It appears to me that so much of our political problems are symptoms of a common source, we simply have too many kids.

Hospitals cannot cope with the influx of patients receiving free medical care, because they're poor!

Government's social grant account is growing annually to outrageous proportions of GDP, to feed and care for infants whose parent/s are poor!

The education system cannot cope with the numbers of learners that require compulsory education for free, because the parents cannot afford school fees, because they're poor!

The job market cannot possibly grow at the rate the population is growing, which places a burden on the government, humanitarian aid organisations (who raise funds from you and me), to feed, clothe and educate large numbers of South Africans, because they're poor!

Riots for houses, services, transport, education and whatever other social issue, are the order of the day, because our population feels entitled to better treatment, because they're poor!

Poverty is not unique to South Africa. Poverty is not a license to steal and demand and rampage. Poverty does require a very basic human understanding, if I cannot meet my own most basic needs, what possible future can I offer I child? Loving a child is a primal instinct that needs to be cherished, but the highest level of this love means not having the child, in the first place.

A promiscuous society is rife with unwanted pregnancies. When the rest of the community picks up the tab for one's indiscretion, it is almost as if we're sponsoring it. Birth control is not rocket science.

So, when people talk of basic human rights, I believe, the most basic of these would have to be, not having children you cannot afford. This is a right that cannot be alienated, compromised or corrupted, exercise your right to give your children a better future ... when you have the means to achieve this noble goal.

Keep it in your pants!