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 Pros and Cons of moving to South Africa |
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Pros and Cons of moving to South Africa |
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South Africa is a large, diverse and incredibly beautiful country, with the past marred by years of imposed racial segregation, and a present full of peaceful opportunities for its people. Chances are than upon arriving you will be awed by the beautiful nature, fantastic year-round climate, friendly people, quality of infrastructure and affordability of a luxurious lifestyle. With all these advantages going for South Africa, it is hard to believe that this is a country with rampant crime rate, a fully fledged AIDS epidemic, and – still – a very high percentage of population living in poverty. To understand South Africa fully, you will need to deal with the full spectrum of issues that the country is facing. So let’s take a good look at the pros and cons of moving to South Africa.
Pros
There are very few countries in the World that can rival with South Africa’s stunning scenery and diverse wildlife. Numerous books have been written about this and numerous polls put South Africa at the top spot on the global destinations ratings, so we will spare you. But even by the high South African standards, Cape Town’s setting is truly incomparable. Nothing that you read and hear will prepare you for the natural splendour of this gem: a beautiful, friendly city nestled between the blue Atlantic, the majestic Table Mountain and the lush green winelands, with dozens of World-famous scenic treasures within an hour’s drive, or less.
South Africa has a number of distinct climatic zones. Cape Town is located in the so called Mediterranean zone and enjoys warm, sunny summers with temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius (high 70ies – 80ies Fahrenheit). It rains occasionally and can be very windy. Summer season starts in November and lasts through March. Winters are cool and wet, but considerably nicer than what most people coming from the Northern Hemisphere are used to. Winter daytime temperatures in Cape Town never drop under 10 degrees Celsius (50 F). It usually hovers at a non-threatening 15 degrees Celsius (60 F) and you can have perfectly sunny “winter days” with temperatures in the 20ies Celsius (around 70F). It rains often, but on the upside there is very little wind.
The relative strength of foreign currencies can afford you great quality of life in South Africa. Everything – from housing to cars to restaurants to groceries – is considerably more affordable here than in most European countries and USA. This is your time to treat yourself and your family. See our Cost of Living section for details.
It’s no wonder that in a country that is blessed with a combination of great climate and stunning scenery, people love the great outdoors. This is especially true of Cape Town. There is a million of things you can do, and it is totally up to you how active you want to be. If you feel lazy, spend the day at the beach or by the pool, host a traditional braai or take the family to a picnic at one of the hundreds of wine farms or at the beautiful Kirstenbosch. Feeling active - go for a serious mountain hike or a jog along the beach (hopefully spotting an occasional whale...), cycle, surf, kayak, raft, play golf all year round, you name it.
South Africa is a melting pot of cultures, races and religions. There is no denying of the racist past and the disgusting crimes of Apartheid, but fact remains that today the people of South Africa live peacefully together and work as a team building their national identity. Given how long it took an average old-World country to build its nation and how much blood was spilled in the process, what is happening in South Africa is truly amazing. Perhaps this drive makes South Africans that much more accepting, caring and hospitable. If you treat them in the same manner, you will be welcomed with open arms and showered with never ending braai invitations. And because English is widely spoken, meeting people and making friends is really easy.
Most of people new to South Africa are very surprised to find out that the local infrastructure is comparable to that of USA, Australia and many European countries. In that sense, South Africa does not feel like Africa at all. The roads are tarred, even in small towns (which does not prevent South Africans loving their 4x4 SUVs fit to explore the surface of Mars). Utilities are generally well-managed, despite the 2007 energy crisis which left most of the country with months of unscheduled power cuts. Water is of highest quality and perfectly drinkable. High quality landlines are available, along with mobile networks and broadband connections, and a very advanced cable TV network soon going HD. Private medical care and schools are of excellent quality and will cost you well below Europe and USA. There are numerous banks and financial institutions. The weakest point of South African infrastructure is probably public transport such as train and bus system, which is overcrowded and often unsafe. That being said, flying locally is easy and inexpensive with at least 4 South African airlines and BA also offering local flights.
