Ex-pats homeward bound!(?)

[bwana]

Yolandé Hayward WEEKEND POST REPORTER

THE global economic meltdown and resulting widespread job cuts could result in South Africa‘s crippling brain drain soon becoming a brain gain as South Africans living abroad are forced to return home.

And it is has been predicted that within the next few months the “floodgates” will open as expats seek the security of home.

While South Africa has had its fair share of economic woes, it has not been as hard hit as some leading nations like Britain and the US, where South Africans working or trying to find employment are becoming increasingly concerned about future job prospects.

With the economic crunch hitting hard in popular destinations like the UK I suppose it's only a matter of time but are there enough jobs available here?

 

[ToxicBunny]

Ahhh, call me a sceptic and all that but this just sounds like more propoganda from the Homecoming Revolution who have to put out a story like this every few months to justify their existence.

Granted, the global economic "meltdown" we're experience has made life tough overseas, and even here... but anyone who has made the decision to leave SA and set themselves up overseas would be incredibly short sighted to pack it in when the going gets tough and move back to SA. They'll lose ALOT of money, and the economic crisis hasn't really hit here yet, so they'll stand to lose even more money in the future if they're here.

 

[Alan]

I agree with TB.

"security of home" is irony at it's very best

 

[CyraxHB]

...South Africans living abroad are forced to return home.

I don't think this is true at all. All my friends living in the UK have no intention of coming home any time soon and I'm heading back overseas at the end of the week.

As bad as the job market is in the first world it is still better than SA, considering we have things like AA/BEE to deal with in addition to the financial crisis.

 

[bwana]

I don't think this is true at all. All my friends living in the UK have no intention of coming home any time soon and I'm heading back overseas at the end of the week.

As bad as the job market is in the first world it is still better than SA, considering we have things like AA/BEE to deal with in addition to the financial crisis.

As it happens I know of a few people who seem to have misplaced their employment there and are considering relocating back to SA - it might well be the Bank of Mom and Dad are also influencing their decision.

And please dont attribute the quote to me - I didn't write the article.

 

[Hosehead]

Ahhh, call me a sceptic and all that but this just sounds like more propoganda from the Homecoming Revolution who have to put out a story like this every few months to justify their existence.

.

That's exactly what it is. Do people honestly believe that returning expats have the money for shipping back home again all their worldly goods plus the money to buy a home which has more than doubled or quadrupled in value since they left? Then to finance all this with a far lower paying job if they can find one? They wouldn't be returning home if they had the cash would they?

 

[EtienneK]

That's exactly what it is. Do people honestly believe that returning expats have the money for shipping back home again all their worldly goods plus the money to buy a home which has more than doubled or quadrupled in value since they left? Then to finance all this with a far lower paying job if they can find one? They wouldn't be returning home if they had the cash would they?

I don't think you understand just how bad things are overseas.

"Then to finance all this with a far lower paying job" - How can any job be lower paying than no job at all? Jobs are scarce overseas.

 

[Hosehead]

I don't think you understand just how bad things are overseas.

"Then to finance all this with a far lower paying job" - How can any job be lower paying than no job at all? Jobs are scarce overseas.

Well Maybe they should all go to Dubai. Everyone I meet keeps saying that place is the best place since they invented sliced bread.

 

[Hosehead]

I don't think you understand just how bad things are overseas.

"Then to finance all this with a far lower paying job" - How can any job be lower paying than no job at all? Jobs are scarce overseas.

The EU unemployment handout and the child subsidy and the housing subsidy is worth considerably more than the average job here in SA.

 

[Glock26]

For every 1 returning, I bet there are another 10 leaving.
And it has nothing to do with the economic situation. Who wants to move back home and get a decent job, only to have it crippled by exorbitant internet costs and daily risk to your life? Combine that with increasing gridlock that won't allow you to drive anywhere, and zero public transport.
Yes, a job here isn't everything. People are leaving for other reasons.
As much as the "head int he sand" brigade don't want to admit it, things are not getting better.

G26

 

[Ricard]

Sure the UK is tough right now.. I was made redundant in December, 2 weeks later I had another job. Why is this difficult? 'cos the media! Unemployment is at a 18 year high of 5%! keep that in perspective.
I would rather ride out the storm in europe than go back to that Zumaville banana republic. MONEY is not one of the things that I rate as a priority, HAPPINESS is, and materialistic people will never understand this.

Homecoming revolution can offer me a job for R10000000000000000 per day, but they cannot offer my family safety, they cannot sort out the crime, infact - they cant do ANYTHING except register my interest and write articles about how great they are.

Every person has the right to make their own decisions, but I am in the UK for the longhaul, and I just wont pack my bags and leave when times get tough as the times got tough in SA too! funnily enough, I have been made redundant in SA too!

so to all those expats returning to SA, I bid you all safe travels and best wishes.
No other Country other than SA on this wonderful planet has a 'Homecoming Revolution' - doesnt that make you think?!

 

[adrianx]

Ahhh, call me a sceptic and all that but this just sounds like more propoganda from the Homecoming Revolution who have to put out a story like this every few months to justify their existence.

I agree! Long before I knew about the "Homecoming Revolution", I suspected that there was some kind of propaganda campaign in the media. I can't help it, but when I see people like Francois Pienaar, all I feel is contempt. As long as there is AA, I can honestly not understand why the government would want expats to come back. "Lambs to the slaughter" perhaps?

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

Yeah, I'll do another +1 on it being BS ..... even the people I know who have recently found themselves out of a job, have no plans whatsoever of coming back here.

 

[marine1]

Absolute BS, Mephisto, I agree with you.

 

[STS]

how is this article anymore BS than "White South Africans leaving in droves"?

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

how is this article anymore BS than "White South Africans leaving in droves"?

Just personally, the amount of people I know who have left and have not returned .... multiply that by all the people on the forum alone and you can see it's BS.

 

[Slooth]

Out of the 13 people I know, 2 are seriously looking at coming back. However I don't see them being here for long, they won't have the life style here as they have over in the UK.

 

[adrianx]

how is this article anymore BS than "White South Africans leaving in droves"?

Maybe I'm stupid and I don't understand what you mean.... but, even the government has admitted that there is a "brain-drain" problem.

I can understand that people that are not white would find such a statement offensive. It has nothing to do with intellectual capacity, though. You could have all the degrees in the world, but you still need experience. It was a mistake, IMO, to get rid of so many "whites" in key positions. Not because other races are incompetent, but because of historical reasons in SA, they lacked the experience. That's all.

 

[jambai]

Look,I think the credit crunch will send home more people than before.Home is where the heart is and if you aint getting the pay you deserve overseas I cant see any reason why not to come home especially to cape Town.Crime etc is an issue but the west is on the decline and in denial about it and it is going to be more and more difficult to live a decent life their (just my view)

 

[TheHiveMind]

I think expats should educate themselves about the elections, the parties, and exactly what everyone has been doing and saying. Then they should wait for the election results and take them into serious consideration before making a decision about returning.