Is Future For South Afrcia Realy That Bad?

[Eto]

Hi All,

Just thought that I should bounce this off everyone and see what reaction I get, as I see a very different picture when comparing what I read in the news versus what I experience on a daily basis out in the streets of Port Elizabeth.

In most cases I am greeted with smiles when I walk the streets or go shopping. The workplace is very similar as well from tea lady to management and in general I get the feeling that many are trying to make it work even when the odds are against us.

Shopping centres are popping up all around us with the biggest and latest one (Baywest) that opened yesterday. Stunning ctr and probably best compared with Canal Walk in Cape Town I guess.

Yes we all know about load shedding, municipalities that are broke due to corruption, quality of water and schooling on a down, BBBEEEEEEEEE..... gees it sounds like I already answered my own question . However, I always get that feeling that things could actually work and turn out for the better in the long run.

Racing through my mind at present is the question.....do I sit it out in RSA and spend the time with my family and friends or do we pack and leave and start a new life in Australia? This means no more time with family and we are all very aware of how important this becomes once the grand kids arrive, once our parents are old and need help.

Not sure if anybody agrees, but it would be great to hear what your thoughts are.

Many thanks.

Eto

[ottg]

@blung and everyone else - my worst half-baked post ever made - please accept my apologies if I made it sound trivial - hope I can fix it!

So let me try again and expand on my viewpoint.

If a person gets high jacked, shot at etc its a reality based on what you experienced. When an outsider compare that to all other events in the RSA society it is just that, another event UNTIL its gets closer to home. If its start happening to yourself, family, friends and acquaintances - then that is a reality and a fact and has nothing to do with perceptions.

However that accounts for both positive and negative experiences that influences our own daily lives. If the positive experiences are more than the negative ones then back to the question: Is Future For South Africa Really That Bad? Then in my view there is hope. That said if the negative experiences starts to accumulate and the perceptions become closer to reality in our own daily lives and we ask then the same question Is Future For South Africa Really That Bad? Then in my view there is no hope.

The real question is how long do you have to wait before those perceptions become a reality - I don't know? As for some of us, like me, we decided we don't want to be part of the experiment and wait.

[blung]

Sorry ottg,my previous post was probably a bit harsh. Apologies

[Mara]

I love it when people can act like adults instead of just going off in a tantrum!

Well done Ottg and Blung

[SurferMan]

Yes well done all! A lesson for us all then!

[BrendanH]

I don't think anyone can answer that. South Africa is a beautiful country and I can already tell that I am going to miss it.

I'm just not sure that I can say the country is going in the right direction.

The last 6 years has seen an extra 1.6 million people unemployed. Year on year economic growth has slowed to 1.6%. Our currency is constantly devaluing. Our country has dropped to one rating above junk bond and investment is grinding to a halt.

I've tried very hard to remain objective and allow economic facts to drive my decision to leave the country.

On the softer side I know that my salary is not able to stand up to the effects of inflation. My lifestyle is getting significantly worse and my real spending power is dropping with petrol and electricity prices being the primary driver.

Maybe the country can turn a corner and things can get better but I'm not confident enough to stake my kids' future on it. My other concern is that I an barely afford to get out as it is. f I stick around here for another three or four years and the decline continues there is a good chance that the option will no longer be available to us.

[SurferMan]

Thats bang on BAndH,

Just watch the currency trend over 20 years. And I am still waiting for JZ783's promise of 500 000 jobs. I am sure he meant he will ensure 500 000 are jobless, cos 6 months after that, Thats exactly what happended. never his faul of course, those pesky Westerners and their evil third force at worl you see.

Welcome to Aus when you land matey.

[AshB]

http://www.sapeople.com/2015/07/03/the-emigration-carousel-south-africa/

[DavePE]

Interesting comments in the article AshB posted. People who have immigrated and returned on holiday always comment how the country is visibly deteriorating in terms of infrustructure. I've heard from many family and friends how shocked they were once they reurned, even after only 2 years how rapidly things are going down the drain.

[JuliaClaire]

Then you visit Cape Town and see how things have visibly IMPROVED.

Hadn't visited for 8 years.

The city is clean and feels safe. Walked down kloof street at night.

The capetonians are looking super trendy and banting beautiful!

[Eva]

Interesting comments in the article AshB posted. People who have immigrated and returned on holiday always comment how the country is visibly deteriorating in terms of infrustructure. I've heard from many family and friends how shocked they were once they reurned, even after only 2 years how rapidly things are going down the drain.

