your savviest travel companion. With some, you can bank frequent flier points to save on future bookings. A credit card is also often a safer payment option. “Mastercard, which the Sanlam Money Saver credit card is, has a comprehensive network of partners, allowing you to travel without using cash too often,” says Nathea Nicolay, head of product at Sanlam Reality. BONUS! Some credit card providers build in free travel insurance for whenever you use it to book flights.
Debit card
FOR ATM CASH WITHDRAWALS Compared to credit cards, debit card fees are friendlier on your pocket when you withdraw cash at ATMs.
TO HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE If you know you have a spending problem and lack the discipline to be responsible with a credit card (you’re not alone), a debit card could keep you in check. Just be sure you aren’t using facilities like overdrafts – this won’t make a debit card any more accountable, if so.
TO PAY OFF DEBT As tempting as it may be to pay off one debt by incurring another on your credit card, you’re bargaining for a debt spiral. Rather save up against debt and use your debit card to eliminate your debt, once and for all, when you’ve got the cash.
TO BUDGET This is particularly relevant if you have SMS notifications linked to your debit card. As soon as you’ve completed a transaction, you’ll receive an SMS that includes the remaining balance in your account, which you can use to budget future spending.
TO BUILD A GOOD CREDIT RECORD “If used correctly, credit cards can be very useful in helping consumers develop a positive credit profile,” says Lauren Wepener, consumer care specialist at credit bureau Compuscan. This can come in beneficial when you want to access more credit in the future, like securing a bond on a property. Visit sanlamcreditsolutions.co.za to see your credit score and access a free credit coach.
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Sign up for your free monthly credit dashboard Understand your credit profile, check your credit score, credit history and recommendations all on one convenient dashboard. It’s important to be on the right side of credit. As a Sanlam Reality member, you have free access to Sanlam Credit Solutions. See how much you are paying on your accounts each month
Track your accounts and interest rate payments
Check if you can consolidate your credit and free up cash flow
See if there is suspicious activity on your account Talk to a coach to help you improve your credit score and make better financial decisions
Sign up to view your credit dashboard Register today at sanlamcreditsolutions.co.za/register
Sanlam is a Licensed Financial Services Provider.
decoding jargon
How to decode a fund fact sheet
wealth
1
Reading a fund fact sheet can be intimidating, especially when it’s filled with jargon. While your financial planner is there to help, it’s important to empower yourself with these 5 must-knows. By ANGELIQUE RUZICKA THE FUND OBJECTIVE/ DESCRIPTION: This describes what the fund is meant to achieve. For example, the Sanlam Investment Management Active Income Fund is described as a fund that’s suitable if you are looking for an investment income.
1
RISK PROFILE: Your risk 2 profile will determine how much risk you’re willing to expose your savings to, i.e. conservative – where you want to be careful and protect your capital, moderate – where you are willing to take some risks with your money, or ‘aggressive’ – which means you’re willing to risk more for maximum returns. THE BENCHMARK: Your fund is typically measured against something
3
Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
SPEAK TO AN EXPERT Speak to an expert financial planner to best understand which funds are suited to your needs. Visit sanlamreality. co.za/contact-anadviser. You’ll earn
8 000 tier points for requesting a meeting.
to determine how successful its performance is. The performance can be measured against an index, its Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA) category average, or it could even be an inflation-based target. MINIMUM INVESTMENT AMOUNT: Investment management firms will typically ask you for an amount to kick-start your investment in the fund. This can be in the form of a lump sum e.g. R10 000, or a monthly contribution e.g. R500.
4
TOTAL EXPENSE RATIO (TER): The TER, displayed as a percentage, is a good indication of what a fund will cost you. The TER is comprised of several costs including management fees and expenses such as trading, legal, auditor and other operational costs. Comparing TERs is a good way to establish whether you’re getting value for money.
2 3 4
5
Use fund fact sheets to: Determine the ability of the underlying fund manager to provide investment return in line with the benchmark of the specific fund. Look up the risk profile of the specific fund to confirm whether it aligns with your investment strategy. Compare performance between investment funds and asset managers in order to make an informed investment decision.
5
Don’t use fund fact sheets to: Track the performance of a specific plan or investment. For Sanlam Savings products, this is provided in the plan performance summary, which can be obtained from the Client Care Centre, via Secure Services (https://cp.sanlam.co.za/; you earn 1 500 tier points when you sign up to Secure Services), or by speaking to your financial planner. Find Client Care Centre contact info at sanlam.co.za/contact. Source any product-specific charges or fee information. For Sanlam Savings products, this can be found in the plan statement, which you received at inception; it’s also available from the Client Care Centre or your financial planner.
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wealth
sanlam credit solutions
It’s time to tackle SA’s debt crisis Many of us are feeling the pressure of having to pay back debt. This doesn’t only affect you financially – it has an impact on your health, productivity, and our wider economy. The total amount of outstanding consumer debt in the country is
South Africa has 25.14 million active credit users. Of those,
10.80 million have impaired credit records, which means that they are not keeping up with their repayments.
That’s 28.4% of the country’s adult population.
The ratio of total household debt to annual disposable income in South Africa is
72.7%
23.75% Of active credit users in South Africa are in more than three months’ arrears. Only 57% are in good standing.
R1.93
trillion.
That’s equivalent to almost
two thirds
of South Africa’s annual GDP.
This is up from 54.1% in 2000, although down from the peak of 86.4% reached during the 2008 financial crisis. This is expected to worsen during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
R468 billion
of outstanding credit is in the form of unsecured credit and credit facilities, such as bank overdrafts and store cards.
The highest levels of
66% Of consumers
loans are by young South Africans living in densely populated urban areas, who are working just to get by.
who are getting unsecured loans for the first time earn less than R5 000 per month.
first-time defaults on personal loans, credit cards and retail
Employers should be looking to help employees manage their debt because it does have a huge impact on productivity. But to do that they need financial companies to provide tools that make a worker’s debt situation visible to them in a simple way that really helps them to understand their situation, and come up with a practical plan to address it. Ayanda Ndimande, strategic business development manager, Sanlam Personal Loans
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SPEAK TO AN EXPERT It’s good to review your finances regularly, but particularly if your needs change, your income changes, or you are considering taking on debt. Speak to an expert financial planner; visit sanlamreality.co.za/contact-an-adviser.
75%
Only 11% of South Africans report that they feel ‘no stress at all about money’.
More than
50%
feel ‘overwhelming stress’ or ‘high stress’ about their finances.
