Would you move to Cape Town?

[ZarZarGabor]

Sorry posting here for traffic.

A good job opportunity has come up to move to Cape Town with work, likely for 3 years or so. We have one pre-school age child and are aware childcare options there are more affordable.

We have spent some time there before and so are alive to some of the issues the country faces including crime, load shedding and bureaucracy. However we still absolutely love the place and want an adventure.

Would be grateful to hear the views of people who have direct experience living there, especially with a young child.

I know lots of people will have a “friend of a friend” who has had bad experiences in South Africa, but I’d really like to hear from people who actually live or have lived there about day to day life for an expat and the sorts of considerations we might have forgotten to factor into (we have already considered visas, healthcare, security, costly mobile phone data etc).

thanks for any advice.

I met someone recently who moved to America from there and will never go back. His mother and sister, who I also met, live in fear of being attacked. Their home sounds like a prison. Every year they take a month's holiday to Europe, to get a break from the stress of it all.

A friend of mine was on holiday there with someone who was seriously attacked, mugged & slashed with a knife, and nearly died.

I wouldn't even take a trip there, never mind live there.

Some of the stories make me really home sick! I don’t know when I’ll go back but it’s definitely happening.

You know what @EnidSpyton well done. You’re right. You totally have an incredibly complex situation down.
I’ll sit down and tell my parents (both anti-apartheid activists who spent lots of time in jail) that what they fought for wasn’t freedom. I’ll chat to family friends who have scares from fighting apartheid.
it’s a complex situation. I can appreciate that. Can you?

@Agadontdontdont I will too.
I think 5 years and I’ll move back.
Honestly, there is no place like it.
Yes of course there are trade offs, but I will still take it over living anywhere else (and I’ve lived in a few places)

I've got a friend living there (who I met when we both worked in the US for 3 months). They have a beautiful lifestyle, BUT all her friends have left for Oz, UK etc and some absolutely horrific things (gang rape, armed home invasions etc) have happened to her and her friends.

Her security includes high walls with wire, paid security guards, a very large dog and a panic room.

I've been on holiday to CT and also self drove up around from Joborg, its the most beautiful country and I would go back for another holiday, but I wouldn't live there, especially with young children as the longer you are there, the higher the odds of the violence happening to you.

I was recently there for a vacation with family including my young DC. Stayed about 40 mins outside centre of CT for an extended time.

I absolutely loved it and on the whole I felt pretty safe most of the time and I’m definitely hyper aware of things.

however reading this thread I almost wonder if we had a lucky escape as it reads like you will almost certainly be a victim of something if you visit/live there.

The load shedding is the biggest complaint I would personally have from my own very limited experience.

I'm South African. Been in the UK 17yrs. Ultimately the lifestyle is great, but the risk is too high. Unfortunately things seem to have worsened over the past few years, so whereas 10yrs ago, I would've have said go for the adventure, now I can't. I grudgingly go back once a year to see my parents, but I hate the fear. My dad had a gun held to his head in his driveway for his car in an affluent suburb. The last time I was there, 2 male shop assistants were leering at my 12 yr old CHILD. I'm actually skipping my next trip to see my parents as I just can't accept that.

What's load shedding please

I love CT and have been there recently. But load shedding and crime make it a no from me too.

Of course I understand it's a complex situation. Which is why I'd never blithely refer to the ending of apartheid as providing 'freedom for everyone'.

Your parents may have fought for freedom, but it hasn't been achieved. I'm sure they know that as well as you do, so I'm not really sure what your point is here. Pretending that freedom for everyone was achieved denies the experience of millions of South Africans who are still effectively living under apartheid conditions. I don't see any white people living in shanty towns - do you?

@Packageholiday it's when electricity is shut down regularly on rotation to ensure that a supply can be maintained.

In SA this means that there are frequent power outages.

Sorry, op, I'm laughing at you having considered the costly mobile phone data but not seemingly being aware of all the rape and murder.

Not that it's funny, at all.

You just seem a bit a lot naive which would make you a perfect target so I'd stay well away.

😂 Thank you, my mind was boggling

@Agadontdontdont I also really like the new zulu king. I think he could be a real turning point and will take the Zulu royal family into the new era

Nope I wouldn't

This is my last post to you @EnidSpyton but freedom and equity or a equitable society aren't the same thing. Also, you're absolutely derailing the thread 😂
I think you're confusing the two. And I think you don't fully understand the situation

don't see any white people living in shanty towns - do you?

There's no doubt that equality hasn't yet been achieved but You haven't heard of Coronation Park just outside of Johannesburg?

www.bbc.com/mediacentre/proginfo/2014/07/extreme-south-africa

m.youtube.com/watch?v=gSPhu5W94UQ

I heard the same about him. I’m from a small town near Pietermaritzburg but most of my family have moved to the KZN coastal towns so that’s where I’ll move to. Probably not Ballito as everyone and their dog have moved there 😂

No it’s not safe.

@Agadontdontdont Kwazulu natal too. Farmers? If so, we will be related...

London is actually very safe (comparatively speaking).

New Orleans (on the positive side) you think Jazz, Mardi gras, you should also be thinking "I'm 50 times more likely to get murdered here than London".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_homicide_rate

You can't have freedom or equity in a society that isn't equitable. Your posts keep revealing that it's you who doesn't understand anything about this issue, I'm afraid. Surprising for someone who has 'anti-apartheid activist' parents.

This discussion isn't derailing the thread at all. Endemic, overt racism is something a newcomer to SA needs to be aware of. Living alongside that isn't comfortable or easy.

@EnidSpyton ok love. Night

I feel like all the answers are from people 'who know people'.
And if they're in the UK they know people that already made the decision to leave SA.
So the answers are skewed with people that left.
You're not getting answers from people that stayed. So it is not a true representation.
Anyway, from my side.
I am South African and we're currently living in the UK, also for a little bit of an adventure.

We're moving back to South Africa in November of this year and really looking forward to it. We have 2 young dc. 3 and 1.
The children are actually a huge driving force in us going back, I'm sure if we didn't have them, we'd have stayed in the UK longer
Heartily sick of dressing my kids like onions.
I want them to experience the sunshine and beauty of Africa.

Obviously we are not blind to SA's fault but I think it's a lovely place to raise children.

You don't even have to worry about long term settling, it's just for 3 years, I'd definitely do it.

A British family we've made friends with moved over to SA in March this year, for 4 years on a long term assignment. They work for the home office. They've got 2 young dc. 2 and 4 .Great feedback from them thus far.
We're also on a group with 4 young families moving back from UK to SA.

As I side note, if you've neve lived there, how can you say how it is?? People are really commenting ignorant bs.

Great post @ThroughGraceAlone