SAFETY

Welcome to Expat.com, Karin!
I hope you'll soon get information on your quest but did you ask your father what he thinks about it?
Cheers
Arlette

Dear Arlette,
Yes of course I did.  But my father is over the 80 years old, he lives in a compound, has not so many friends and barely goes out.  He is so much willing that I move back to S-A that he does not say much about the two fears I have. I would like to have an objective view from younger people, who still have an active life and who can compare the life in Europe to the life in SA.  Thanks !
Take care,
Karin

Hi BountyTwix.

I am a South African married to a UK citizen. We live in South Africa. I have myself studied in the UK and travelled extensively in Europe. On your two concerns, here are my thoughts.

In general crime is definitely more prevalent in SA than most European countries. But like any Euroean city, it depends on where you are. Most crime is localised to specific areas. In South Africa, people take sensible precautions to avoid becoming victims of crime. These might include burglar alarms in your house, avoiding 'bad' areas in cities, and reasonable awareness of your surroundings. Nothing you might not want do in any large city anywhere. You son will have access to good schools, great universities and have every opportunity to grow and develop. You don't have to live in a gated community (although many choose to do that), and you will be able to go to the movies, have a drink on a terrace, etc. Again, you will soon know the appropriate areas in whatever place in SA you choose to settle in. Generally, the long term trend indicate a slow, yet steady decline in most types of crime. So the longer-term outlook is good.

As for the future, South Africa is an exciting, vibrant, contradictory and perplexing society, perhaps maddingly so. (Could you ever imagine having an army that is unionised? Well in South Africa we have!) Everything seems up for debate and experiment. On the whole it is a society struggling to come to terms with a myriad challenges it faces. These include social and economic problems such as gross inequality (amongst the highest living standards side-by-side with amongst the lowest in the world), poverty, unemployment, the hugely uneven quality of public education, and rapid urbanisation. Perhaps, more problems than your average European country. But at least these are discussed and despite mistakes made, sometimes serious, at least they are on the public agenda. Despite these challenges, generally the signs are there that the country is moving in the right direction, towards a safer, stable and peaceful future. While some would suggest that affirmative action policies are closing down oportunities for young white people, in reality, all young people do have to compete for jobs, which can be tough, even for graduates. The fact remains that unemployment is the lowest for white people in South Africa. But the economy is growing slowly but steadily. Thus the pie is growing and thus more jobs will be on offer for all.

In the recent global economic crisis, South Africa was one of a few countries that sailed through without serious impact. This is due in part to our manufacturing and commodity export-based economy, but mostly to wise economic and fiscal stewardship by the authorities, notwithstanding outrageous instances of corruption and malfeasance. Ironically, many South Africans abroad - most of whom are white - are coming back to the country in the aftermath of the economic crisis abroad. They are very likely to contribute intellectual, financial and entreupreneurial capital to a growing economy.

All-in-all I would sugest that South Africa is a land of opportunity. My sense is that there can be a future for you and your son here. Should you be open to exciting and sometimes frustrating challenges, and you come with an open attitude, enterprising spirit, skills, (and ideally some financial resources to set you up), you will find that the country is a wonderful place to make an enchanted life, as millions do.

Lastly, I think it would definitely be easier for you if you could claim South African citizenship from Belgium. Immigrants are subjected to all manner of scarce skill requirements for work permits etc. In addition, our Home Affairs Department is not the most efficient, to say the least. Perhaps you could speak to the South African embassy in Belgium about applying for citizenship.

I hope you find these thoughts meaningful.