This is having an impact on their ability to save.
y
33%
of their net income to service their loans.
rage ave on
Consume rs w i
“If you invest in yourself by taking a loan for your own education, that’s good credit and it makes financial sense because it could give you a better income in future. If you invest in home improvements, that can create equity, and increase your wealth. Those are examples of efficient debt that can improve your financial situation. The problem is inefficient debt that only gives you pleasure or solves a problem for a very short time. That is not good for your long road to financial independence.” Ayanda Ndimande, strategic business development manager, Sanlam Personal Loans
Of unsecured loans in South Africa are being used to fund consumption rather than for productive purposes.
cured loan sp nse u a th
Text: Patrick Cairns; Sources: National Credit Regulator: Credit Bureau Monitor, South African Reserve Bank, National Credit Regulator: Consumer Credit Market Report, Experian Consumer Default Index, Differential Capital Thought Lab: Unsecured Lending, Salary Finance The Employer’s Guide to Financial Wellness, DebtSafe Financial Reality Survey, IMF Global Financial Stability Report; Photography: Shutterstock, supplied
There is such a thing as ‘good’ debt
A quarter of South Africans say that they have dipped into their savings to make ends meet. A further 18% have had to borrow from their savings club or stokvel.
+5%
Rising household debt has a real impact on the economy. A 5% increase in a country’s household debt to GDP ratio predicts a 1.25% decline in real GDP growth three years in the future.
-1.5%
Tackling debt is everyone’s responsibility Employees who are stressed about money lose about a month of productivity per year on average.
40% Of people who report feeling financial stress say it affects their sleep patterns. Cash-strapped workers are
5.8x more likely to miss deadlines, and 4.9x more likely to produce lower quality work.
SANLAM IS HERE TO HELP: UNDERSTAND YOUR CREDIT PROFILE Get access to a free credit dashboard and the help of a credit management coach. Sanlam provides you with a free tool to help you understand your credit profile. We also give you free access to a coach who will assist you in taking the necessary steps to improve your credit score – so you can grow your wealth. Sign up at sanlamcreditsolutions.co.za.
28%
Say it affects their overall health.
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Travelling after COVID-19 The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned the pandemic could cut 50 million jobs worldwide. In 2018, tourism in South Africa contributed 1.5 million jobs and R425.8 billion to the economy, making it the largest tourism economy in Africa. Sabine Lehmann, founder of Curiositas, predicts that the industry will open in stages. “First, highly local tourism, then day trippers, so that visitors can return to the safety of their own home, followed by domestic tourism and regional tourism.” To support tourism, Lehmann suggests registering on virtualbucketlist.guru, where you book travels in advance, at a reduced rate, taking up your booking when we’re able to travel again.
If you can afford to book now for a trip later, do. Our hotels, taxi drivers, concierges and more need our support. It’s why we’ve still got a travel section packed with great local and international travel ideas – even if you can’t go straight away.
SA tourism in stats Tourism represents
8.6%
of economic activity
It drives
9.2%
of total employment
44%
of the travel economy comes from international travellers
56%
from domestic travellers Source: The World Travel and Tourism Council 2018
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travel 52
56
58
Microcations: an ethical way to travel?
What happens if you get sick abroad?
Cruises aren’t just for old people
WHEN IT’S SAFE TO TRAVEL AGAIN
your travel benefits
Get up to 30% off Mango flights Up to 25% off Emirates flights (Reality Health & Reality Plus)
Save up to 30% on Protea Hotels by Marriott®
Pay from R240/day on Tempest Car Hire, including unlimited mileage and Tempest’s Super Cover
Save up to 30% on Uber trips
Access Bidvest Premier Lounges at airports for free (Reality Health & Reality Plus)
Go to sanlamreality.co.za/ benefits/travel to view your specific benefits and discount percentage.
travel
bites
Virtual museums and art galleries WITH GLOBAL TRAVEL VIRTUALLY HALTED, GOOGLE AND INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES CAME TOGETHER TO OFFER FREE VIRTUAL TOURS, SO YOU CAN TRAVEL FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR COUCH.
Find answers to your big nature questions and uncover the history of life on Earth, from the smallest insects to the largest mammals. nhm.ac.uk
THE LOUVRE MUSEUM, PARIS The world’s largest and most famous art museum houses classics like the Mona Lisa and Michaelangelo’s David. louvre.fr/en
THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANAPOLIS Explore a collection of over 120 000 artefacts, divided into three domains: the American Collection, the Cultural World Collection, and the Natural World Collection. The exhibits are created to enchant children. childrensmuseum.org
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, WASHINGTON, DC Delve into the fascinating story of our planet and explore life on Earth through exhibitions and activities, collection objects and research that happens in the lab and in the field. si.edu/museums/natural-historymuseum
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF COMPUTING, MILTON KEYNES Home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers, follow the development of computing from the 1940s to present day. tnmoc.org
USE YOUR BENEFIT Reality Plus and Health members can use their free 1GB monthly AlwaysOn Wi-Fi benefit to enjoy these virtual museum tours. Learn more at sanlamreality.co.za/ benefit/wi-fi.
Text: Thando Pato; Photography: Shutterstock
THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON
Being connected has never been more important
Reality Plus & Health members enjoy 1GB of AlwaysOn Wi-Fi free, monthly.
Visit sanlamreality.co.za/benefit/wi-fi. T&Cs apply.
travel
microcations
Make your next vacation a
microcation There are so many reasons to think micro – aka local – when it comes to travel: to support our tourism industry post-lockdown; to reduce your carbon footprint; because international travel is tougher post-COVID-19; or simply because there are so many incredible gems across our country to explore. Start with these breathtaking ideas.
