SA’s R50 Trillion Life and Disability Insurance Gap and What It Means for You.

Loading player...
GUEST: Besa Ruele – Member of the ASISA Life and Risk Board Committee

South Africa’s insurance gap has widened to a staggering R50.4 trillion, with most families only covered for 39% of what they’d need if a breadwinner died or became disabled. That means millions could face drastic lifestyle cuts or financial hardship after losing an income earner.

In this conversation, Besa Ruele from ASISA breaks down what’s driving the shortfall, how rising incomes and living costs outpace insurance cover, and what it will take to close the gap.

How can families protect themselves? What role do employers, financial advisers, and insurers play? And is there a smarter way to make life and disability cover more affordable?
28 Oct 2025 4PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SAFDA’s plan to rescue Tongaat-Hulett and protect farmers’ livelihoods

South Africa’s sugar industry faces a critical moment as Tongaat-Hulett, one of the country’s oldest and most prominent sugar producers, confronts provisional liquidation despite ongoing efforts to stabilise the business. South African Farmers’ Development Association (SAFDA), led by Chairperson Dr Siyabonga Madlala, has stepped in to assure farmers and employees…
19 Feb 2PM 17 min

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress

South African professionals are facing a new era of stress, one that is no longer confined to busy periods or isolated pressures but embedded in the fabric of everyday life. The 2025 Profmed Stress Index released on Thursday reveals a workforce grappling with financial strain, toxic workplace cultures, systemic instability…
19 Feb 2PM 11 min

Budget 2026: Tax Policy Choices and revenue strategy under fiscal pressure

As South Africa prepares for the 2026 National Budget Speech on 25 February, revenue collection and tax policy are expected to take centre stage. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana faces the difficult task of sustaining fiscal consolidation while supporting economic stability in an environment of modest growth and rising expenditure pressures…
19 Feb 2PM 12 min

Navigating personal finance challenges

As South Africans face a growing cost-of-living squeeze, more households are turning to credit not for luxury, but simply to cover everyday essentials. Rising prices for groceries, transport, school fees, rent, and electricity mean many families are borrowing just to survive, and debt is increasingly becoming a lifeline, with dangerous…
19 Feb 2PM 12 min

PG glass, Glasfit accused of price fixing in automotive glass market

South Africa’s automotive glass industry is under the spotlight after the Competition Commission found that two major players, PG Glass and Glasfit, allegedly operated as a cartel, working together to fix prices. The Commission has now referred the matter to the Competition Tribunal for prosecution, arguing that the companies entered…
19 Feb 2PM 11 min