The number of expatriates living in South Africa today exceeds 200,000, with half of them being based in Western Cape and the rest spread out around the country. The largest expat community is British and second largest – German. Other large expat contingents are represented by the Dutch, the Belgians, the Portuguese and the French. All these nations have close historical ties with South Africa and over the centuries have influenced the South African way of living. You will also find numerous Scandinavians, Italians, Jews and Irish. The newest reinforcement to the expat legion is Americans, Russians, and Chinese, the numbers of which are steadily increasing.
It’s still a pretty long flight back home, but hey – there’s no jet lag! And you do not have to wait until ridiculous hours to call your Mom.
Cons
Crime is a real issue in South Africa and undoubtedly the biggest deterrent from settling down in this country. Despite a trend for improvement during the last couple years, the statistics are still appalling. There were 18,000 murders in 2006, every 26 seconds a woman is raped and every 6 days a woman is killed by her intimate male partner. Front pages of the national papers abound with scary headlines. However, keep in mind that crime in South Africa is not the indiscriminate phenomenon that press reports suggest. While well-off residents are obviously are a target, prevalent majority of violent crime happens in the townships. The difference in terms of security between townships and the well-off areas is enormous. No doubt you still need to be on guard, but there is no reason to be paranoid. By consistently following simple security precautions you can reduce your risks significantly. From that perspective South Africa is not that dramatically different from many other parts of the world and many areas are safe by any standards. Read our Safety and Security section to learn how to manage your risks.
According to official statistics, one out of 5 South Africans is infected with HIV and the numbers are rising. The main reasons for such horrific spread of HIV is poverty and lack of education about the decease. Many people in impoverished areas still believe that having sex with a virgin is a cure for HIV. Such shocking ignorance spreads all the way up to the government, with the President himself only recently admitting the causal relationship between HIV and AIDS. The danger of catching the virus through unprotected sexual contact in South Africa is very real thus it is in your interest to practice safe sex. There is no special risk from medical treatment, especially in private hospitals and clinics, but if you are travelling to remote areas take your own needle and transfusion kit.
2009 is the year of the next parliamentary elections in South Africa. Elections are held every 5 years and the leader of the majority political party becomes the president. ANC, enjoying overwhelming support among the black South Africans, has dominated the political arena since 1994 and is more than likely to win the upcoming elections. However for the first time in the post-apartheid era the party is fractured between those supporting current President Thabo Mbeki, and the former deputy president Mr Jacob Zuma, who had been sacked by Mbeki for alleged corruption in 2006. Despite this as well as charges of alleged rape, Zuma won the internal ANC election for the post of the President of the party in 2007, which practically made him the next South African president-in-waiting. Zuma is a controversial populist politician. Especially among the white minority, Zuma's election has caused concern that their economic and civilian rights may become further limited, already causing divestments in South Africa. While the black majority is split on Zuma, many poor see him as the only politician to take the issue of poverty seriously. Equally, many citizens were outraged about what they considered Zuma's poor moral standards, believing he was guilty of both rape and corruption although this was not proven in highly profiled court cases against the ANC leader.
South African bureaucracy is rather slow, not terribly efficient and often less friendly than they could be. Visas and permits take a long time to process and require a mountain of paperwork. Work permits are especially problematic (except for corporate and intra-company transfers). This is significant for spouses accompanying their husbands/wives on a work contract to South Africa, as they might find themselves unable to secure a work permit and thus unable to work. Business permits for small or home based businesses are very difficult to obtain, too. Permanent residence permits often take more than a year to be processed. Very few of the government services are available online, which means long lines are hard to avoid. If all this sounds like way too much hassle to you (it certainly does to us) you can have lawyers or all kinds of consultants handle your affairs. There is even a few companies that offer queuing for you so you do not waste time. All this comes at a cost but may well be worth every cent.
Last updated: September 14, 2009 |