WESTERN CAPE
Leopard’s Kloof Camp, Wolwehoek
Where: Montagu Why: This two-sleeper cabin in the middle of a private nature reserve is the definition of an off-the-grid getaway. Powered by solar electricity, 5km away from the nearest people and accessible via a 4×4 track, Leopard’s Kloof Camp is a perfect spot for two. Good for: Finding your Zen. Expect luxurious details like a pizza oven, 12m hammock with wrap-around views, and a sense of serene freedom. Must-know: Because this is designed as a romantic getaway, kids aren’t allowed. If you don’t have a 4×4, transfers to the cabin can be arranged with the owners. Best time to go: This secluded spot has been designed with all seasons in mind. Think: A hot tub for winter, a plunge pool for summer. Rates: R2 200/night during the week; R2 500/night over weekends; rates remain the same all year round. Nearest airport: Cape Town International (or Worcester’s private airfield) Contact: wolwehoek.co.za; admin@wolwehoek.co.za; 074 519 1028
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KWAZULU-NATAL
Africamps at White Elephant Safari
Where: Pongola Game Reserve, nestled below the Lebombo Mountains – Africa’s oldest private reserve. Why: Since this reserve has both mountains and water (Lake Jozini), you can enjoy water and land safaris. Game includes leopard, rhino and elephant, while the bird life is impressive too. Good for: A self-catering, glamping safari experience the whole family will love. Must-know: While a malaria-free zone, the reserve is in a risk area for tick fever. River safaris and game drives each cost around R440/adult and R220/child. You can also fish, with tiger fish, Mozambique- and red-breasted tilapia, barbel, yellowfish and grass carp on the list to catch. Best time to go: October to January is high season, but July to September offer drier weather for game viewing. Rates: From R1 340/night for two adults for a tented camp that can sleep five and includes a braai area, fully equipped kitchen, baby cot and high chair, wood-fired hot tub and access to a communal pool. Additional children from R125/night. Expect to pay a R25/vehicle gate fee, too. Nearest airport: King Shaka International Airport is approximately 3½ hours’ drive away. Contact: africamps.com
travel
microcations
WESTERN CAPE
Kol-Kol Fynbos Pods
GAUTENG
Restaurant Mosaic and The Orient Private Hotel
Where: Crocodile River Valley, Pretoria Why: The Orient Private Hotel is anything but bland. Set in a Moorish palace surrounded by lush plants and ornate decor, a stay here will feel worlds away from nearby Pretoria or Jo’burg. Even better, it’s home to the highly accoladed Restaurant Mosaic, headed by The Tourism & Hospitality Counsel’s Best Chef 2018, Chantel Dartnall. If that’s not enough to tempt you, the eatery was named in the top 200 restaurants in the world in 2019 by La Liste Awards, Paris. Good for: A romantic weekend escape where your only locales are your hotel room and the restaurant. Must-know: The famed restaurant, where the eight-course degustation menu is a must, only welcomes children over the age of 13. Best time to go: All year round. Rates: From R3 000/night, including breakfast. Nearest airport: Lanseria International Contact: reservations@restaurantmosaic.com; the-orient.net
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Where: Botrivier, Overberg Why: Already famed for its charming cabins, Kol Kol Mountain Lodge is located around 90 minutes from Cape Town. Owners Rudi and Karen Oosthuyse have now taken things up a notch with the introduction of the Kol Kol Fynbos Pods. What sets the pods apart from their rustic predecessors is the modernity of their architecture and design – indoors and out. Cradled in lush scrub and bushland, with the towering Overberg range overhead, each pod has its own wood-fired hot tub and woodfired pizza oven, as well as all other amenities you need for a laid-back-luxe getaway. Good for: An accessible yet isolated spot to recharge. It’s hard to beat waking up to a
UP TO 30% OFF ACCOMMODATION Travelling for business? Get up to 30% off Protea Hotels by Marriott®, who have venues close to some of these locations. Visit sanlamreality.co.za/ benefit/proteahotels for more.
misty morning and jumping straight into the hot tub as the rest of the world wakes up. Or dining under the stars with just the sound of crickets as background noise. Must-know: Weekend bookings are snapped up quickly – but this spot is worth taking a few days’ leave for. Best time to go: The pods – and surrounding nature – are equally enjoyable in summer and winter – although the thought of being cocooned in a hot tub while it’s cold outside may mean autumn and winter win here. Rates: From R2 150/night for two adults, mid-week. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Contact: 076 913 6014; kolkol.co.za
EASTERN CAPE
Makkedaat Cave
LIMPOPO
Text: Lynette Botha, Sarah Browning-de Villiers; Prices and info correct at time of print; Photography: supplied
Rare Earth’s Tshwene Lodge Where: Welgevonden Private Reserve, just over three hours from Jo’burg or Pretoria Why: Perched on the rugged edges of the Taaibos River, Tshwene Lodge is small (it can host just 10 guests at a time) and has the sense of being in the bush, while also being less than half a day’s drive from Jo’burg or Pretoria. Good for: A luxurious, long-weekend bush break. Ideal for birders. Must-know: Malaria-free and home to the big five, this is a great place to spot game without the hassle and distance of heading further north, towards the Kruger. Best time to go: The drier, cooler months of May to September typically offer the most comfortable game-viewing conditions. Rates: R5 600/suite per night including all meals and two game drives per day, with sundowners and snacks. Until 15 Dec 2020, pay for three nights and get the fourth night free. Nearest airport: OR Tambo, Lanseria or Pretoria’s Wonderboom Contact: rareearth.co.za; reservations@rareearth.co.za
DISCOUNTED TRAVEL When it’s safe to travel again, you’ll still enjoy up to 30% off Mango flights, plus Tempest Car Hire from just R240/day, including unlimited mileage. Visit sanlamreality.co.za/ benefits/travel to explore all of your travel benefits.
Where: Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area Why: A natural cave that’s been set up to sleep eight, along with cooking and braai facilities, Makkedaat is a unique spot to rest your head. It’s also a great stop-off point as you explore the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, filled with magnificent 4×4 routes and home to the delightful five-day Leopard Trail hike (gobaviaans.co.za for hike bookings). Good for: Outdoor adventurers looking for something different. Must-know: There’s no internet connection and, while equipped, the cave is one step above from camping… expect to embrace nature in all its beauty here! Best time to go: Sleeping out in the cave in summer is certainly warmer, but there is an indoor stove to warm things up in winter, too. Rates: R280/adult and R225/child per night, with a minimum of R500/night Nearest airport: Port Elizabeth, which is about a two-hour drive away Contact: makkedaat.co.za; 044 934 1012
LIMPOPO
Abelana Safari Camp at Abelana Game Reserve Where: Phalaborwa, Limpopo Why: With just four en-suite Meru-style safari tents tucked into the lee of a towering rock koppie, the newly-opened Abelana Safari Camp offers guests an intimate and immersive big five safari experience in a style redolent of classical explorers. From its towering base, adjacent to the Greater Kruger’s Balule Nature Reserve and neighbouring Selati Private Game Reserve, the views are breathtaking, stretching far into the distance to the northern reaches of the Drakensberg Escarpment.
Good for: Getting up close and personal with nature on foot or horseback. Renowned South African trail guide John Fouche leads guests on morning walking safaris (and afternoon game drives), while qualified guide and expert equestrienne Tamlyn Whitebread oversees horseback safaris. Must-know: The 15 000ha big five reserve is owned by the Mashishimale community and has been leased by MTH Lodge Holdings in a groundbreaking sustainable conservation and eco-tourism partnership.
Best time to go: The area is known for its moderate climate year-round – hotter in summer, chillier in winter, of course – but for the most part temperate, meaning it’s great any time. Rates: From R3 500/person per night sharing, including all meals. Nearest airport: Hoedspruit Contact: info@abelanagamereserve.com; abelanagamereserve.com
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travel
getting sick abroad
What happens if you get sick abroad? Planning a trip abroad post-COVID-19? Accidents and illness do happen, so make sure you’re covered. Here’s why (and how). By TORI HOFFMAN
hen you’re sitting at your desk fantasising about that skiing trip you’ve pretty much been saving for your entire life, you don’t picture breaking your wrist. Or perhaps it’s an exotic beach holiday you had in mind – but not a nasty stomach bug that can get picked up in remote places. The truth is, life doesn’t always work out the way you planned, and from what we’ve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, you can get sick, and you can get very sick while abroad. So what should you do if that happens?
