[jent]

This may not be the correct place to bring this up, but after spending hours reading though some old posts on this forum, I feel the need to dispel some of the poor impressions some SA expats have made. I hope that I speak for more than just myself when I ask the members not to pay too much attention to some of the EXTREMELY rascist remarks made by some expats! We don't all have that intense hatred and intolerance for people of colour. It is ironic, 15 years ago, friends of mine emmigrated to NZ as they could no longer condone the Apartheid govt. Now here I am defending rascist attitudes of those who have fled SA because they are no longer protected by an unjust govt that many of us 'whities' abhorred!! The fact of the matter is, that poor black SAfricans are the hardest hit by violent and petty crime. We are fortunate to have benefitted from the previous system and should be VERY quiet about how awful the present regime is(even though it really is awful-no questions!) We have choices that many don't have through no fault of their own. I appeal to all SAfricans and expats to be more responsible when presenting their point of view.
I think of the millions of wonderful chars who worked in our homes and really loved and nurtured us and our children. Each time you bad mouth SA, you bbad mouth and disrespect them and that makes me so angry.
My wonderful, strong, progressive, patriotic sister, who has done everything in her power to uplift her community was recently, together with her husband, hijacked in their driveway and taken in their car to withdraw money from their various accounts. They were emotionally bullied at gunpoint for 45 minutes, not knowing whether they were going to be allowed to live . Although this was not an isolated incident by any means, (I was hijacked 3 years ago and so was my father-in-law)Was I angry? Yes !Hate these criminals? yes! But I refuse to tarr one group of people with the same brush.
I hope you people don't experience the Xenophobia and intolerance in NZ that some of you display on this forum.
Stu70, you are dead right, SA's problems are complex, but, sorry, expats are bound to get defensive. Remember , all the previous colonies in Africa have deteriorated. Colonisation is the origin of most of Africa's long term ills. The corrupt govts have their previous oppressors to learn all the worst forms of oppression and corruption from. That's my take on it!
OK thats my rant!! sorry folks. Just had to get that off my chest!
Regards
JenT

[Sam B]

Really glad to read that, as I have previously been sickened by some of the opinions presented on this forum on this topic. Thanks for raising it.

Sam

[stu70]

Great post indeed. Keep in mind, violence in any form is not to be tolerated. But it will never help solving the problems by simplifying the issue and starting a symptomatic treatment. That at best is wishful thinking. It might make things rougher is what I am afraid of.

I have read a lot about Southern Africa and the nations of Zimbabwe and SA in particular. They both had prosperous economies and they were then ruled by a minority population. Does that mean that to be prosperous, one has to be ruled by minorities? NO. One has to compare several factors that determine the fate of a nation. Were the majority of SA people happier under that rule? Did the progress come through oppression and the fear? Did the majority feel part of that prosperity? I doubt that. Now fast forward a few years and there are majority folks turning the nation's affairs into a dog's breakfast. Authority without a strong sense of responsibility will not have positive consequences. What is needed is a strong helping hand from developed nations in taking a leadership role in encouraging SA administration to work on ridding itself of corruption, making rule of law as their "mantra" and supporting them in training of their people in all aspects of a strong civilian administration. For the black majority folks, they need to really take advantage of the vast pool of talented white minority and seek their help in running the nation in various capacities. SA can not just be a black only nation or it will become "Zimbabwe". If I were the president, I would bend over backwards to get the minority representation in all sorts of fields. These white people had made SA one of the best economies in the world. It is IMPORTANT that they do not feel foreigners in their own country. The blacks need the whites more than ever before. While the strategic initiatives are happening, there are lots of tactical issues that need to be handled; bring back the rule of law, again with the best people in police and military regardless of their skin colour, SCRAP affirmative action in the hiring for strategic roles. It will only make SA a third world "spent force". Go after HIV and AIDS prevention, spend money on education, entice the best teachers from other nations to build a strong economy. Remember folks, SA has probably got the best weather, beaches, and scenery. Imagine if they go back to their glory days in terms of law and order and economic prosperity while shading the sad history of apartheid! Heck I will think of moving there with my family down the pike too! Cheers, Stu

[Mickstim]

Hear hear Stu!

