Michael woke up to check his phone, the time was 05:30, and he remembered he had to prepare for his morning jog. He got up from his bed, went to his balcony, and stood there for approximately two minutes. He had always loved the morning breeze, especially in the city. The cool air, the bright lights, and the stillness in the mornings were a constant reminder of how far he had come, both in his personal and professional life.

Michael was a senior executive at one of the big four accounting firms in Southern Africa, and he lived in one of the most affluent places in Johannesburg, so it was safe to say that he had made it.

Life was not always that rosy for Michael, though, in fact quite the contrary. He was the classic example of a rags to riches story. He came up from nothing and made the most out of all the opportunities he was given. He grew up with his parents and brother in the Eastern Cape, and although his father was not a wealthy man, he was certainly very hard working and resourceful. His father, Thembile, had come up from very difficult circumstances and he, just like Michael, had worked himself up to a better position than he was born into.

Michael and his family stayed in the location, but his father hated everything about it. He hated the way people there spoke, the way they dressed, and the general culture of the place. So, he always urged his sons never to participate in any of the activities that took place in the location because they would turn into no good thugs with no future.

Thembile was an Anglican, and every Sunday he would wake his sons up at 6 a.m. to prepare to go to church in town. Everyone was very fond of him in the church because he was the caretaker. He was responsible for all the maintenance issues in the church. Because of this, one of the wealthier congregates of the church, Mr Brown, had offered to pay for Michael’s education because of how bright he was in Sunday school. Mr Brown took Michael to one of the best private schools in the Eastern Cape, Kingswood College, where he studied amongst some of the wealthiest kids in the country.

Being one of the poorer kids at the school, Michael had always felt like he did not belong at Kingswood College, but his father told him he would get used to it with time, he just had to wait. With time, Michael got used to it and, as a result of this, he did not even have black friends anymore. He matriculated from Kingswood and enrolled at UCT, where he studied accounting and graduated cum laude. He then did his articles and started working his way up the corporate ladder.

After standing on the balcony for a while, Michael finally re-entered the house and started putting on his gym clothes. He also put on his apple watch and headsets, then set off on his usual route. On his way back from his jog, at around 6, he went by a petrol garage near his house for his morning coffee. He then walked past the same old man who usually walked his dog, and Michael greeted him as usual. The old man greeted him back nervously and picked up his pace to walk past him.

At his complex, Michael greeted Mrs Dicks, who always did her powerwalk around the complex every morning.

“Michael dear! Did you hear about the horrible break-ins that have been happening in the neighbourhood lately?” Mr Dicks asked.

“Yes I have Claudia,” Michael responded. “It’s horrible what these tsotsis are doing in this neighbourhood. We work so hard for our things and they just wake up high on God knows what, and disrupt us here.”

“It’s truly horrible. I’m so glad I can count on you, unlike the rest of them. Be sure to be present at this week’s neighbourhood watch meeting,” Mrs Dicks said.

Michael and Mrs Dicks continued their conversation about other trivial day to day activities for some time, and, when they were done, Michael made his way back to his apartment. When he got there, he took a shower and prepared to make his way to work.

Tell us: What do you think about Michael’s story of managing to get out of poverty?