If your trip is cancelled, you lose luggage, or you miss a connecting flight According to medical insurer Fedhealth, if you fall ill overseas and need to come home for further treatment and you’re given the allclear to travel, “the insurance pays for your return trip to South Africa. However, if you choose to continue your holiday and need further treatment, the costs will have to come out of your own pocket”. A travel insurance policy could provide emergency medical cover only, or include cover for other travel risks such as cancellation cover and luggage cover. Travel insurance covers you for emergency medical and related expenses up to the limit in your schedule if you contract COVID-19 while you are travelling. To activate the cover, you’ll need to notify your insurance provider immediately using the 24-hour emergency assistance contact on your policy.
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Costs or losses incurred owing to travel disruptions as a result of the pandemic are not covered on your medical aid travel insurance policy.
If you end up in hospital, or rack up doctor’s bills Many medical aids offer cover for you and your dependants through a travel insurance option linked to your plan. It’s important, however, to check and then double-check that your particular option has this benefit. Most have a time limit to the cover of 45 days from the date you exit South Africa, so it’s also best to advise your scheme that you’re travelling abroad before you leave. If you’re stuck somewhere for longer than 45 days due to a pandemic like COVID-19
Photography: Shutterstock
W
GET UP TO 30% OFF FLIGHTS When it’s safe to fly for leisure, you’ll still get up to 30% off Mango flights. Reality Plus and Health members also enjoy up to 25% off Emirates flights. Visit sanlamreality. co.za/benefits/travel for more.
USE YOUR PA TO COMPARE QUOTES You have a free Personal Assistant benefit – ask them to compare insurance quotes for you using the Sanlam Reality App. Download the Sanlam Reality App
that may ground all travel, you could extend your medical aid travel insurance policy provided you contact your broker before your policy expires. Check that the country or region you’re travelling to is covered – some high-risk areas will be excluded. Pre-existing conditions including anything you’ve been treated for in the six months prior to your trip won’t be covered. These exclusions often include “a condition that you know may require treatment while you’re overseas; if you’ve been advised by a medical practitioner not to travel; or you have a terminal prognosis,” according to Fedhealth.
It’s important to check and then doublecheck that your particular medical aid option has a travel insurance benefit.
While immediate medical emergency treatment, including doctor and hospital bills, in-and out-patient care and medical transport is generally covered, as already stated, most travel insurance companies won’t cover you if you decide to embark on a high-risk activity. Examples are sports undertaken for leisure purposes such as snow skiing, water skiing and scuba diving. You can – and probably should – take out special cover for these kinds of activities if you’re planning to enjoy them while on your trip.
If you need to be evacuated, or someone dies overseas The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (dirco.gov.za, DIRCO) strongly recommends taking out travel insurance before travelling abroad. “Travel insurance should cover hospitalisation and related medical costs, as well as a possible emergency evacuation. Depending on your age, physical condition and destination, consider provision in the event of death.” DIRCO points out that medical costs abroad can be expensive compared to South Africa, and in some instances, medical treatment can be withheld by the foreign country if a person has no proof of funds or travel insurance.
“It is for this reason that travel insurance that covers expenses in the event of death abroad will ensure that loved ones are not burdened with the costs of the preparation and transportation of mortal remains to South Africa, and it’s important to cover all the members of the travelling party adequately. “In the event the deceased had travel insurance, it’s recommended that the insurer be contacted first to establish whether the deceased is covered in case of death. The South African government does not render any financial assistance pertaining to the death of South African citizens abroad.”
Good to know Travel insurance must be obtained before you embark on your journey; you can’t take out a policy once you’ve departed. Travel Insurance Consultants (TIC) published findings that 50% of medical claims are as a result of an accident. The most important benefit on a travel insurance policy is the medical benefit. If you’re more than 24 weeks pregnant, most
insurance companies won’t pay for claims related to the pregnancy or childbirth while you are travelling. They also won’t cover the medical expenses for a baby born outside South African borders. There will be age restrictions on any travel insurance plan – especially if you have a pre-existing condition. Find out what these terms and conditions are before you embark on your holiday.
Make sure that you’re familiar with the health risks of the country or countries you intend to visit. Get all the recommended vaccinations and/ or medication before travelling. If you need to travel with medication, ensure that it meets the requirements of your destination(s). Take your prescription along.
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travel
cruises
Ready to
cruise
Thought cruise liners were only for old people? Think again! There’s a reason an increasing number of families and younger couples are looking to cruises for their travel plans once COVID-19 restrictions fully lift. By TRACY LYNN CHEMALY
A
s many holiday plans are being shuffled, some are thinking ahead, planning 2021 adventures. Pauline Susman hopes that her two-week cruise to the Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius and Mozambique, which she was meant to enjoy with her 14-year-old daughter earlier this year, will soon be back on the cards. It will be their third cruise together. The mother and daughter are part of the recent boom of travellers under the age of 50 who are taking to the seas. “There has been a major shift in the demographic of cruise travellers over the past 10 years, as the perception of ‘cruising is just for older people’ has changed significantly,” says Carlos Luis, commercial manager at Flight Centre Travel Group. Luis says the average age is 48, and only 13% are over 70. “More than 66% of Generation X and 71% of Millennials have a more positive attitude to cruising than they did two years ago,” he adds, naming Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Costa as the brands drawing a younger crowd due to their range of activities that attract everyone from families and solo travellers to couples and party groups.
Ocean calling
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Why cruise? VALUE FOR MONEY Travel, meals and accommodation are included, making it cheaper than a holiday of taxis, restaurants and hotels. EASE OF TRAVEL Wake up in different cities but only unpack once. VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES Read in the library, participate in a quiz, lounge poolside or attend a rock concert.
them a taste of the Portuguese Islands and Pomene. Last year they boarded the MSC Seaside from Miami to experience the Caribbean. They bobsledded in Jamaica, and swam with dolphins and stingrays in the Cayman Islands. “On our eight-day cruise, we visited five different countries and only had to unpack our suitcase once,” they say. Susman says cruising is much more affordable than a conventional holiday. “Our two-week trip cost R40 000 for both of us. That includes all entertainment, accommodation, amazing meals and travel. It’s a holiday I never thought I would enjoy as much as I do, but I am hooked.”
