smarksy

Greetings!

I have to say that this time five years ago I never thought I would be posting in a forum for British expats. I used to have such a normal life, living in the southwest of England, working as a laborer to a Thatcher and drinking fine ales at the weekend in my local. Seeing the world was something I'd always dreamed of doing but never though it would actually happen... that is until one day, whilst drinking in the for-mentioned local pub, I made the same mistake that a few people on this forum seem to have made; I fell in love with a South African girl.

Within months of meeting this girl we were backpacking around Australia together. After a few years of bumming around down under, I was finally taken to meet her family, who by this point had relocated back to Africa from the UK and were running a game farm in western Botswana. As soon as I arrived in Botswana I fell in love with the place and we spent some time exploring Botswana, Namibia and a bit of South Africa. I was now almost as 'bush befok' as my girlfriend but still very skeptical about the prospect of actually settling in Africa... forever!

We ended up moving back to England almost 2 years ago now and it's fair to say that we are both rather miserable, stuck in a routine of working in jobs we hate and barely having enough money to pay the rent, So we have decided that giving SA a chance might not be such a bad idea after all. I've already seen for myself how good the quality of life can be over there and the chances are that if we give living there a go, I will end up loving it.

I do still have a few questions and concerns though, firstly do I need to be married to my girlfriend in order to get a visa? Getting married is definitely not out of the question, we would just rather save some money for a proper wedding, rather than rush into a formal registry office type one right now just for the sake of a visa.

Also; the area of SA we were thinking of eventually settling would be in the Northern Cape near the Botswana/Namibian borders... however I know that the towns here are Afrikaner towns and although I know they are very friendly, welcoming people, I worry that I would struggle fitting into their community on a permanent basis, especially considering that I don't speak Afrikaans! Does anyone on here live in the Northern Cape? I would love some advice.

And I think my final (an probably biggest) concern is the same one that anyone considering moving to SA has... the crime. Like said I have spent time in SA, I have driven from Namibia down the west coast to Cape Town and then on to George and I have been to Joberg a few times and I have never experienced any crime, however I realize that a lot of people have left SA (including my girlfriends family) for a reason. Do you guys struggle to sleep at night from fear of being violently robbed? Or do you get on just fine taking the necessary precautions and keeping your wits about you?

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

ededed

Hi, and welcome to BE.

I am fairly sure that yes, if you want an accompanying spouse visa you need to be married. Check out Department of Home Affairs - HOME for visa requirements.

Afrikaners are very friendly and welcoming, and will gleefully take the piss in a very gentle way - speaking Afrikaans obviously about you but not with any malice. You don't need to speak the language to fit in, don't worry. Picking up the odd phrase will help.

If and when they want to get to you, they will. I wouldn't move there in a million years as I have kids - but if it was just me and the wife, it would absolutely be worth the risk. Your chances of being in danger are relatively small, but too great for kids. As an adult, it's easier to mitigate and live the life you want to live.

Good luck - shout if you need any more info,

Ed