How To Build A South Africa Worth Staying For
People leave the countries of their birth all the time, for multiple reasons.
It’s seldom a decision taken lightly, and even those who leave as refugees, forced from their homes through life-threatening conflict, do so with heavy hearts, while still holding onto a fierce, if faint, hope that one day, they might return.
South Africa, somehow, feels different.
We aren’t technically at war, but we are without doubt a conflicted country.
Our people have been leaving in significant numbers since 1994, when fear and uncertainty over what the future might look like in “the new South Africa” had thousands “packing for Perth.”
Exact numbers are hard to come by, but estimates say between 1.15 and 1.55 million South Africans have emigrated in the past 30 years.
Although this so-called Brain Drain slowed towards the end of the millennium, the past few years have seen it slowly creeping up again. Skilled South Africans are seemingly always looking for ways to escape the very real challenges of rampant crime, an unstable electricity supply, declining public service delivery and economic uncertainty, among others.
And yet, there are many others who are staying put, determined to build a country people want to live in.
In 2019, more than a million South Africans who believed in the vast potential inherent in our country started the #I’mStaying movement. Initially a Facebook group, it later registered as a non-profit organisation – despite criticism that its members were wearing “oversized rainbow spectacles.”
Founded by Cape Town property entrepreneur Jarette Petzer, #ImStaying aimed to “ignite and motivate South Africans to work together to foster a better understanding of our differences and cultures through storytelling, inclusivity, positivity, inspiration, upliftment and hope.”
“These stories cut through the rhetoric of fear and division that is consistently being pushed onto us by mainstream and social media,” said Petzer. “And so began the spreading of a stronger sense of unification among the different races and cultures that make this nation what it is – a melting pot of richly diverse people, food, fashion and many belief systems and languages.”
Six years later, the movement is still going, but has slowly lost momentum. And that’s not surprising.
It’s not difficult to find more reasons to leave South Africa than to stay. A comprehensive survey conducted by the Inclusive Society Institute towards the end of 2023 revealed the number of South Africans considering emigrating was disturbingly high.
In 2025, figures show almost 11% of people with tertiary or other higher education qualifications say they are seriously considering emigrating within the next two to three years. That’s 2% higher than in 2022.
Things are clearly not trending in the right direction.
As someone who deals with the fallout of the crime and corruption in South Africa on an almost daily basis, I’m definitely not blind to, or naïve about, the very serious challenges we face as a country.
It’s almost impossible for anyone with children, in particular, not to feel deeply concerned about the future they may face here.
But while I would never criticise or perhaps even blame people for searching beyond our borders for a safer future for their families, I feel I must also add my voice to those of many others eager to state the case for staying here.
There are, without doubt, so many reasons to stay, not least of which is that someone has to be the change we want to see.
It’s a case of, “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
In a recent interview with MorningShot, respected economist Dawie Roodt spoke at length about his belief that, although faced with very real, very significant problems, South Africa is still a country worth staying in and fighting for.
“I always tell young people, if you have a pothole fixing business, and you go to the Netherlands, you’re going to be out of work,” he quips. “There are plenty of things that can be fixed [in South Africa] and all of them are business opportunities.”
It’s a great point. In countries where everything “works” the way it’s supposed to, opportunities are few and far between. Many people believe the entrepreneurial market in Europe, for example, is completely saturated.
South Africa, on the other hand, still lends itself to an entrepreneurial-type culture, and opportunities abound for anyone with a bit of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and courage.
Roodt explained that in modern economies, the services sector has the highest economic output and is where you’ll find more available jobs. Therefore, he believes, there are many opportunities to live a good life, and have a promising career.
He is also keen to point out the affordability of property here, compared to the UK and Australia.
“The property price per square metre in South Africa is ridiculously low compared to London or even Zimbabwe,” he says. “It’s ludicrous how cheap property is here.”
It’s ironic that while so many South Africans are eager to leave, many foreigners are keen to stay. They initially come to our shores on short-term, expat contracts, and then stay because the lifestyle, climate, people and scenery are hard to find anywhere else.
Our hope, I believe, lies with our young people. The so-called born-free generation who should be benefitting from all the advantages a young and hard-fought-for democracy such as South Africa’s has to offer. Instead, many are bitterly disillusioned by the constant corruption, crime, mismanagement, and lack of service delivery that forms the backdrop to everyday life in our country.
This is why it is extremely encouraging to see our youth, and many others in civil society, becoming increasingly active and vocal in calling out unacceptable actions from our leaders. Younger generations are highly engaged in the future of their country, and are not shy when it comes to demanding change and accountability from those they have trusted to serve them.
There are countless examples worldwide where hope, supported by active participation and pressure for reform, creates real, meaningful and lasting change, and I know this can also be the case here.
If nothing changes, nothing changes.
South African IS a country worth staying in, but only if we fix the things that currently drive people away.
We have to be part of the cure, not the disease.