Photography: Shutterstock, Freepik, supplied
Susman loves the freedom it allows her daughter. “She’s able to go to activities on her own and be independent. It feels very safe,” she says. Together, they take full advantage of their time on-board. “We book the whole package, have sushi every night, party and watch all the shows.” These include comedy and magic acts, and theatrical and music performances. The stigma of cruises being all about bow-tie dinners and symphony orchestras no longer holds true. “Activities and entertainment have changed from formal to fun and relaxed,” says Luis. “There is also a growing interest in expedition cruising to bucket-list destinations, with more cultural experiences.” Lisa-Marie and Brett Bodington, a couple in their early 40s who have been on three cruises, are attracted to the variety of life on- and off-board. “You can be as busy or relaxed as you want,” they say. “We love to walk around cities, so getting off at each port is a must for us.” A cruise from Cape Town had them explore Walvis Bay, while a Durban departure gave
into 2021?
Top tips
FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Purchasing a package deal is cheaper than paying per meal or drink. There is usually filter coffee and tea available, but other beverages (including bottled water) have to be purchased. WHEN TO TRAVEL: Cruising during high season means bigger crowds and higher prices. For northern hemisphere cruises this is April to September, while September to April are popular in the southern hemisphere. TIPPING: Most of the time, gratuities are added onto your bill before check-out if they have not been settled upon booking. This differs between cruise liners, but is generally calculated as a set amount per person per day. WI-FI: This is not included and is costly. Rather connect to free Wi-Fi in port restaurants. DOCUMENTATION: Passports must be valid for six months after return. Obtain necessary visas for countries where you will be disembarking. CHOOSE WISELY: Besides shorter, local cruises, Luis recommends Mediterranean cruises where only one visa is needed for many countries, or opting for Northern Europe for a stimulating cultural experience. “Caribbean itineraries appeal to multigenerational families who want a sun-soaked island type of holiday.”
Health on-board
GET 5% CASH BACK WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR CRUISE If you book a cruise via Flight Centre (flightcentre.co.za) using your Sanlam Money Saver credit card and you’ve got our co-save option, you’ll get 5% cash back on your spend at no extra cost to you, since Flight Centre is one of our Reward Partners. Visit www.moneysaver.cards to learn more.
“Most ships have doctors and infirmaries on-board for ailments or small injuries. For more serious issues people get debarked at the closest port with their families and taken to hospital,” Luis explains, saying that health concerns amid 2020’s COVID-19 outbreaks are being addressed through operational changes. “There will be set boarding time slots to promote social distancing during check-in and embarkation, significantly increased and stringent cleaning procedures, twice daily staff temperature checks, mandatory screening for guests, and infrared fever screening on-board.” Some liners will be banning self-service dining and introducing set dining times to ensure social distancing.
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21 Days. 21 Artists. 21 Impacts. The Lockdown Collection (TLC), a fundraising initiative launched just hours into the national lockdown in March, saw artworks by local artists added to a collection – one piece revealed each day for 21 days – culminating in the first-ever live online art auction in April. The pieces reflected the artists’ feelings or captured moments during the lockdown experience. Over R2 million was raised for the Solidarity Fund and the Vulnerable Visual Artist Fund. Open Call, an extension of the initiative, has since been launched to sustain the spirit of giving and support local artists in need. From the Open Call submissions, TLC will be launching more collections to continually support and replenish the fund. Visit thelockdowncollection.com or follow them on Instagram (@thelockdowncollection) to see inspiring artworks as they’re released, to purchase artworks or to donate. Main image: State of Disaster by Kim Berman; Inset images from left: Hands Protection by Lukas Ngweng; Wait in Anticipation to See the Future by Bambo Sibiya
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entertainment 62
63
64
See and read this month
Have fun with puzzles
Sweet spring desserts
your
entertainment
benefits
When it’s safe to visit cinemas again, pay R30 for a 2D movie ticket (R50 for 3D; Reality Plus & Health only) and R35 for a refreshment combo at Nu Metro
When public events reopen, buy one ticket, get one free (up to R300) on Computicket (Reality Plus & Reality Health only)
Six months of free music streaming from simfy africa
1GB free data monthly with AlwaysOn (Reality Plus & Health only) Go to sanlamreality.co.za/ benefits/entertainment to view your specific benefits, tier status and discount percentage. Correct at time of print.
entertainment
things to do
4
Films all entrepreneurs should watch
Read
1 / ERIN BROCKOVICH WATCH IT IF: you need a reminder of the tenacity it takes to see a mammoth project through. Take inspiration from the true story of Erin Brockovich, a single, unemployed mother of three who blazes through obstacles to fight for her community’s rights.
You transformed the way you managed money with 2018’s Manage Your Money Like a F*cking Grown-up: The Best Money Advice You Never Got, and now it’s the teens’ turn. Fun illustrations, jokes and financial concepts unpacked in a practical way will make this the smartest addition to your teen’s bookshelf this year.
2 / THE SOCIAL NETWORK WATCH IT IF: you’re just starting out or are going into business with friends. If you’ve teamed up with friends, watch out for the inevitable bumps in the road, and avoid sacrificing friendships the way Mark did.
YOUR ENTERTAINMENT BENEFITS
3 / THE WOLF OF WALL STREET WATCH IT FOR: a cautionary glimpse into the dark side of greed. It’s the ’80s: more is more, bigger is better, and if anyone is living by this mantra, it’s Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort. But at what cost? The biography highlights the lure and pitfalls of a life devoted to glamour, greed and power.
4 / THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS WATCH IT TO: take a leaf from Chris Gardner’s never-give-up attitude. Found a dream you want to make reality?
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Hold on real tight, and no matter what the world says, never let go. This is the sentiment Will Smith passes on to audiences, and down to his son (played by real-life son Jaden Smith), in his role as door-to-door salesman Chris Gardner.
We’re not sure when next you’ll be able to go to public events or the cinema. When it’s safe to do so, you’ll still have access to your discounted Nu Metro bookings and buy one, get one free (up to R300) on Computicket. Visit sanlamreality. co.za/benefits/ entertainment for more.
Text: Dominique Bowen; sources: printable-puzzles.com; Photography: Shutterstock, supplied; prices and information correct at time of print
MANAGE YOUR MONEY LIKE A GROWNUP BY SAM BECKBESSINGER
Do
Puzzles at home!
CROSSWORD 1
YOU’LL GET TO ENJOY YOUR NU METRO AND COMPUTICKET BENEFITS WHEN IT’S SAFE TO DO SO, BUT UNTIL THEN, KEEP YOURSELF ENTERTAINED WITH THESE BRAIN-TEASERS.
7
13
8
4
4
8 3
8
12
11 5
8 3
11
2
I
N F D L
I
Y T W A G E S T
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DOWN: 2. 3. 4. 6.
