COME HOME NEWSLETTER
Number 50 - May 2008
Dear Readers
Our 50th edition!! Who could have thought that it would have such a long run? Thank you so much for your support through the years and please keep on sending your contributions and comments. We hope that you will enjoy this issue.
Once again, we start with the usual essential news: This is the free newsletter of the Come Home Campaign of AfriForum for all South Africans intending to return to South Africa, in process of returning or just back home. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the newsletter, send your comments or make a contribution, contact us at alana@afriforum.co.za. Mark the email “COME HOME SUBSCRIBE”, “COME HOME UNSUBSCRIBE”, or with the topic of your choice. The newsletter is a monthly email publication which is available in either Afrikaans or English. New subscribers are always most welcome. Also bear in mind that although we select our advertisers with care, we cannot guarantee or be held responsible for the quality of their services or products. Advertisements are published free of charge. Please also feel free to comment on their service delivery.
IMFO
Our brochure with information about the cost of living in South Africa, has just been updated by colleague Annatjie. To receive a free copy by email, send an email with the subject IMFO to alana@afriforum.co.za. It will be attached in MS Word and comprises about 18 A4-sized pages.
KOSMOS 94.1 TO BROADCAST FROM LONDON
From the end of May 2008, the Namibian radio station Kosmos 94.1 will broadcast every evening between 20:00 and 22:00 in Afrikaans directly from London. Advertisers are most welcome too. To listen, either use DSTV channel 176 in Southern Africa, or go to www.kosmos.com.na.
BLYNET
In April we sent you some information on Solidarity's Blynet campaign. If you are interested in staying in touch with this campaign, visit their web site at www.blynet.co.za or subscribe to the free Blynet newsletter.
POSITION AVAILABLE
The following position is available via Everson Engineering House (IP Computer Training Centrum Nijmegen):
- IT specialist in a production environment. Several years' experience with relational and historical databases, web-applications, SCADA applications and MES systems required. Must be able to make the transition from the production world to the IT world easily.
- Will work in South-Africa for a Dutch client.
- Travel to The Netherlands might be required occasionally.
For more information, contact Ludwig Everson at 0031-24-358-6434 or everson@lycos.nl.
PURCHASING A HOUSE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Fanus Jonck once again sent us advice – this time on purchasing a property in South Africa. By the way, the property market is quiet at the moment, so this might be the ideal time to consider such an investment:
Numerous property buyers have asked me the question “In which entity should I buy a house, flat or holiday home”? Each person's circumstances differ and it is not a straightforward answer. What is preferable from a legal perspective, may not necessarily yield the best result from a tax perspective.
If it is a person's primary residence, then it is nearly always better to buy the property in a person's own name. The reason is that the primary capital gains tax exclusion is R1,5 million. This is only applicable to individuals and for South African tax residents. (Remember a non-resident becomes a SA tax resident as soon as his intention is to make South Africa his primary home, or if he spends a certain amount of time in SA). For non-residents my advice is usually if a couple buys, to put it in the names of both, especially if they do not earn any South African sourced income. The benefit is here that both will have the advantage of the annual capital gains tax exclusion of R15 000 and not be taxed for income tax purposes on the first R43 000. Example: If a couple with no other South African income makes a capital gain of R374 000, they will not have to pay tax at all. Each receives a capital gain of R187 000 (50%), the first R15 000 is exempt and only 25% of the balance (R172 000) is taxable. A total of 25% of R172 000 is R43 000, and fortunately the income tax exemption is R43 000. The exemption (R69 000) is more for people that are 65 years and older.
If a person is buying a second property, then it might be the best to buy it in a trust, especially if the purpose is to buy it with a long-term objective. This could have various benefits, for example security against creditors, spreading the rental income and capital gains to various beneficiaries, pegging the value for estate duty purposes, etc.
Non-residents buying property in South Africa should remember that it is advisable to have a separate will in South Africa for their South African assets.
Property buyers should preferably not buy a house or a flat in a company's name, except if they want to do property development. Numerous people have made the wrong choice to buy their house by buying the shares in a company or close corporation that owns a house. The administrative costs each year could be substantial. If you did buy your house in such an entity, then you must try and sell your shares, rather than the entity selling the house. This way you could save a substantial amount in capital gains tax (the capital gains tax rate for companies is higher than for individuals)!
It is important for taxpayers contemplating property transactions to obtain proper tax advice to ensure that their obligations are met and their overall tax burden is minimized. You are welcome to contact Fanus Jonck (tax@jonck.net) regarding your tax queries at 0027-21-9134164.