[jent]

Thank you Stu. That is the kind of response and perspective that most SAfricans would agree with. You are obviously rather well read on the topic! Good for you. Most who leave here, after all ,are passionate about this country of contradictions. Having done a fair amount of travelling, I have yet to find a more beautiful sight than the African sun setting over the Umfolozi game reserve, or the sound of a fish eagle in full throated cry, or the hauntingly beautiful voices of the wonderful Zulu folk on our farm, singing and beating their drums, or the smell of meat cooking on a wood fire etc etc I could go on and on. Many of the amazing experiences I had years ago I can no longer share safely with my children. That makes me want to weep. This is the hardest decision of my life!! Don't get me wrong, NZ has lots more to offer us than mere safety and we would really try to make as big a contribution to the community as we could, but the loss of family and all that is familiar is just sooo hard.

[victoria]

following on from your memories Jent.
The change of light to lilac just before sunset
The wind off the lake in the afternoon rustling the forever falling leaves
Listening to the stories of the africans
I can go back there whenever I want & I do. It's called memories & the wonderful thing about them is you can make them better than the real thing. I've learnt to stop missing "times" & it's helped. Thanks for your thoughtful posts.

[Mickstim]

I have been in the UK now for 7 years and left the Cape for economic rather than political reasons. The first few years were really tough and I was constantly homesick - and I have been back every year since I left. Funny thing is that the last couple of times back I have had a wonderful time and totally enjoyed it but if asked if I would want to go back to live the answer is a resounding 'no'.

I do feel that NZ has a lot of the good of SA without some of the really bad, and a lot of the good things of the UK without some of the really bad (like the overcrowding). I know it isn't perfect but do think it's the best place to be - and I can't wait to be there to live rather than just on holiday!

Barb

[kzn2nz]

JenT - your post leaves me with mixed feelings. I am a Safricn, and I am experiencing the ire of Affirmative Action and Black Ecomomic Empowerment.

As a business owner, I am losing money to Black-owned businesses, even though I am BEE Exempt because my business is a none-man-band.

As a jobseeker, I have been denied the ability to serve in the government, because they wanted to fill a post with a Black, even though the post was not an AA one.

In 1994, I was there when the old flag was lowered for the last time and the new one raised. I was there rejoicing that Mandela was let out of jail in 1991. I have suffered crime on no less than 10 occasions since then.

I have to say that I do not hate Blacks. I work with them and if I am forced into naming groups of people that I don't get along with, the Zulus are not on that list. My son's best friend is a Zulu girl. My wife teaches them and loves their openness and honesty. They are loud (fact - it is a cultural thing!) but she loves them, and they love her.

However, when I look at what is NOT happening in SA, I feel desperately affraid for the future of this country. The government that is not taking a serious stand on very, very serious issues. That is the only problem I have with SAfrica at the moment - that they have world class laws and policies, but absolutely pathetic, selective and innefective enforcement. Nepotism is still there, despite the regime change of 1994. The ruling class are increasingly becoming a black mirror of the exact thing they deposed. In a nutshell, while everything has changed, nothing has changed... The poor, rural Zulus that I work with are suffering more now than in Apartheid South Africa, in many instances and will tell you so themselves that they are ashamed at the new government. The middle class Black (an increasing, but still all too rare phenomenon) is happier, but in the rural context, there is such a poverty trap that if I was put into that situation right now, I do not know if I would be able to escape it.

I also do not like the racist remarks. If we can avoid the racial slurs, and deal with the real issues, we will be in a much better position to address the underlying causes, rather than blaming everything on "the Blacks", which is unfair, misdirected and inaccurate, and just shows the ignorance and immaturity of the speaker.

[jent]

James. I can sense from your post that I have found a knidred spirit. I agree with everything you have said. The scary thing is that the good old Zulu is charmed by the Zuma's and WILL not see the errors of his ways. Moral regeneration HA bloody HA ha. I speak Zulu and was a farmer's wife. The poverty trap is all to familiar to me as in the workers on the farm getting into the most debilitating debt and having no way out, because their lack of education made them so vulnerable to crooked deals and HP they could not conceptualise.
Someone else also said that you need to make new memories. believe me, I have no desire to be a 'when we'!! I have already been through that. 4 years ago we moved from rural KZN to Cape Town. It took me 3 years to get over the when we stage. After our last visit there in Dec, I was happy to come back 'home'(to CT) for the first time after annual visits. Leaving our farm was the hardest move, lifestylewise and as far as the family and friend support goes. I feel that a move to NZ would not actually be so hard. I'm not kidding myself, leaving SA will be huge, but not as big a deal as our last move, after 16 years of farming on a family farm. Thank you to all who have responded. I was beginning to think that I was a lone voice in the wilderness as far as the tone of some of the obnoxious posts made by expats or soon to be expats. I wondered how the new countrymen could stand to be around those intolerant attitudes without wondering if having SAFricans there was such a good idea!
Regards(from a very wet and cold Cape Town!)
Jen