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C A J T
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Q C Y E O R P T G C C V K S M N
L V B F L C
M W D R V U A Q S V L A P S E D U
Q D A D U E C E F A K C T L K E V C P A R A Q O Y N M G E V B X J O K A O A R V N R
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U M F K N R C Q F B P Z S N N J E T O C W H J H W I
Y D S M A M J
Q E C
E D A J C H M A
C L G Q H O N N R E M U S N O C D I
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L Q M F S T G X F H X N
T U E E N A S U V Q D U K R Z M U V A P E N B A S T F G T P W M J M D N E D
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1. Obtain money that you must pay back 5. A place for money at the bank 7. Use money to make interest or profit 9. Receive money in exchange for work 10. Be in debt 11. Coins or notes 13. Money earned monthly or annually 16. A piece of metal used as money 17. Total money received
B Z T L Z V N X R U D D A V U E K S A V
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ACROSS:
Q O R J Z E E Y F A N Y L C Y N X R A M U E X L
O A A P
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K F Y E F C A O
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Each blue triangle connects a set of three numbers. Two numbers must add or subtract to equal the third. All numbers must be between 1 and 12 and no number can be repeated in a horizontal row.
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3
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9
NUMBER PYRAMID
L F O U Q Q G C
2
4
SUDOKU The goal is to fill in a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes (also called blocks or regions) contains digits from 1-9. Use logic to fill in the missing digits and complete the grid. The rules are: no rows or columns can contain more than one of the same digit between 1-9, and no 3x3 grid can contain more than one of the same digit between 1-9.
1
8
K D T W B
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U M H W Y N Y K
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Z U A A E C B A X N G Z R V W P B W N O L D P Y X M Q G R Z U B S C P R E M
Spend carelessly Money used in a country A place to keep valuables Small amount given for services 7. Receive from a person who dies 8. Money that you must return 12. Keep money for future use 14. Give money which will be returned 15. Obtain money by chance
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4 8
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Q J R T E T D L C A Y S W Y A N P V C L W Y P B K R C R S L G E T Z B J O X C A S H S H H O T W E G C E M O C N Q G W M U I
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N C O M E
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R Q B N L U T F U
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T O B R A N D N A M E N S X U S K T
M P S M R O T N E T W O R T H M L C P K L L
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S N W W Z W S D U M C A S H F L O W D N O B F C
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C O Z P X W B T Z D U H C O U P O N S S M R H A Q D W I
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R Z J E C N A R U S N
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Q B W D
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O Z
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WORD SEARCH Can you find these 27 personal finance keywords in the grid? They can appear horizontally, vertically or backwards. • Wages • Value • Stock • Savings
• Salary • Premium • Net worth • Mutual fund
• Mortgage • Investment • Interest • Insurance
• Income • Generic brand • Dividend • Deficit
1
4 1
• Consumable good • Credit • Consumer • Cash income
7 2
• Cash flow • Budget • Bond • Brand name
2 9
3
• Coupons • Bank account • Capital gain
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See solutions on p.2.
E
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entertainment
a touch of decadence
You deserve it! Get the new season off to a sweet start with these delicious ideas. Photography, styling and recipes by KATELYN ALLEGRA
REDUCED SUGAR
TIP
If you don’t want to unmould the pudding (or don’t own a bundt tin), simply bake it in whichever dish you want to serve it and serve it immediately (you can skip the cooling process).
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Chocolate and naartjie bread-andbutter pudding SERVES: 8 | PREP TIME: 30 MIN COOK TIME: 1 HOUR • Butter, to grease mould • 3 large eggs • 3 large egg yolks • 750ml full cream milk • 160ml (2/3 cup) cream • 100g (100ml) xylitol icing sugar • 30g (60ml) cocoa powder • 80g (4 tbsp) honey or maple syrup • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 3 tsp ground cinnamon • Zest of 1 naartjie • 1 x 400g day-old sourdough bread, cubed • 200g sugar-free dark chocolate, chopped roughly CHOCOLATE SAUCE: • 250ml (1 cup) cream • 100g sugar-free dark chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 24cm bundt tin and set aside. Fill a roasting tray halfway with water (the tray should be large enough to fit the bundt tin) and place it in the oven to heat up – this is your bain-marie for later. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, milk, cream, xylitol, cocoa, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and naartjie zest together. Add the bread and chopped chocolate, then allow to soak for 15 minutes. Place the soaked bread mixture into the bundt tin and press it down well so it reaches all the nooks and crannies of the tin. Place the bundt tin in the bain-marie in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the bread starts pulling away from the sides. Remove the tin from the water and leave it inside the oven, turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly open and allow to cool completely – this is to help keep the bundt shape when unmoulding it. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate sauce; heat the cream to just below boiling point, then pour over the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 4-5 minutes. When ready to serve, unmould the pudding and reheat in the oven or microwave. Serve drizzled with the hot chocolate sauce.
Turmeric milk tart SERVES: 8 PREP TIME: 30 MIN COOK TIME: 1 HOUR • 1 x 400g roll puff pastry, thawed (see TIP) • 1 egg white, to glaze FILLING: • 500ml + 165ml milk (or dairy milk alternative) • 1 cinnamon stick • 3 green cardamom pods • 6 black peppercorns • 60g (100ml) cake flour • 16g (25ml) cornflour • Pinch of salt • 60ml + 40ml honey, maple syrup or xylitol • 3 large eggs, separated • 2 tsp ground turmeric, plus extra for dusting • 1 tsp freshly grated ginger • Pinch of ground nutmeg • 1 tsp almond extract
REDUCED SUGAR + TURMERIC AND GINGER = ANTIOXIDANTS
To make the tart case, grease a 25cm tart tin (an enamel plate works well too). Unroll the puff pastry onto the tart tin, trimming off the sides to fit. Measure the edge of the pan and cut another 3cm-wide strip of puff pastry to fit around the edges. Cut it in 3 equal strips and plait them. Brush a little egg white on the plait and press it onto the edge. Brush the base of the pie crust with egg white too. Refrigerate until needed. Preheat the oven to 260°C (240°C if fan-forced). For the filling, bring 500ml milk to a boil with the cinnamon stick, cardamom and peppercorns. In the meantime, whisk together the flour, cornflour, salt, honey, egg yolks, spices, almond extract and remaining 165ml milk to make a creamy paste. Blind-bake the tart case for 15 minutes. Strain the hot milk over the paste, whisking continuously, then return to the heat and cook until thickened. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, gradually add the remaining 40ml honey to form a glossy meringue, then fold into the still-warm custard. Pour the mixture into the baked tart case and bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200°C (180°C if fan-forced) and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until wobbly but just set. Dust with ground turmeric, if desired.
TIP
If you’d prefer to reduce the calories of the puff pastry, make a guilt-free tart base by mixing together 300g sugar-free biscuits and 150g butter or coconut oil. Press into the tart tin and proceed as normal with the recipe.
