# South Africans Returned to SA after 10 years in UK now wanting to go back



## mrschel (Oct 17, 2014)

Hello all, my husband and I are both South African and moved to the UK 10 years ago, initially to travel but both of us got good opportunities in terms of work and ended up staying for a decade. 

We returned to South Africa a year ago as we always longed to be back 'home' and wanted to start a family. We moved to Johannesburg as financially it is the only city in SA where jobs pay enough for us to have the same standard of life as in the UK and our boy was born a few months ago - after a big shock of finding out I was pregnant two weeks after we arrived back (which also means I was not able to find a job until now because employers aren't keen to appoint pregnant women)

We now appear to have 'what we always wanted' but are very unhappy in SA and are considering moving back to the UK. We were both very positive about our move back but there are too many little things that we find hard to get our heads around and it all adds up. We feel as if we are 10 years behind in terms of where we were in the UK despite being financially secure.

Is there anyone that has moved back to SA and returned to the UK? We would like to hear about your experience to assist us in making our decision.

Thank you


----------



## _shel (Mar 2, 2014)

Did you obtain British citizenship in that time?


----------



## mrschel (Oct 17, 2014)

We did yes


----------



## casqueira (Apr 22, 2014)

Hi, even though I've never been to the UK, your experience interests me because both my husband and I are thinking of returning to SA. I left almost 30 years ago and have lived in Portugal all this time. My husband came to Portugal 14 years ago but now he just wants to "go back home".
I was wondering if you could shed some light on what it is that makes you want to leave again... you said


> there are too many little things that we find hard to get our heads around and it all adds up


Which little things, please?


----------



## 2fargone (Jun 14, 2011)

mrschel

I think you should also post in the Britain Forum. There are quite a few South African posters there.


----------



## mrschel (Oct 17, 2014)

Hi, it may sound petty but the crime, the impatience and poor driving of people on the road, poor service when you try to resolve any queries by telephone, cost of private medical, banking costs & the cost of living overall. It is also very hard to meet people or build up a social network as people are not really approachable for example I have started two different types of baby classes to try and meet new moms but it has been months and though they are friendly at class no one is interested in meeting up for a coffee? I also think it is hard to return to SA after living in a first world country for so long. We were so spoilt for choice in many ways in the UK and believed we would either have the same in SA or it would not matter as we will be 'home' but it gets to you after a while. It is nice to be closer to family and to have plenty of good days weather wise but what is the point of having all that but not even being able to walk my boy down the street in his stroller as we are too scared of being robbed or attacked even when we live in a good area?


----------



## casqueira (Apr 22, 2014)

Ok, can't say I'm surprised. I had a feeling you'd be mentioning crime and that's also my biggest fear. We live in a very peaceful place in Portugal, at the start of a dead-end street - which means our kids can ride their bikes or skate up and down the street without any worries. So living in SA will be very different, I'm sure.
On the other hand, the other points you mention, we already have to live with in Portugal:
poor driving and an absolute disrespect for all the other drivers;
trying to solve problems over the phone is almost impossible (even in person, the answer to your question depends on who's on duty at the time);
having to deal with shop assistants who always act as if they're doing you a favour... etc... etc...
When we went to SA for Xmas last year, my children were absolutely overwhelmed with how friendly everyone was - even they realised (ages 9 and 11) that every shop assistant actually smilled and said "hello" as soon as we walked in the shop. (In Portugal, they wait til you're actually at the counter and then make you wait while they finish the phone conversation they're having - once the finally get round to serving you, all you get as a greeting is: "diga" (which can roughly be translated as "yes???")

I guess we have higher expectations about living in Portgal because we aren't as spoilt here in Portugal as you were in the UK. I hope you can make some friends quickly... from my experience, south african's are quite friendly and love cook outs (braais) with friends and neighbours. Have you tried having one as a way of meeting the neighbours?

Anyway, for what it's worth, if you're still there in Dec, I'll be glad to join you for a cup of tea (with a drop of milk - the south african way) 

Good luck,
Paula


----------



## saffalass (Sep 28, 2014)

Out of interest, which bank are you with and how are they comparing to the UK? I know bank fees are the last thing of the small annoying things, but maybe it's one thing I can at least help out with.


----------



## mrschel (Oct 17, 2014)

Thanks Paula - we will stick it out for a while longer and see what happens. I guess we just feel a bit 'foreign' after being away for so long and find it difficult to adapt. Hopefully things will improve soon as it will be hard leaving our families behind again.


----------



## mrschel (Oct 17, 2014)

saffalass said:


> Out of interest, which bank are you with and how are they comparing to the UK? I know bank fees are the last thing of the small annoying things, but maybe it's one thing I can at least help out with.


Hi Saffalass - we are with both FNB and Absa - not sure if our bank costs will reduce once I find work and our income is higher so we can upgrade to a better account. In the UK we had a set monthly charge as part of our premium account which was £12.95 but it included travel insurance, road side assistance and free use of our credit and debit cards (no transaction fees)


----------



## saffalass (Sep 28, 2014)

Strange. FNB's accounts generally take everything into account t for fees ranging between R100 - R150. And you get free travel insurance if you book with your credi card. Also free swipes. Gold acc for example, the unlimited option is R100 pm (less than UK charge) and you can withdraw cash for free every month if you do it at the tills, plus four free withdrawals at any FNB. All other transactions are free. And I think roadside is an extra R5.50, free if you have a petrol card.

