Three Real Mzansi Stories: How Lifestyle Protector Actually Saved the Day
- Vuyo Mabandla
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Story 1 – Thandi, 31, Uber driver & single mom, Mdantsane
Thandi took out Lifestyle Protector in 2022 when she was still driving for Uber full-time. Premium: R487 a month for R50 000 monthly income protection + the free Child Illness Protector.
In March 2024 her 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Child Illness Protector paid out R100 000 lump sum within 14 days – no questions, no medicals.
Thandi stopped driving completely for 9 months to be with him at Frere Hospital and later in Cape Town.
Income Protector kicked in at R50 000 a month (100% of her previous earnings) and paid her every month, tax-free, until she went back to work in January 2025.
Total paid by Liberty so far: R960 000 + R100 000 child benefit.
Total premiums she paid before claiming: R14 614.
She still has full cover today because it was non-accelerated.
She says: “I thought insurance was for rich people. Turns out it was for single moms who can’t afford to stop working.”
Story 2 – Kyle, 38, electrician, Table View
Kyle is a self-employed sparky. In 2023 he took the Comprehensive Income Protector + Overhead Expenses Protector (R1 050 p.m.).
Last year he fell off a ladder and shattered his ankle – out of work for 11 months.
Liberty paid:
• R78 000 a month Income Protector (escalating with inflation)
• R42 000 a month Overhead Expenses (rent for his bakkie, tools insurance, the lady who does his books, advertising)
Total claim in the first year alone: over R1.3 million.
Because he had the Claim Booster built in, Liberty increased his monthly benefit by another 33% after month 6 because the injury is permanent.
He jokes that Liberty paid him more to sit at home than he was making before the accident.
Story 3 – Sipho, 29, call-centre agent turned data analyst, Century City
Sipho started at Liberty in 2021 on R18 000 a month. Took the basic Income Protector for R25 000 monthly cover at R220 p.m. (he was young and healthy – cheapest premium band).
In 2024 he was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. Couldn’t log in for 8 months.
Mental health is fully covered under Lifestyle Protector (no exclusions if it’s a first episode).
He got paid R25 000 every month while doing therapy and studying part-time online.
By the time he felt ready to go back to work, he had qualified as a data analyst and walked into a R55 000 a month job.
Total paid out: R200 000.
Total premiums paid before claim: R7 920.
He now earns triple what he did before, still has the exact same cover in place, and tells every 20-something in his circle: “Pay the R200–R300 now so you can actually take a proper gap year if life breaks you.”
These aren’t hypotheticals.
These are real clients I’ve either met personally or whose claim files have crossed my desk in Century City.
Lifestyle Protector isn’t sexy.
It’s not a Lambo in the garage.
It’s the reason Thandi’s son got treatment, Kyle kept his business alive, and Sipho didn’t lose his flat.
It’s the policy that pays you to stay alive when life tries to finish you off.
If you’re earning an income right now – any income – you can get covered for less than your daily cappuccino habit.
DM me. Let’s make sure the next story is yours… the one where Liberty had your back when you needed it most.
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