# More questions than answers



## fvwessel (Mar 29, 2009)

Hi,

My company sends me for a short term assignment to SA, likely to be 6 to 12 months. Fortunately I have the luxury that a lot of things are being taken care of like visa, appartment, car with driver etc. Nevertheless, as I have never been to SA before a lot of questions remain open.

Any advise, suggestions or warnings are highly appreciated.

- I'll be managing a department consisting out of a mix of nationalities. Are there particular things to keep in mind that are different in SA than in Europe. Especially regarding the manager-employee work relation. I'm used to informal settings.

- I'll be staying in Sandton, any suggestions regarding things to do in the evening and weekends. Where do the expats hang out ?

- My wife and kids stay in the netherlands, however I'm planning to have them in SA for the Xmas period. The thing is that my wife is Asian, are in the new SA mixed marriages accepted or do we need to prepare for some strange reactions?

Thanks and regards,
Frans van Wessel


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

Depends on the Company and the field.
Most SA Companies run on an informal management structure.
Depends on what you mean by Nationalities? Indigenous Nationalities or International Nationalities.
By and large SA workers in a white collar environment tend to be autonomous,make decisions easily and handle clearly defined delegation well.

Your driver will hopefully keep you out of trouble.
As there are some on this forum who appear to live in a place devoid of reality of crime as it has'nt yet affected them, your Company should have employed a risk assesment advisor and if they have'nt you need to insist on it to brief you comprehensively on the ground.

as to other advice, I suggest you read this and its sister forums carefully and remember that those who post negatively have nothing to gain by wether you do or do not go to SA.

No, mixed marriages are totally acceptable and you probably experienced more antipathy in the Netherlands.
Racism in the work place is far more prevalent.
Especially if you have non performance issues, I assume there is a mentoring clause in your contract.


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## Klebe (Dec 29, 2008)

fvwessel said:


> Hi,
> 
> My company sends me for a short term assignment to SA, likely to be 6 to 12 months. Fortunately I have the luxury that a lot of things are being taken care of like visa, appartment, car with driver etc. Nevertheless, as I have never been to SA before a lot of questions remain open.
> 
> ...


Hi

Sandton is the best area for expats...Nelson Mandela square and the attached Sandton city mall have lots of eateries, cinemas and a stage theatre. 

You'll find many different nationalities all enjoying the sunshine together. December is a good time to be Sandton...lovely weather, festive atmosphere etc, 

Sandton is a very Los Angeles type venue...if you enjoy a more European set-up, I would suggest Rosebank Zone and area. It's a similar type venue, but with a more artistic, intellectual atmosphere.
Other areas in a similar category would be 7th Avenue in Parktown, which is undergoing a revival from beautiful old Johannesburg suburb to cafe style eateries and niche shops.

Not too far from Sandton is another theatre at the Monte Casino complex. I would not recommend Jhb civic theatre at night.

As to your mixed race couple querie, that is quite commonplace. Nobody would take notice or exception. 

South Africans are hyper aware of their rights in the workplace and act accordingly.


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