We have uploaded our file on the SAFFA Exiteers. It happened slowly, or perhaps stealthily. People who leave their place of birth for new opportunities. Whether it is someone from the UK going to Australia, New Zealand or Canada, or from Asia and Africa to Western countries. In this increasingly globalized world, this focus is about Generation Next. Those who were young adults around or just before the heady days following South Africa’s first democratic election. The beneficiaries of open universities, the outcome of a good education and the continued outflow of highly skilled people
The parents of this generation lived in segregated South Africa, where universities had race-based quotas, favouring the white population. The mood of the country started to change from 1976 through to the mid-80’s and universities opened up. This meant a better education at tertiary level. Various migration from South Africa is well documented by us: The 1960’s’ 1970’s, 1980’s and early 1990’s. Then new robust figures following the incorporation of “bantustans” and a split into nine provinces.
Gen Xers after having received a good education and through hard work, obtained well remunerated jobs and this in turn enabled them to send their children to good schools, followed by university and so the circle continues. Many will follow in their parents’ footsteps using the principle of self-reliance as a means to even greater possibilities.
Gen Next or Gen Z, sometimes crossing with later millennial cohorts (1981-1996), are probably aged 26-33 today. Education and job opportunities opened many doors for both them, with the younger ones and their parents. No baggage from the past. Their parents seized opportunities while working in big corporations and this allowed them to seek wider opportunities in far off places. Good skills never go to waste.
Good Education = High Paying Job. That is the mantra distilled in them by their parents. In the case of South Africa, the Saffa Exiteers now seek a second citizenship. They will wait it out until this happens, largely in countries that need their skills: Europe, Australasia, Canada and less so to the USA as the path to citizenship is a long one. How many? Hard to tell. We tracked migration from the sixties. The children born in the receiving country no longer has ties to South Africa as it’s not seen as a motherland unless they were in exile and returned after 1994.
South Africa now has new migrants, not all with Good Education and in High Paying Jobs. The country has lost valuable skills because of many things, breakdown of infrastructure, a BEE policy that started well but proceeded to create few very wealthy tenderpreneurs, crime, lack of future prospects, lack of infrastructure and more. It is not cowardice to leave the motherland. Many have done so before and will do so again. It is how good the country wishes to be for its citizens. African leaders could do well to study the Nordic nations.
Africa has lost two important generation cohorts: They have the passport. They have citizenship. They have the Good Education. They have Job Opportunities. Their children will be educated in the country where they are located, but a leg in the motherland does not do any harm. As long as you can leave!
This is the downfall of South Africa, post 1994. The outflow of skills. Initially from certain sectors, but in the last five years it I across the board. Our cities and towns are no longer symbols of pride.
Here are some sobering figures:
The latest migrant data from the United Nations shows that approximately 108,000 South Africans emigrated from the country between 2020 and 2024, averaging 27,000 a year, or 74 people leaving every day. But these are just recent emigrants (or those who leave temporarily). What about those who left in the late 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Their children are citizens of the country they migrated to. Perhaps the figure is likely to be around one million plus?
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