Interesting, we visited at the end of last year for the first time in 6 years and I was surprised how things seemed to be pretty much the same as they were 6 years previously, we drove through the Transkei to the Eastern and Western Cape and the roads were amazing, better than the average roads here, they are built better in RSA. Other than load-shedding - which seemed to happen every time I was in a shopping centre so hubby didn't really mind - we found things pretty much the same.

[rozellem]

I dont know if its a direct result of load shedding, but we are seeing another "wave" of RSA immigrants in Sydney at the moment. And my RSA house guests, first time visitors to Aus, tells me of their great fear of a longer (2week?) power cut that people are scaring (rumour?) one another with.

[Nev]

On the 2 weeks without power story, here is the background:

If there is a over demand for power that the grid cannot supply the entire grid can "Trip", this will cause damage to the grid that will need to be repaired before power can be restored, as well as when the power is switched back on there will be a higher initial load requirement, this means that power can only be restored in stages by area.

So if this trip was to happen they estimate that at a minimum it would take 2 weeks to get the power back on.

As long as the load shedding happens and Eskom doesn't mess up this wont happen......

[qwerty]

Roads in the Western Cape are well maintained and have been 'upgraded' fairly recently. Not sure about other parts of the country though.

[SurferMan]

Just to add to Nevs post. When the grid collapses, it is vital to have ripple shedding on hand to dump sudden demands as he notes. Eskom can only do that in legally wired suburbs....Cannot be done in illegal settlements for example. Thats the real fear Eskom has. And thats why they are targeting wealthy suburbs...

[BrendanH]

I really don't think that an entire grid collapse is on the cards. I suspect that Eskom has been using that as a threat to try to get all the price increases pushed through Nersa.

[monsta]

@Bandh. There were once people who said load shedding was fear mongering.

Eskom hasn't changed their behavior that led to the load shedding. So, you betcha it could get worse.

[WernerS]

If you can imagine it happening in South Africa it can happen here! There were so many things that we were promised would "never happen in a new democratic South Africa". Guess what? It did!!!

As far as the roads are concerned. Sure they are in good condition. We have to thank SANRAL for that. But dig deeper and the truth will be revealed...its called TENTREPENEURSHIP

I am getting poorer by the day..my tax money does not buy me safety, education, medical services or any of the other so-called human rights entrenched in the constitution.

Go and read www.maroelamedia.co.za ...this will balance the censored news on www.media24.com

[SurferMan]

Grid collapse is VERY possible in SA, due to the design of the grid. I hope it does not happen cos the thugs would swallow that place whole.

[Shellfish]

I dont know if its a direct result of load shedding, but we are seeing another "wave" of RSA immigrants in Sydney at the moment. And my RSA house guests, first time visitors to Aus, tells me of their great fear of a longer (2week?) power cut that people are scaring (rumour?) one another with.

I saw a facebook post from 702 saying that migration agents in SA and Aus have had a 7 fold increase in people wanting to migrate since the beginning of the year. Citing all the usual crap but loadshedding seems to be a big one now.

I couldn't bring myself to raise my kids in SA. Statistically speaking, in 15 years my daughter would have a greater chance of being raped than of getting into (a no longer accredited) university. My mother in law teaches at a government school in Joburg - she has 50 kids per class. She is a very politically and socially aware women, very intelligent and well-read. She is saying that people need to get out and they need to get out soon.

[Eto]

Hi all,

Just would like to thank each and every one of you for your input. Lots of different opinions, but understandable, as it is not an easy topic to discuss with so many emotions attached.

My eyes opened with the recent death of my father and the experience we had with medical aid and us trying to avoid sending him to a government hospital.

For now it looks like my bags are packed and we will give oz another chance.

Take care and good luck to all.

Eto

[Mara]

ETO, so sorry to hear about your Dad, our heartfelt condolences.

[SurferMan]

Sorry to hear about your father Eto, prayers with you.

Just saw an article that said over 8000 millionaires have left South Africa since 2000. Damn that must be a truckload of tax revenue gone out the window.

[SurferMan]

Anyone here numerically minded enough to estimate what that may look like tax wise?

[Nev]

And how many millions each of those millionaires had, it will be a lot more than 8000x 1Mil

[Shellfish]

I laughed at the comments that people made saying "Who cares, there are still lots of Millionaires left in SA" - as if those people haven't got their money neatly tucked away abroad. Or do SAn's think that these millionaires are happy to watch their money halve in value within a 10 year period...