Hi guys.

As a saffa ex-pat I occasionally hop on here for a look at what people are saying. It's a shame that the majority of the posts are negative to the point of abuse...

Let me start off by saying that I left SA in 1999 and have no intention of ever moving back as I got sick of the constant sense of vulnerability. I spent 7 years in England and have been in Oz for 1 year now, which has a wierdly nice blend of the best of UK and SA imo.

I recently spent 2 weeks in South Africa showing my Ozzie boyfriend around. We spent a week in Cape Town, and a week in Gauteng mostly in the Kruger Park. We had a wonderful time and saw no violence although of course we were careful not to invite any.

I see a lot of posts from folk thinking of visiting SA on here, and they seem to be met with a wall of "don't do it" replies. I think that's a bit harsh - SA is a good holiday destination. And while I'd not move back there many of my mates who did the UK thing with me have gone home to start families and they are not regretting their decisions.

While I had the impression that things might have gotten even more dangerous since I left, I still think that if you are sensible you can have a wonderful time in SA. Just listen to the locals and do as they do!

Love Sydney, and Perth. Was there for a holiday a few years ago and it certainly reminded me a lot of S.A. Some of the accents helped as well.

You're right about parts of S.A. being a great holiday destination but seriously, you need to consider the risks involved. Being careful simply does not qualify anymore. Of course people should go if they feel that strongly, but they most certainly need to know what is going on. I truly wish the government would get a handle on this. S.A.'s potential is enormous and would absolutely go from strength to strength if they dealt with the criminal element.

I cannot believe all the negativity either.

My husband is South African and misses the place dearly - which is why we are moving back this year. Our reasons are so that our children can enjoy an extended family life with granparents, aunts, uncles, cousins etc and we know that they will be allowed to be children for more years than in the UK.

I have a lot of reapect for SA and I know it has many issues, but I am awrare of them and will never intentionally put my family at risk.

I have 2 friends that returned to SA after many years in the UK and they are very happy and satisfied - there lives sound so 'good' and I cannot wait to move - and if it doesn't work out ("the only things you regret in life are the things you never did") then we will try elsewhere.

Paul has a large family in SA and they have not been affected by any of the issues I've read about on this forum.

I've been married for 8 years and I have visited SA regularly for the past 10 - so I am not going on a 'whim' as a previous post was replyed to!

Never been to Oz - would love to but I don't think I could settle there as I want my children to know (and hopefully like) their immediate family - a value which i know is strong in SA and weak in the UK.

Well soon you'll be living the reality of it and you'll be able to make your own day-by-day asssessment of whether the 'negativity' is believeable or not.

I always think it's a shame that more people aren't able to give their feedback on how their lives work out when they emigrate to SA or go back to SA.

Pablo

[QUOTE/].........I don't think I could settle there as I want my children to know (and hopefully like) their immediate family - a value which i know is strong in SA and weak in the UK.[/QUOTE]

I would have offered a positive response until I read this statement. This knowledge based on "visits" to South Africa? Good luck to you.

I agree. Not a single person has come on here after living in S.A. for six months let's say and told us what their life is like - either positive or negative.

It is a real shame.

I would have offered a positive response until I read this statement. This knowledge based on "visits" to South Africa? Good luck to you.[/QUOT
What? You make no sense to me. I was trying to be civil and make chit chat about MY feelings of moving too far away from our families.

Infact I'm done with this site, it seems to be full of sarcasm and 'i told you so' types - I have only had one pleasant reply to my postings.

Goodbye BritishExpats

Kind of says it all. Try HCR. They'll give you that warm fuzzy feeling.

Pablo

I believe my response was perfectly clear. To state such a blatant generalization of the values of British families versus South African families based on a few visits discredits your argument. Seriously, how do you expect that kind of insult to be taken? Nothing at all civil about that comment. I don't think you can deliver a statement like that without some sort of response. So far, I have curbed my inclination to really express how I feel. In any event, I disagree with your statement and in essence have expressed it - respectfully.

Not such a positive thread after all then?

Sometimes it makes me giggle to see the way posters can wind each other up - the long running one posted by poor old Susie1979UK has some hilarious exchanges.

Seriously though, this SA forum is a bit antagonistic... *ducks*

The boyf and I are off to a house auction in Sydney tonight to hopefully scramble onto the property ladder here - it's really hard as Sydney is incredibly expensive. Wish me luck!

If people want the truth they get it here.

If they want the 'feel-good' sugar-coated, rose-tinted version, there are other forums they could visit where people will tell them what they want to hear. Hope they like salt though.

Simple as that.

Good luck with the auction.

Oy, I'll sommer slap you with a "slap snoek"! *waving my dinner around as imitation weaponry*


Only ever saw that in slapstick comedy

**WAVES FRANTICALLY**

Hello. Please visit my site, 6000 miles from civilisation... I do exactly what you're asking for. (I'm positive but realist too, by the way).