Fanus Jonck (B.Compt Hons, B.Proc, H Dip Tax) is a tax consultant currently based in Cape Town.
CONGREGATION IN DUBAI
The Dubai Afrikaans Congregation now has services at four locations – Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi en Al Ain. Read more about their activities at www.dubaigemeente.com.
REQUEST TO ALL CHRISTIANS ABROAD
Are you a Christian living outside South Africa, who are a part of a South African congregation, Christian group or are searching for similar contact? Please let us know, we would love to hear from you! As usual, our address is: alana@afriforum.co.za.
VRIENDE VAN AFRIKAANS
Vriende van Afrikaans is a non-profit group actively promoting the use of Afrikaans in the public and corporative worlds. For more information, visit www.vriende.za.net.
They are compiling a database of addresses of South Africans abroad. If you would like to be included, write to them at vvafr@sun.ac.za.
EMPLOYMENT!
Fanie Coetzee who represents one of the major construction companies in South Africa, is still looking for senior people in the fields of construction and engineering. He is also willing to help people in other related fields to find employment as well. Contact him at fanie@oneworldhc.com.
CONSIDERING A CAREER AS FINANCIAL ADVISOR?
Old Mutual Personal Financial Advice is looking for people to be trained as financial advisors. The successful candidate will be:
- A highly energetic person
- 23 years or older
- With Grade 12 or a higher qualification
- Someone with their own transport, living in Pretoria or vicinity
- Computer literate and able to work independently.
Remuneration = R6 000 + commission per month. If you are interested, please send your CV to Jannie Heymans at jheymans@oldmutual.com.
RELOCATION HELP
Contact the following agents for quotes to ship your goods back to South Africa:
- Doug Wiviott, Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc, doug@rainieros.com;
- Paul McAvoy, George Baker (Shipping) Ltd, (UK Agents for South African Removals), paul.mcavoy@georgebakershipping.com or paul@southafricanremovals.com.
PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE WITH EMIGRATION
In 2007, Adriaan du Plessis sent us the following kind offer from Australia:
I am a psychologist in Australia, previously from SA. I wrote a little booklet on how to cope with immigration. You can forward the booklet electronically to interested parties free of charge. There might be some useful strategies in there to help them cope.
If you would like to receive a copy of the booklet, please send an email with the subject BOOKLET to alana@afriforum.co.za. We emphasise that this is a free offer. Adriaan says that he is too busy to correspond with anyone in this regard, but the booklet is so comprehensive, that it should answer all your questions. Once again thank you very much, Adriaan!
PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN!
Lately bad news about South Africa seems to flood all news channels. Sometimes we need a break to laugh a little at ourselves ... Carla van der Spuy sent us this contribution especially for our 50th newsletter. It is one of her columns entitled “How about that”, originally published in Gateway Magazine:
Proudly South-African!
The moment I arrived at Oliver Tambo Airport, after a visit overseas, I knew I was back in South Africa. I had been visiting my daughter in the Netherlands, who is working as an au pair for a year.
At first sight the modern airport is not really different from any other international airport in the world; that is until you try and do something perfectly normal, like collecting your luggage. I waited 90 minutes.
With the prophetic remark of a Kulula pilot a few years ago after landing in Johannesburg from a flight from Cape Town, enthusiastically welcoming us in “Gangsters Paradise” still ringing in my ears, I started to wonder whether miracles still happen. Will my luggage appear? Will I be pleasantly surprised and actually be so privileged to pick up my own possessions? Will something as basic as getting my suitcase actually make my day?
I did everything possible to let my luggage “stand out.” Red ribbons around the suitcase handles and neon pink stickers on the red fabric. It looked a bit ridiculous – almost like a cheap Christmas tree, but what the heck, if you live and survive in South Africa you sometimes have to be creative and sacrifice your image.
In fact, when I arrived on Schiphol Airport my daughter told me she could identify the South African visitors by their piles of bubble wrapped luggage! Other citizens of the world are not that paranoid, she remarked.
Back home in the luggage entrance hall in Johannesburg however, the passengers waited and waited and waited.
It is not as if we are not used to Africa time, but having spent some time in Holland where the clock and competence reigns and where the Dutch are regarded to be more German than the Germans themselves, this immediately made me feel, well, … at home again.
Hot under the collar, a young man eventually approached an airport official for an explanation.
