Therèse Havenga, Head of Business Transformation at Momentum Savings, looks at nature’s preparatory lessons for us.
As South Africa turns towards winter, we are reminded that survival in nature is never accidental. It’s the product of foresight, discipline and collective effort. Our wildlife, admired so often for its beauty, carries quiet lessons about how to prepare for leaner times. Years ago, when I served as a SANParks Honorary Ranger, I witnessed this up close – meerkats working in unison, elephants leading herds with memory as their compass, bees building hives one drop at a time. Those moments stayed with me, and they inspired this reflection: If animals prepare instinctively for tomorrow, why should we imagine that saving is any less essential for us?
Meerkat colonies in the Kalahari survive because they work as one. While some hunt, others stand guard, ensuring predators don’t catch them off guard. Behavioural ecologists studying the well-known Kalahari Meerkat Project have shown that this rhythm of shared responsibility is what keeps them alive. In our financial lives, the same principle applies. Stokvels and community savings groups thrive because everyone contributes and everyone benefits. When resources are pooled, also in families, the burden is lighter, and resilience is stronger. Saving together is not just practical; it is cultural wisdom.
Elephants, with their legendary memory, offer another lesson. In times of drought, matriarchs lead herds to waterholes remembered from years past. That foresight sustains generations. In our own households, memory and foresight mean learning from past financial mistakes and successes and using those lessons to guide future decisions. Forgetting the pain of debt or the relief of a well‑timed emergency fund is costly. Like elephants, we must remember where the water lies.
Honeybees remind us that small deposits matter. Each bee gathers only a drop of nectar, yet together they build hives that sustain colonies through winter. Entomologists often point out that the hive’s strength lies not in a single bee’s effort but in the persistence of thousands. The metaphor for savings is clear: It’s not the size of a single deposit that matters, but the persistence of many small ones. Setting aside loose change, rounding up your grocery spend, or automating small transfers may feel insignificant, yet over time they build reserves that surprise you. Just as saving for retirement every month builds up.
Springbok herds show us adaptability. When grazing runs short, they shift patterns or migrate, adjusting to the landscape. Financially, adaptability means adjusting budgets when circumstances change – cutting luxuries, redirecting funds, and finding new ways to stretch resources. Rigidity is dangerous; flexibility is survival. In a country where electricity bills spike in winter and food prices fluctuate, the springbok’s lesson is timely.
Even termites, often overlooked, have something to teach us. Their towering clay structures, engineered with hidden tunnels and natural air‑conditioning, are investments in stability that allow colonies to survive extreme climates. For us, stability comes from insurance, retirement funds and education. These may not be glamorous expenses, but they are the foundations that keep households steady when economic weather turns harsh. Without them, the structure crumbles.
What ties all these lessons together is the instinct to prepare before the crisis arrives. Animals don’t wait for winter to panic; they act in advance. South Africans know this rhythm too – we stockpile blankets, rooibos tea and firewood as the days shorten. Financial winters are no different. They come in the form of rising expenses, unexpected bills or income dips. Also that long winter when we will no longer earn and income, retirement. Preparation is not about fear, but about confidence. It’s the quiet assurance that tomorrow is worth planning for today.
Nature whispers the same truth across species: Survival is not luck, it’s foresight. As we enter winter, let’s take our cue from the animals around us. In South Africa, we know that seasons turn, bills rise, and leaner times arrive. Winter always comes – in weather or in finances. The difference between those who endure and those who thrive is simple: They prepare.