In the interests of a balanced perspective, I offer the following

Expats are trashing SA

Chris Moerdyk
It is the right of every South African, no matter what their colour, race, creed or gender, to choose to leave this country and live anywhere they like in the world without being made to feel that they are traitors.

Fortunately, we have a government that does not prevent any of us doing precisely this although I believe that anyone leaving South Africa should be able to take everything they have earned by the sweat of their own brows and not be restricted financially as they are now.

I have no intention of leaving this country because I tried it for a couple of years in the 1970's during the apartheid era and didn't like it one bit. But that's just me. Other people like it a lot and I would fight for their right to choose where they want to live.

But, nothing on earth annoys me more that those South Africans who have decided to leave the country and then continually write letters to the SA media and berate their friends and families back home about how bad things are in South Africa. (Unfortunately this does happen to some extent. From my perspective, I believe a lot of ex South Africans are very concerned and shocked to see and hear what is actually going on now that they view South Africa from a different side, and can be objective in their summary of the future and where the country they hold dear is headed- Dave)
They don't even try to hide the fact that they clearly wish South Africa would self destruct in one huge cataclysmic civil war. ( maybe some, but most of us are just damn worried for the people we have left behind, and their well being- certainly not to justify OUR leaving - Dave)

I believe they do this because they have this overwhelming need to keep convincing themselves, their friends, their families and anyone who is prepared to listen, that they made the right decision about leaving South Africa.

Over the years million of Irishmen have left Ireland to live somewhere else. Brits have left the UK in droves. And right now there are more Austrians living abroad than there are left in Austria.
But, I don't hear as many of these expats trashing their countries with such venomous passion.
The real reason for leaving
Of course not all expat South Africans behave this way. But far too many of them do and one can't help but wonder about their real reasons for leaving. Did they really believe that the grass was greener on the other side? Did they actually hate our climate, sport, holiday resorts and game parks? ( no we loved it, but that's all fine if you HAVE a job mate - Dave)Or did they just hate the fact that black people were in power and that the cushy days of apartheid were over forever? ( you have it all wrong mate, the ones that left, were the liberals, PFP supporters if you wish, people who supported the ideals of a multi-cultural South Africa where there was equality and fairness, not ardent Nationalists, and because they could, those that bitch are the ones that can't or are trapped, unhappy, or now leading a miserable life back "home"- Dave)

One can't help feeling that it all boils down to the fact that a lot of them just did not like having to share their country with black people. (pardon me , but that is Bullshit , this is the typical reaction from a typical South African, justify everything in racial terms- Dave)

After all, why does one see so many old South African flags being waved at SA/Australia rugby tests in Perth? Why does one keep hearing about groups of South Africans continuing to celebrate apartheid holidays on the beaches of New Zealand surrounded by AWB uniforms and flags?

Frankly, I don't know why I get so steamed up about these jealous and clearly insecure morons who gleefully leap upon every little thing that goes wrong in this country and scream "I told you so."
I suppose we should just be grateful that they did leave the country. ( good on you mate - Laager mentality? - Dave)
Last week in this column I wrote about the fact that I believe South Africans can overcome our present political and power problems. Like many other South Africans I reckon we have two choices. Sit around and whinge or get off our backsides and do something about fixing it.
I am happy to say that the enormous response to this article, which has now been published on several other websites, was positive. But there were critics of what I had to say.
Such as a husband and wife who, judging from their e-mail address, live overseas and who sent me this charming little note:
"You are a braindead f%&^ing idiot who wouldn't have the guts to move to another country. Get your facts right you ANC puppet - South Africa is finished just like the rest of Africa has been f(&*ed. Wake up you to$%#r!!!"

There were two questions to answer. Firstly, tor someone to get so steamed up, the only conclusion I can come to is that they desperately want to be proved right in their decision to leave a country that they clearly love very passionately.
Secondly, what sort of wife would be part of such an e-mail?. Wow, what a woman. Thank heaven she doesn't live in this country anymore.
Signs of life
But, I also got some very encouraging e-mails, from people of intelligence, such as this one:
"I left SA when I was 21 years of age and met my Australian husband not long after my travels to Papua New Guinea. We returned to SA after we were married in Australia, lived back in Cape Town, our daughter was born here... we left again in 1978 and lived in Sydney for all those years. In 2004 after many holidays with family and friends in CT we returned permanently.

"As a South African I was very proud to return as a South African as I never sought nationality of any other country. I am very proud of my country, warts and all. We both feel blessed to be living in this wonderful country of ours! Sure there are times of difficulties but how proud I still was on a very recent holiday to Paris to say I was from Afrique-du Sud! Thank you for your wonderful article."