The formal excuse – something went wrong with some luggage support system – some technical problem - buzzword of the millennium.
The informal (and more cynical) excuse - being a week before Christmas our fellow countrymen were probably indulging in Christmas and/or affirmative shopping.
Eventually half of the luggage arrived unopened.
Yes, we were back in sunny South-Africa.
When we braved the way back to Harties and at least three taxis ignored the red robots, I once again knew I was home.
The conversation with Romano (my husband) describing various break-ins and robberies in a small area within 24 hours, let me realize that I was 10 000 kilometres away from a country where the worst possible thing that can happen, is that the train is a few minutes late and the occasional theft of a bicycle is front page news.
The next morning when I went to Spar to do grocery shopping, I suddenly noticed something that has always been there - all the South African men with their “boeppense.”
Besides complaining, eating has always been our national pastime.
I found the Dutch however, to be particularly slim. They walk and cycle for hours on end and are disciplined eaters to say the least. Grown men are perfectly happy with a breakfast consisting of a chocolate spread sandwich in stead of half a metre of boerewors, and piles of bacon and eggs for starters.
I really knew that I was back when on my first morning at home, before daylight I was woken with Romano's cell phone ringing.
A loud and animated conversation followed, mostly about crime. I was still suffering from jet lag and sleep deprivation.
“Who was it?” I asked him.
“Koos van der Merwe”.
“Really?”
More than ever I knew I was back. Boots and all.
In Holland, visits to friends are sometimes organized months ahead of time. Dropping by unannounced is just not done. At the homes of some relatives where we stayed, although showered with hospitality, we were even handed out strict military regime-like shower programmes, not to be changed under any circumstances.
When we organized a braai for four people a few days after my return, and within hours the number of guests had spontaneously escalated to 10 without anybody making a fuss about it, I realized that this could only be home sweet home.
Suddenly I felt proudly South African!
NOSTALGIC MOMENTS
Greetings from “Oom Paul” on Church Square in Pretoria! Thank you to Philip van Zyl for this early-morning photograph.
FAR HORISONS
In addition to our nostalgic South African photographs, we asked you in the previous edition to send us your stories and photos from the corners of the world where you find yourself. Lou Pistorius (currently in The Netherlands) immediately sent us this photo of Skattebol in Norway!
MEDITATION
This month's meditation comes from Reverend Naas Ferreira's blog. To subscribe, visit www.ouderling.blogspot.com. Thank you, Reverend Naas!
God's work and my comfort
[Jeremiah 36 and 45]
He was entirely happy with his life and enjoyed the peace of watching the prophet Jeremiah at work from a distance. He was involved with the work of the Lord, but from also from a distance. I am, of course, talking about Baruch – the secretary of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 45). However, his life changed completely overnight (for the whole story, read Jeremiah 36).
Baruch the Secretary became Baruch the Minister. And thus, his life crisis started. Like the prophet Jeremiah, his life now also became full of drama and discomfort. He now also had to flee for his life. And he moans and groans all the way (see verse 3). How is it possible for God to uproot him from his comfortable existence and throw him into the line of fire of the ministry? He (Baruch) would have preferred for God not to do so. Does this sound familiar? To have a seat in the main pavilion of the kingdom and watch God's word from a distance. In comfort - near, but not too close ...
Then God sends a special message to Baruch via Jeremiah. Is Baruch truly aware of what God is doing? God in effect opens His heart to Baruch. He is busy sacrificing that which is of the greatest importance to Him (His chosen people). God is busy preparing the whole world for His final judgement. Do you realise how “uncomfortable” this must be for God? And Baruch complains about his discomfort? This cannot be! How can the comfort of my earthly existence be of more importance than God's work in this world? How can I ask of God to go ahead with His activities, while leaving me alone for my comfort's sake? If God were to call you from the pavilion onto the field – can you refuse? What is your excuse?
Are we truly aware of the importance of the time that we are living in? Are we truly aware of that with which God is busy? At the cross at Calvary God opened His heart to us to show us how earnestly He is involved with this sinful world. Now what about me? In the kingdom of God there are now pavilion seats for His children – the church of Christ also is not a seat on the main pavilion. God's children are active on the playing-field.
Maybe the score does not look all that great and maybe our recent reputation is somewhat lacklustre, but hold on to God's promise (see verse 5b) and walk onto the field. You are one of God's impact players who must make a difference – especially now.
Kind regards till next time!
Alana & colleagues
AfriForum
[www.komhuistoe.co.za / alana@afriforum.co.za]