[Overpaid Slacker]

LeRoux -
There's nothing inherently dumb about being stubborn; it's the circumstances that determine whether you're being stubborn to excess, or in a "dumb" manner. Ditto "selfish."

I know next to nothing about the SA job market(s), but what I remember about Pretoria-area is that there were going to be as many opportunities in that immediate Pretoria-Jo'burg area as there were in most other areas .. possibly excepting CT. So the re-employment odds are in your favor in that region, anyway.

Take the severance, get that stress out of your life; take a break for a week or so. How integral do you think you are to your current employer? Could you perform your job "from home" or another site that's not so far away? If your career is not tied to this current job, it's worth looking for other opportunities now. Most people need a shake-up such as this to move on/up.

Good luck.

JP