Time to Move?

I have been eagerly watching the election process in South Africa, as voters take to the polls in what could be the single biggest political event for the country and its people in recent history. For 30 years the ANC has held power, but it now appears that even their most loyal voter base is slipping away and early poll results show they are a fair way away from reaching the 50% majority. What that means for South Africa and South Africans is another story (and potentially another blog) but no matter what happens, there will be families up and down the country contemplating whether it might be the right time to leave and start life in another place (New Zealand is obviously a popular choice).

However political upheaval or uncertainty is nothing new for South Africa and despite the ANC holding on to power for so long, the country has been plagued with issues, most of which stem from political mismanagement. Don’t get me wrong, South Africa is a beautiful country with enormous potential, however if you were looking for reasons to leave, you wouldn’t have to look far. However for many, it takes something like an election decision such as this, to push them hard enough to contemplate packing up their bags, kids and the family pooch and heading abroad.

For others the decision to leave is not motivated by anything quite so dramatic, and in fact might be less about being ‘pushed’ out of their home country and more about being ‘pulled’ in the direction of somewhere new. This is true of people coming from countries like the United States, the UK or Singapore. Admittedly you might argue that there are plenty of people who feel they are being pushed out of those countries as well, but by and large people from more settled countries tend to see NZ as more of a lifestyle choice or they come in pursuit of different opportunities. People coming from South Africa often feel like they have no choice and no opportunities.