Real scam isn't at the till point

Stores are expected to buzz today as shoppers rush for Black Friday deals.

- KYLE ZEEMAN

Some will score bargains, but many have long labelled the shopping holiday a scam. Most simply cannot afford to participate.

Yet every year, credit card limits are maxed and loan sharks circle. Last year, South Africans spent more than R5.4 billion over the Black Friday weekend - an eye-watering figure in a country where the median household income is less than R8 000 a month.

It is not only citizens feeling the pinch. Government departments have had budgets slashed, leaving the poor and vulnerable more exposed and accelerating the decline in service delivery.