I’m fairly sure no-one will be surprised to hear that the number of South Africans looking to emigrate is growing, and fast. What is slightly alarming, however, is just how fast it’s happening.

As iol reports, the last six months have seen a massive spike in the number of people looking into moving abroad, with one immigration lawyer saying enquiries have shot up from a couple a month to nine or 10 a day, and Australian migration officials alone noting over seven times as many South Africans wanting to emigrate there as this time last year.

Even less surprising is why:

Load shedding, followed by an increase in crime, lack of law and order and a loss of confidence in the government of the country were the main reasons cited by people wanting to leave.

Disillusion as a result of these issues is nothing new, but it seems the escalation in the load shedding nightmare is proving to be the final straw, as people are realising there may be better options for them in countries such as the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

But while those looking at their options include both unskilled and highly skilled workers, the danger of ‘brain drain’, where all the bright young talented people leg it, is becoming a serious concern.

Arts worker Idette Rauch and her husband have chosen to emigrate to Canada, as she states:

South Africa, in my view, has and is still growing into a wonderful Afro-centric country. Our problems are much the same as any other country. The US is dealing with serious crime problems at the moment, South Korea and neighbouring countries are also dealing with energy crises. We are not alone in our fight against crime and the challenge that our energy crisis brings us. It is the way, however, that government and, more importantly perhaps, society respond to these and deal with it.

It’s certainly true that all countries have their problems (apart from Switzerland, they never seem to have any) and there are a lot of wonderful things about this country that make people want to stay, and foreigners like me want to be here. But if people have the option to move somewhere they feel has a greater level of safety, stability, and a reliable electricity supply, can anyone blame them for going?

Read the full article HERE.

Oh and if you’re staying put, remember that an informed neighbourhood is a safe neighbourhood. OurHood now offers SMS and email load shedding alerts throughout South Africa, detailing load shedding start and end times before they occur.