'Why I left South Africa'

<p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:medium;">There are views for and against SA as it stands now. Here is my 50 cents on the state of affairs.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlnPT7vu_DScC03C57c09ae9za99JdWJkQGpWueYtE8jpnPrsTbGipl5I7UQR54nPs6Qlp20mX0eBC4YLuBO9Bcz8kXJ0bfHwUPryWTVpOrY7WsUc30hNhW8AEUZ4NiCQqGry1JKfgOZ9/s1600/EXPATS.gif"></a>Pros:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xh144ieKf8YksdhWUrRjzj0L-eFMXhODscwHjus5wVvLzQrYOyQmprGSCQH5T-TbNNXa3XrRWuediyvU0ZRKZY5qTzHVKTnlgjHICKpOheA5kCXTq_7HTXarul9QMpK9BnuedLnEU2dJ/s1600/EXPATS.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550750283061566210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xh144ieKf8YksdhWUrRjzj0L-eFMXhODscwHjus5wVvLzQrYOyQmprGSCQH5T-TbNNXa3XrRWuediyvU0ZRKZY5qTzHVKTnlgjHICKpOheA5kCXTq_7HTXarul9QMpK9BnuedLnEU2dJ/s400/EXPATS.gif" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 170px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>1. Weather is generally great all over SA.<br /><br />2. Freedom of Movement.<br /><br />3. Great outdoors.<br /><br />4. Big 5.<br /><br />5. Huge opportunities.<br /><br />6. Infectious SA humour and camaraderie.<br /><br />There are many more, and to each person they hold a different weighing of importance. Just so that you all know, I left SA, for these reasons...<br /><br />Cons:<br /><br />1. Crime. Why is there a massive disparity between the police stats and the SAMA stats? Even so, the level of violence that goes with a house breaking etc. is off the scale, and don’t let them bull dust you, it is getting worse. (I have friends who own security companies, and their stats are all going up rapidly; why are the cops going down?)<br /><br />2. Water. Why was the report by Dr Anthony Turton blocked by the CSIR? We have acid mine drainage and Government just set up a task team to “look into the matter” time has gone for this, action is required.<br /><br />3. Sewerage. Government refused to release a report on the state of sewage, saying that it would cause panic amongst people, who didn’t understand. Yeah right. You have to love this minister, who says you only have a crisis when there is a country-wide outbreak of cholera. Just look to Haiti to see how well that idea worked! Read the <a href="http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/GreenDropReport.pdf%20">report here</a><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:medium;">4. Corruption. There is almost zero appetite for tackling corruption. People get “redeployed” rather than fired and jailed.<br /><br />5. Education. The highest per capita allocation in the world, and the results are dismal. I say no more.<br /><br />6. Economy and social grants. People in SA need grants, that’s a fact, but you cannot have 4.5 million tax payers feeding 14 million (and counting) people. At some point, you have to give less to be able to give more. The tax base in SA is too small for all these election promises, SA has to become more prudent.<br /><br />7. BEE. The idea was noble, the execution a disaster. For a white guy to get a shot at goals in SA he has to start a company. Once successful, he has to take on a BEE partner to get business, and the inevitable “SA handshake” Note, not all do business like this, but I have been around enough businesses to know this is de rigueur.<br /><br />8. SARS at roadblocks. I have queried this with about 40-odd people who live in other countries, and they don’t know of any in those countries that have dedicated people from SARS/IRS etc at a roadblock. This tells me the fiscus is desperate for money.<br /><br />9. Land reform. Why not use a partnership model? Who does Government expect someone to walk onto a farm and suddenly know how to run it profitably? The distribution plan is noble, and again, terribly executed.<br /><br />10. Infrastructure. Not enough money to fix the roads. And oh yes, we pay taxes on our licenses, and then again on petrol, why then do we pay AGAIN for toll roads? Where is the money going to?<br /><br />11. Plastic bags tax. Where is all that money people?<br /><br />12. Quasi-militant unions. Utterances like, “we will make the country ungovernable” and “they will be war”, “we cannot guarantee we can control our members” wake up! This is a low-grade war. Since when do soldiers storm the Union Buildings? That is high treason people. We cannot afford to pay more for civil servants but they hold a gun to our head. Why do these people loot and trash the streets, cars and shops? Basal thuggery, endorsed by their handlers.<br /><br />There are many more points I can raise, but stand back a little and look at all the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle and SEE what your eyes and ears are telling your brain. It has been declining slowly for years. Forget the NP or the ANC. Who is running it matters not, how they are running it matters. Unless the so-called great unwashed realise they are getting a raw deal every 5 years, it will keep getting worse.<br /><br />I am grateful to my Father in heaven for the chance to leave. I will not throw stones when asked by people about my former country, but I will be candid about the facts.<br /><br />It is indeed, Cry The Beloved Country. I sleep now with open windows; don’t worry about the guy selling a paper at the traffic light (robot) or the lights behind me on the way home. SA citizens, you are going to have to stand up and demand accountability. Call me what you wish, but I am happier now than I have been in 20 years.<br /><br />My children have a genuine shot at goals. To those who choose to remain and those who cannot leave, I salute you.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:medium;"></span><p></p>

