After my post on Mental Health, I have received a lot of messages of people telling me what they are going through. With the help of my friend Onjezani Kenani, we have been able to save a few souls that were on the verge of suicide.

Most people I have had to deal with are going through financial problems. They are in debts and being troubled by their debtors. Some of them are on the run, some have lost property and some have even been physically abused.

While I have not been able to help any of them financially, I believe the talks and advice on how to go about it has helped most of them. One of them called me yesterday to extend his appreciation. He has managed to make a proper plan with those he owes. I am honoured.

Quickly, I would like to say, while some debts are unavoidable, most of them are avoidable. As it stands, some people are having quite a good time right now by the lake using money that they borrowed. This is our major problem, we borrow to consume and make peers happy. It’s usually difficult to refund such loans and you are usually left alone after the fun.

There are those who are also borrowing to settle debts. Using a loan to settle another loan simply puts you at a tight corner. You don’t usually recover from such and the interests keep accumulating. Before you know it, you are in the streets running away from the people you owe.

I have no idea how and when you are going to repay your loan, but I have a few suggestions.

1. Do not run away from the people you owe. Personally, when people owe me and I see they are doing all they can to refund me, I always give them time to sort me out when ready. What angers people is when you owe them, but keep telling them lie after lie and go as far as ignoring them when they call you. With that attitude, you will have more issues than the loan itself. Be a man, face your problems. Tell them the truth, respect their reactions and do your best to settle the debts. Don’t take advantage of people, even when you feel they have money, but if you are owing then, pay back.

2. Avoid showing off a good life on social media if you are owing people. It makes little or no sense to be everywhere in town, living a costly life when you have debts. It might be that you are simply under somebody’s bill, but don’t show it off. In short, tell the people paying the bills that you have debts, they should help you settle them, if they can’t, excuse yourself, go home and start making plans. It’s disrespectful for you to be enjoying when you cant settle debts.

3. Don’t get a loan to settle another loan. You would rather sell what you have to settle your debts. It’s better to have no car when you know you have settled debts than to be driving around town looking like a successful person when you owe people. You will be humiliated.

4. Check the people you borrow from. Some people are just savages. Avoid borrowing from savages and try as much as you can to avoid akatapila, whether institutions or people. Palibe analemerapo ndi ndalama ya katapila. A loan should be reasonable, something to help you, not to sink you. You can’t repay a 50% interest loan in 1 week. Be reasonable with yourself.

5. Avoid financially broken partners. Friends or lovers who do not put anything on the table will be your long term problems. They are trouble. Run away. Stay far away from them. Some of us have learnt it the hard way. Have a partner you can call and get a small favour. Have a circle of friends who should be able to assist you financially. Five phone calls should be enough to solve your problem, even if it’s just 50% solved. These are hard times, you can’t keep feeding people who will not feed you back or who will even end up cheating on you, forgetting the troubles you go through to buy the very same underwear some unknown person will take off to eat from the in-between. Stay away from such, you will be depressed.

Lastly, avoid borrowing, especially borrowing to consume. Live according to your means. You have nothing to prove to anyone, but to yourself. Avoid borrowing. Avoid borrowing.