Maybe check which option you're on?

Disclosure: I don't work for FNB or any banks, used to work for a personal finance website, though


----------



## Jem62 (Jul 25, 2012)

You might be interested in joining a FB group called return to SA, there are many people who have left the UK and return to SA after being away for many years, others are planning their way back and a few returned but went back for various reasons. You might find it helpful.


----------



## mary1234 (Oct 20, 2014)

mrschel said:


> Hi, it may sound petty but the crime, the impatience and poor driving of people on the road, poor service when you try to resolve any queries by telephone, cost of private medical, banking costs & the cost of living overall. It is also very hard to meet people or build up a social network as people are not really approachable for example I have started two different types of baby classes to try and meet new moms but it has been months and though they are friendly at class no one is interested in meeting up for a coffee? I also think it is hard to return to SA after living in a first world country for so long. We were so spoilt for choice in many ways in the UK and believed we would either have the same in SA or it would not matter as we will be 'home' but it gets to you after a while. It is nice to be closer to family and to have plenty of good days weather wise but what is the point of having all that but not even being able to walk my boy down the street in his stroller as we are too scared of being robbed or attacked even when we live in a good area?


i am pleased that you posted this. i was considering going there to look again i guess some things dont change easily. i guess walking down the street without out fear would be incompatible with a culture based on a worship of violence.
another cataclysmic change will have to occur before that culture will be replaced if ever it can/will be.:welcome: when expressing my dismay at the situation there was nonchalantly offered the leave advice (with the not stated implied "because we like it that way.") south east asia is more to my non violent likings, but it too has is cultural draw backs..:juggle:


----------



## LegalMan (Dec 26, 2012)

mrschel said:


> We moved to Johannesburg as financially it is the only city in SA where jobs pay enough for us to have the same standard of life as in the UK...


This is the only thing I disagree totally with. Many jobs in many areas of SA give an excellent quality of life far better than the UK and Cape Town of all places proves this immediately.


----------



## pookashnoo (Mar 10, 2015)

Hi Mrschel,

I've come across your post because I am very much in the same place as you are. My husband and I returned to SA in September 14 after 12 years in London, mainly because all our friends seemed to be coming home and we felt there wasn't that much left in London for us, with our families back in SA. So we made the move, and we are now 6 months in, and each day there is a conversation about "should we just go back?"

I so understand what you mean when you say there are so many little things that annoy you - we are finding the same. And also when you say that maybe you were gone for too long to get your head around how things operate here - my husband said that to me yesterday! Maybe that we just got so used to the way things happened in a first world country and thats became normal for us, and now that we are back, everything seems so slow, and small and not good enough. The bit about feeling foreign... yes!! totally foreign!!!!!!

Fortunately for us we didn't have a surprise announcement soon after arriving, I can only imagine what that must have felt like... lol! But seriously, after years and years of us saying we didn't really want kids, I find myself thinking that I'm not getting younger and maybe it would be nice, but we have recently discovered that medical aids don't cover you for pregnancy until you have been on the policy for 12 months. Currently we don't have a medical aid, as we really aren't working at the moment - but that is a completely different topic how we are in that situation! So it's a bit disheartening that that seems to have been robbed from us in addition to everything that was normal.

I don't know... people say we are being negative, but honestly I can't see how this is going to work out for us.. Even if we both had work and the financial security we had before, I'm not sure I can adapt to the small town vibe here. 

where are you guys? Are you still in SA or have you gone back?


----------



## JeanneC (Jul 17, 2015)

I know exactly how you feel. I am a South African that lived in the UK for 7 years, I married an Englishman. We then decided to move to South Africa to set up our own business. Forward 5 and half years and we have had enough. In the Western Cape things are relatively safe, however loadshedding and the mindset of people that say they want to work and let you down on a daily basis is finally getting to us and we are planning our move back to the UK. 
I just missed out on my ILR when we moved from the UK to SA and now need to apply for a spousal permit, but at least we have this option. Everything here just seems so much harder in SA - we just been for a month to the UK, to visit my inlaws - and I must say it was great to be in a first world country where everything just worked. The Rand is currently nearly 20 to the GBP - so not the best time to make the move - however it does not look like things will improve anytime soon.
Best of luck to you - I know how you feel!


----------



## IamT (Aug 4, 2014)

Different strokes for different folks.Indeed there are some social problems that SA has that may make SA unlivable.
I am from Zimbabwe working in SA on a Skills Permit.I promise you,Zimbabwe's' crime rate is laughable compared to South Africa's rate which is based on the country's past.Minimum hijackings,relatively minimum house break-ins, and certainly no 45 murders per day! 
However, besides all this, I can guarantee you that I would NEVER have been able to live the life I am living here in SA (Durban).
Maybe the thing is, skilled guys coming in from countries that are less developed than SA find SA haven besides the crime and all.You can peruse this forum and see the number of people wanting to get their papers in order so they live and work in SA.Iv also seen a number of folks from European countries and USA itching for Home Affairs to issue them with visas and Permanent Residence permits.


----------