'Why I left South Africa'

There are views for and against SA as it stands now. Here is my 50 cents on the state of affairs. Pros: 1. Weather is generally great all ov...

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Better off in Australia

<P><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">I am a South African living in Australia.<br /><br />We left SA four years ago. It is hard living away from friends and family and we miss South Africa but the good arguments for living away from SA are:<br /><br />- There is no crime.<br /><br />- There is a future for white people.<br /><br />- We have the luxury of walking anywhere at any time of day or night.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG416zoBbAfOtaxx4zcNaFsWapQjsjikGuELGe7yS0UgaymcU9T6G1WZxXpr8-mkg8Zu1EvUdDFZP1KIYtRlc8YDmSFCJxKdxgnGyjZXevZcHwbsn0IngIqnnaLBGAxfQgPRUIf4aeha1/s1600/south-africans.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550758154491276850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoG416zoBbAfOtaxx4zcNaFsWapQjsjikGuELGe7yS0UgaymcU9T6G1WZxXpr8-mkg8Zu1EvUdDFZP1KIYtRlc8YDmSFCJxKdxgnGyjZXevZcHwbsn0IngIqnnaLBGAxfQgPRUIf4aeha1/s400/south-africans.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 331px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>- People look after themselves and the average person doesn't become the baby-sitter of their domestic staff.<br /><br />- Money is worth something here.<br /><br />- Everything works.<br /><br />- There is no litter.<br /><br />- Nothing is broken.<br /><br />- The government is very efficient.<br /><br />- If you are unemployed you will not starve.<br /><br />- You don't have to live with guilt forced on you by whinging formally disadvantaged people.<br /><br />- Life is simpler.<br /><br />- Public transport is fantastic.<br /><br />- My children can travel on any bus or train on their own.<br /><br />Yes it is expensive but you earn more here and interest rates are much less.<br /><br />We will never go back to SA to live - thanks but no thanks.<br /><br />There is so much good life to be had outside of SA. Life is too short to live scared and pissed off every day of your life.</span><p>

Better off in Australia

I am a South African living in Australia. We left SA four years ago. It is hard living away from friends and family and we miss South Africa...

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Gang-rape horror at Port Elizabeth beachfront

<p><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">A JOHANNESBURG businesswoman was subjected to 15 hours of blind terror when she was abducted in broad daylight and then repeatedly gang-raped on the popular Port Elizabeth main beachfront this week.</span></strong></span></span></p><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;"><strong></strong></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnCW6A3-MImAG7wxGGSZnO6nR77kmT9i32zetii-XEeFR63KWLEG0i9YJhG6iOyhhZJnfBNr3Q21NTHkmFLcEbzOuu9ApoE7ADTU4Rxq0w0LXfaSsVTVEwiK-CDdFDJdnoPVBNfA2Hi_D/s1600/BLACK+DEATH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"><img border="0" height="480" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnCW6A3-MImAG7wxGGSZnO6nR77kmT9i32zetii-XEeFR63KWLEG0i9YJhG6iOyhhZJnfBNr3Q21NTHkmFLcEbzOuu9ApoE7ADTU4Rxq0w0LXfaSsVTVEwiK-CDdFDJdnoPVBNfA2Hi_D/s640/BLACK+DEATH.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none"><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The woman, who is formerly from Nelson Mandela Bay, was evidently taking one last walk along Kings Beach before flying back to Johannesburg on Thursday, when she was attacked.<br /><br />The vicious attack – which continued from late afternoon on Thursday until early Friday morning – came just days before the festive season is officially opened in Mandela Bay.<br /><br />The highly-traumatised 48-year-old victim was found lying helpless on Kings Beach by a passing jogger at about 6am after her night of hell.</span><br /></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Read the full story of her ordeal in Weekend Post today (Saturday). </span></em></div><p></p>

Gang-rape horror at Port Elizabeth beachfront

A JOHANNESBURG businesswoman was subjected to 15 hours of blind terror when she was abducted in broad daylight and then repeatedly gang-rape...

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