MAKE IT VEGAN • Replace the puff pastry with vegan puff pastry (made with vegan margarine). • Replace the milk with coconut or nut milk. • Replace 3 egg yolks with 15ml chickpea flour and 15ml water mixed to form a paste. • Replace 3 egg whites with 135ml of aquafaba (the liquid from tinned chickpeas) whip as you would egg whites. SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
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entertainment
a touch of decadence
Salted caramel apple baklava cigars MAKES: 24 | PREP TIME: 1 HOUR COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MIN • 300g good-quality white chocolate, chopped • 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 800g (12) apples, peeled and finely chopped (Jazz apples or Pink Lady work well) • 2 lemons, juiced • 1 tbsp ground cinnamon • 1 tsp ground nutmeg • ½ tsp ground cloves • 6 cups whole almonds (see TIP) • 2 tsp salt • 24 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed (2 x 250g packs) • 200g salted butter, melted SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE: • 375g caster sugar • ½ cup salted butter • 150g honey • 1 tbsp sea salt • ½ cup water flakes TO SERVE: • 1 cup pistachios, shelled and roasted • 3 apples, cubed
Preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Grease a 35cm × 25cm baking dish and line a standard baking sheet with baking paper. For the filling, start by caramelising the white chocolate. Scatter it onto the lined baking sheet and drizzle with the oil. Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden and caramelised. Allow to cool. In the meantime, place a medium pot over high heat and combine the apples, lemon juice and spices together. Lower the heat and allow the apples to cook down, stirring every now
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and then, for 10 minutes or until the apples have softened slightly. Gently mash the apple mixture, leaving a few chunks. In a food processor, blitz the almonds until finely chopped. Transfer them into a large bowl and stir in half the caramelised white chocolate and cooked apple. Set aside for 30 minutes or until completely cooled. To assemble the cigars, slice the phyllo sheets in half and place one half on a clean counter with the long edge parallel to you. Brush the surface with melted butter. Spoon a ¼ cup of the nut mixture in a sausage shape
SPRING 2020 SANLAMREALITY.CO.ZA
about 3cm away from the edge of the pastry. Fold both sides of the pastry over the filling and roll up tightly to enclose. Repeat with remaining sheets. Place the baklava rolls in the prepared baking dish and generously brushing the tops with extra butter. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and crisp. To make the salted caramel sauce, combine the sugar, honey and water in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to a gentle simmer, swirling occasionally
TIP
You could use a combination of nuts, seeds and even some breadcrumbs for a more affordable option.
for about 8 minutes or until amber in colour. Whisk in the butter, a cube at a time, until all the butter has melted in. Swirl in the sea salt flakes. Remove from heat and set aside. Once the baklava is golden, pour all of the salted caramel sauce over to soak the pastry. Serve topped with chopped pistachios, cubed apples and the remaining caramelised white chocolate for dipping.
Spiced pear and sweet potato cake with muscovado icing SERVES: 10-12 | PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOK TIME: 1 HOUR • 210g salted butter, softened • 270g dark muscovado sugar • 3 large eggs, at room temperature • 180ml sweet potato, peeled, cooked and mashed • 1 tsp vanilla extract • 200g self-raising flour, sifted • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1 tbsp cinnamon • ½ tsp nutmeg • 120g finely grated pear, well drained • ½ cup sultanas (optional) • 75g flaked almonds, toasted
ICING: • 200g salted butter, softened • 2-3 tbsp boiling-hot water • 175g dark muscovado sugar • 2 cups icing sugar, sifted • 250g smooth cream cheese MOLASSES DRIP: • 55g good-quality white chocolate • ¼ cup (60ml) cream • 4 tbsp (60ml) molasses • 1 tsp vanilla extract TO DECORATE: • Tinned baby pears, granola and dried pear chips
Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease and line 3 × 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream the butter and muscovado sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between each addition. Beat in the sweet potato and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine self-raising flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then stir into the cake batter. Stir in the grated pear, sultanas and flaked almonds, then divide between the 3 tins and bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely, upside down, then remove from the tins. For the icing, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Pour the boiling water over the muscovado sugar to dissolve (pop in the microwave for a few seconds if needed), then allow to cool. Add the cooled muscovado syrup to the butter with the icing sugar and beat until combined. Mix in the cream cheese. Sandwich the cakes together with the icing, leaving enough to ice the top. To make the molasses drip, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Allow to cool to room temperature before using. Spread the drip mixture over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Garnish with tinned baby pears, granola and dried pear chips, if desired.
TIP
Make your own pear chips. First preheat oven to 100°C. Slice pears as thin as possible using a sharp knife or mandolin. Arrange on a piece of baking paper and dry out in the oven for 2-3 hours, turning the chips halfway. Store in an airtight container.
CAN’T FIND STOCKED-OUT ITEMS? Use your Personal Assistant in the Sanlam Reality App to help source what you need. Chat to your PA in the app, and track your to-dos. Download the Sanlam Reality App
The sweet potato in this cake makes it extra moist and helps reduce the amount of sugar. Try find real dark muscovado sugar for this recipe - it is unrefined and has more antioxidants and minerals than refined white sugar, as well as a dark, intense flavour.
Only 6% of South Africans are saving enough for their retirement Here’s one way to get yourself on the right side of the statistics: ensure you’re making the most of your tax-free savings so that you’re not just saving for your future, but saving on tax, too. “It’s been five years since the National Treasury introduced tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) to encourage South Africans to invest,” explains Roenica Tyson, investment product manager at Glacier by Sanlam. “With a TFSA there is no tax on interest or dividends received, and no capital gains tax (CGT) on funds withdrawn. “From 1 March 2020, the annual limit was increased from R33 000 to R36 000,” adds Tyson. “The overall lifetime limit has, however, remained unchanged since 2015, at R500 000.”
3 Tips to maximise your tax-free savings
2
Invest your lump sum now to enjoy a full year of tax-free growth.
3
Include sufficient growth assets (no limits apply) to maximise long-term growth.
GET EXPERT ADVICE Speak to a financial planner to ensure your tax-free savings are maximised. Visit sanlamreality.co.za/contact-an-adviser to book an appointment.
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Source: 10X South African Retirement Reality Report 2019
1
Increase your regular contribution to R3 000 per month.
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3 New benefits to help you in these times
How you’ve helped make a difference
All your Sanlam Reality benefits and discounts
inside sanlam reality
There’s still time to earn tier points... you can even earn points from home! Visit sanlamreality.co.za/ earn-points to learn how.
Many of your benefits, like your Personal Assistant, are available on the Sanlam Reality App. Go to sanlamreality.co.za/ benefits to view your specific benefits, tier status and discount percentage.
real world
new benefits
USE YOUR BENEFITS Learn more about your benefits, and stay updated on how the COVID-19 pandemic may be impacting your programme benefits, by visiting sanlamreality.co.za.
We care about your wellbeing: these 3 new benefits will help DURING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES, WE RECOGNISE THE NEED TO PROVIDE BROADER BENEFITS TO YOU. HERE’S HOW WE’RE HELPING YOU.
1. Trauma, Assault & HIV Assist
2. Legal Assist
3. Dial-A-Teacher
What is it?
