TouristTrap

My folks were very lucky to be able to sell their farm. They, however, had a pretty valuable property near town that they could only sell by 'deed sale' and the buggers stopped paying after a few months. They just left it. It was too much hassle to deal with it.

Daxk

Friend off... working in Bots bought in the tween stages when good property was around 100k, was able to bond it and now owes about Zim20k on it.
Has people from his church missionary group staying in it as a sort of commune, grass cut etc, got letter from bank saying they were writing off the 20k as it cost more send out statements every month.

Campbells

One of our friends here recently got back from SA, Jo’burg. Spent a month said it was great .

She was amazed that most of her friends asked her, in one of their first questions, what car do you drive ?

My reply to that one would be a tractor !

This I am sure is going to get some incoming………. I found the South Africans to be VERY materialistic and plastic.

Meantime the rest of the world says, hey you still make the VW Golf Mk 1 here in SA

Tegwyn

Have a similar story myself. We left Zambia......in a hurry.

TouristTrap

Oh gawd..don't start me on the materialistic crap...Tegs knows I'll blow a valve if I get started......:curse::curse:

duglambier

The question in irrelevant.

Who knows whether the situation can get worst in a near future in SA ?

Other countries have their own problems : NZ can get worst due to Maories and Polynesians revendications (20% of the pupulation, 40% of the youngs)
UK can get worst due to Islam revendication (5->10% of the population, 15->20% of the youngs, 50000->100000 conversion per year)
Netherlands can get worst (global climate warming, Islam minority)
France can get worst due to Islam revendication (10 % of the population, 50000->100000 conversion per year)

Except few coutries like Australia, the future is uncertain.

Campbells

Based on it's performance (or should I say lack of) SA has got worse it the past few years.

Why do you think budgets and business plans are complied? So people can just cruise along without knowing where they are supposed to be going, how they intend to get there and if they made it or not.

Most importantly reports are written based on the PERFORMANCE and these are measurements.

So based on these measurements of SA and even if we just look at one of those – violent crime, South Africa is deteriorating at a rapid rate.

Based on many who have experience from Rhodesia, SA is being compared to the sad state of Zim and the events to date and collapse of infrastructure ( such as electricity) is the evidence of this collapse.

Of course you seem to be on this mission to have so much to say re Africa whilst you have never lived there. So I would certainly not be listening to your crystal ball predictions.

duglambier

I don't live in SA but I live in Europe and I know what is going on.
Few countries have a bright future, the world in on the verge to a new crisis like what it was in the tlate 1920's.

I hope I am wrong, but what I see around me don't make me optimist.

Your are complaining about the situation in SA, you are shooting your OWN country down.
What I can advise is make a life, enjoy your new country as much as possible, and travel all around the world to see the most beautiful cultures here.

If you don't like SA, it is your choice. Everybody is free to think what they want. You should better use your spare time to enjoy your new country.

It would make me laugh if SA become the new Switzerland and UK, rest of Europe, NZ become a piece of crap : I will certainly remember those wasting their time to write pessimist posts while making advertisings to their new countries. I will be interested to get their feelings then.

For those in NZ, UK, Netherlands or Qatar, please enjoy your life as much as you can, as you can still do so.

Pablo

On property prices, I don't think asset price inflation - which is what soaring house prices is - is a sign of economic health. I mean, it's not difficult to cause inflation, is it? Just look at Uncle Bob in Zimbabwe.

Out-of-control property price rises is a sign of economic mismanagement, and the chickens are going to come home to roost on that one, worldwide. Remember Japan's property bubble in the 80s anyone?

The question is, what will SA do when the economic tide turns against it? My theory is that the masses there will turn to some populist leader who promises the earth and blames the whites and indians for all the problems, just as has happened in so many other places in Africa.

As for you, Duglambier, you really have no idea. Australia really isn't the problem-free place you suppose. You just haven't investigated properly. As for the nonsense you talk about Europe, it gives the lie to your claims to know what is going on. Bad government doesn't just happen, like clouds. It happens because fools do not govern properly. A country doesn't just magically turn into a Switzerland, just as a country doesn't just magically turn into a Zimbabwe. You're not just going to wake up one morning and find that crime in SA has disappeared, or corruption in Nigeria has vanished.

What Europeans forget is that the liberty they have is a hard-won thing, and that democracy is a sophisticated liberal undertaking that can't just be grafted onto a bunch of primitives.

You need to get off your ass and go out there to Africa. Why are you so chicken? All talk and no action.

Pablo

Pablo

I don't think South Africans are renowned for their love of classical music and high culture. That's probably why so many of them like Australia so much, and dislike Europe so much.

Cars. Rugby. Vulgar trophy-wives with sunglasses permanently propped in their hair. Braais. Such a bore.

Pablo

Tegwyn

sa2oz

I agree in princilpe with the comment about materialism. BUT
When we were looking at migrating and were waiting for a visa I also asked this question.
Not becuase I want to know what social strata they fitted, but to know what kind of cars a like minded person would look at. Also I just love cars
Before we left JHB we went to a Lamorghini display. Countach, Diablo, Merciolaro Jalpa and others everywhere you could see.

So what do you drive?

sa2oz

Are you sure you were ever there?
I think you have some serious stereotype in your head, but not of the place I lived.
Braaivleis Rugby Sunny skies and Chevrolet? Dont you remember the adverts?

What is high culture by the way?
As opposed to what we had as low culture?

sa2oz

[QUOTE=duglambier;4833466]Few countries have a bright future, the world in on the verge to a new crisis like what it was in the tlate 1920's.

It would make me laugh if SA become the new Switzerland and UK, rest of Europe, NZ become a piece of crap : I will certainly remember those wasting their time to write pessimist posts while making advertisings to their new countries. I will be interested to get their feelings then.
QUOTE]

I hope I am wrong and it does become that. But the way things are going I dont see that happening.
After 1994 elections I was pretty positive and a friend (who is still there) said it is similar to flying alarge aircraft with autopilot.
The autopilot is the system in the country and will just keep on working, but eventaully the pilot must take control and make a descision about landing or diverting. Now the new pilots have about 15 min experience with a microlite are now flying a Jumbo or Airbus.
So true :curse:
What makes you even think this is possible?

Campbells

I’m afraid you can only understand Africa when you have lived there.

I’m Scots

If I chose to contribute to this forum I will, thank you

How would you know when you haven’t lived there plus you are not a good example of your own preaching. Why do you not enjoy your country while you can instead of arguing with everyone on this forum

In fact, one further – why don’t you move to SA if you love it so much

My response is to all those in SA, wanting to move to SA or considering moving to SA – is consider your life