What is it?
What is it?
• 24-hour telephonic emergency assistance and counselling. • You’ll receive help in a situation relating to assault, trauma or accidental exposure to HIV. • The helpline is manned by professional resource nurses, maintaining a high level of service.
• Access to a 24/7 telephonic legal advice line manned by qualified in-house attorneys. • I n addition, if needed, members will be provided with a referral to an attorney for a free 30-min consultation, letter of demand and telephone call.
•T elephonic support for homework and school projects, Monday to Thursday, 6pm-9pm, excluding public holidays, school holidays and weekends. • This includes tutoring and sourcing information, as well as career and exam guidance.
How do you use it?
How do you use it?
How do you use it? 2
1 1
Call 0860 732 548/9 any time, any day of the week
Have your Sanlam Reality membership number or ID number on hand
1
2
3
Call 0860 732 548/9 (24/7)
2
Call 0860 00 7325 or email personalassistant@sanlamreality.co.za Monday-Thursday, 6pm-9pm
3
Have your ID number at hand
Ask the professional helpline staff for assistance
Ask Legal Assist for help
Have your ID number at hand
3 4
4
Should you need further assistance, request to set up a free 30-minute consultation at an elegible firm
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Receive telephonic or email tutoring, project research and exam help
Ask Dial-A-Teacher for help
meals on wheels
real world
Thank you for helping us provide over
50 000 meals to those in need
ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS, WE DONATED R1 MILLION TO MEALS ON WHEELS, PROVIDING FOOD RELIEF TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED.
W
hile you experienced limited use of your programme benefits under the COVID-19 lockdown measures, we took the opportunity to direct resources in support of NGO Meals on Wheels, on behalf of members. The donation provided over 50 000 meals over the challenging lockdown period.
SOME OF THE LIVES YOU’RE HELPING TO CHANGE THROUGH OUR R1 MILLION DONATION “You saved our lives” “Starvation is hitting us hard. We were so desperate and you saved our lives!” – George, Jo’burg
“Knowing someone cared during the lockdown period brought us to tears” “Without the help and food delivered, my husband and I would be too weak to even get up in the mornings. Knowing someone cares about us during this lockdown period brought us to tears…” – Anne, Cape Town
6
Provinces received food relief: Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State & Northern Cape.
“Thank you for helping me feed my daughter” “I have a disabled daughter who I’m caring for on my own. I would never have had enough to feed both of us without the help of Meals on Wheels. Thank you.” – Gogo Nono, Eastern Cape
Photography: Shutterstock, Pexels, supplied
50 000+
Meals provided for families and individuals in need.
437
Meals on Wheels volunteers helped to distribute food relief across the country.
4 716
People were fed every day during lockdown since April.
A BIG THANK YOU FROM MEALS ON WHEELS “Thanks to Sanlam Reality’s spirit of caring – and that of its members, like you – a great many starving friends have received friendship, love and nourishing food over the past few months of national lockdown,” says Erika Botha, public relations manager at NGO Meals on Wheels. “We’re greatly encouraged by your benevolence and we applaud you and your shareholders and members for your big-heartedness. On behalf of all who have already benefited, and those who still will in the future, we offer you our sincere thanks.” Thank you for being a Sanlam Reality member, and for enabling Sanlam Reality to do good when those in need around us have needed it most. You’ve been part of #MakingGoodAReality even under the most trying and unprecedented of circumstances.
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real world
benefits
Sanlam Reality
benefits table
All you need to know about your benefits and discounts as a Sanlam Reality member. Reality Health
Reality Plus
Reality Core
Sanlam Life Cover
Up to 30% off
Up to 30% off
n/a
Sanlam Personal Loans
Cash back reward of up to 20%
Cash back reward of up to 20%
Cash back reward of up to 20%
Wealth
Wealth Sense
Online financial platform
Online financial platform
Online financial platform
TaxTim
Complimentary tax assistance
Complimentary tax assistance
Complimentary tax assistance
Virgin Active
As much as 60% off
n/a
n/a
Planet Fitness Gym
As much as 80% off
As much as 80% off
As much as 60% off
JustGym
As much as 80% off
As much as 80% off
As much as 60% off
Independent Gyms & Studios
As much as 60% off
As much as 60% off
As much as 40% off
Mango flights
As much as 30% off
As much as 30% off
As much as 20% off
Emirates flights
As much as 25% off
As much as 25% off
n/a
Protea Hotels by Marriott
As much as 30% off
As much as 30% off
As much as 20% off
Tempest Car Hire
Pay as little as R240 per day
Pay as little as R240 per day
Pay as little as R240 per day
Uber trips
As much as 30% off
As much as 30% off
As much as 30% off
Bidvest Premier Lounges
Up to 20 visits/year
Up to 20 visits/year
n/a
Nu Metro movies & refreshments
R30 for 2D or R50 for 3D; R35 for refreshment combo
R30 for 2D or R50 for 3D; R35 for refreshment combo
R30 for 2D; R35 for refreshment combo
Computicket shows and sport
Buy one ticket and get one free up to R300
Buy one ticket and get one free up to R300
n/a
simfy africa music streaming
Six months’ complimentary; Six months’ complimentary; Six months’ complimentary; save 7.5% thereafter save 7.5% thereafter save 7.5% thereafter
AlwaysOn Wi-Fi
1GB data/month
1GB data/month
n/a
Reality magazine
Three times a year
Three times a year
Three times a year
Personal Assistant
24/7, 365 days a year
24/7, 365 days a year
24/7, 365 days a year
NEW! Dial-A-Teacher
Educational help and call-back service
Educational help and call-back service
Educational help and call-back service
NEW! Legal Assist
Legal helpline (24/7)
Legal helpline (24/7)
Legal helpline (24/7)
NEW! Trauma, Assault & HIV Assist
Expert assistance helpline (24/7)
Expert assistance helpline (24/7)
Expert assistance helpline (24/7)
Adds up to 5% of spend to your savings
Adds up to 5% of spend to your savings
Adds up to 5% of spend to your savings
Health
Travel
®
Entertainment
Day-to-Day Sanlam Money Saver credit card
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Pricing correct at time of print.
Personal Services
Save today, protect your tomorrow
Sanlam Reality members enjoy up to
30%
off Sanlam risk products, meaning you save big today while making wise decisions for tomorrow.
For more information, Visit sanlamreality.co.za/benefit/ go to sanlamreality.co.za/ benefit/sanlam-life-cover. trauma-assault-hiv-assist. T&Cs apply. T&Cs apply.
Tap into your benefits from your phone
Simple. Convenient. 24/7. Chat to your Personal Assistant & track your to-dos
Access your digital membership card
Activate your Uber discount
Book discounted Nu Metro tickets
Download or find out more
Visit sanlamreality.co.za for more. T&Cs apply.