AfriForum - An initiative of Solidarity

COME HOME NEWSLETTER

Number 53 - August 2008

Dear Readers
Welcome to the 53rd edition of the Come Home Newsletter!

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

IMFO, our brochure with information about the cost of living in South Africa, has just been updated by Annatjie.  For a free copy in MS Word, send an e-mail with the subject IMFO to us at alana@afriforum.co.za.

REQUEST TO ALL IN ABU DHABI AND VICINITY

Johan Hattingh would like to correspond with South Africans living in Abu Dhabi and vicinity. He will also be relocating there shortly.  Please contact him at P.O. Box 15171, Secunda, 2302, or send him an e-mail at johanhattingh50@yahoo.com.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS

From experience we know that cross border currency transactions often create many questions and problems.  Some of you often transfer money to South Africa as donations to relatives, as payments or as part of the relocation process to or from South Africa.  Lawrence Jooste of Global Treasury Solutions (Pty) Ltd offers an excellent one-stop service in this regard at extremely competitive rates.  Contact him for a quotation and see for yourself.  His rates are often way below those of commercial banks and he keeps track of the whole process, so you will always know exactly how far the process has progressed and how long it will still take.  You are also welcome to address questions about foreign exchange transactions to him.  His contact details are:

Lawrence Jooste
Global Treasury Solutions (Pty) Ltd
Tel:       0027-12-6580515
Cell:      0027-83-6315350
lawrence@globalts.co.za
www.globalts.co.za

Lawrence will also henceforth send us a brief report in this regard every month.  Thank you Lawrence!  This month’s contribution follows:

“During July 2008 the rand recovered from lows seen earlier in the year.  The local unit strengthened from 7.80/$ to current levels of 7.25/$.  It rallied versus most major currencies and gained almost one rand versus the euro and over one rand fifty against the pound.  The rand still gets support from its high yielding status and the latest trade figures surprised market players after the deficit shrunk to 180 million rand versus 1,66 billion rand.  The rand was also influenced by the MTN merger talk, however it was not successful, and talks that Vodafone will increase their share holding in Vodacom by another 12.5 percent, could see an inflow of $2.5 billion dollars.  Our next MPC meeting will be this month most economists still expect another 50 basis point hike in local interest rates.

CPIX     June     11.6 percent      (10.9 percent previous)
PPI       June     16.8 percent      (16.4 percent previous)
USD/ZAR 7.2500
EUR/ZAR 11.3000
GBP/ZAR 14.2800
AUD/ZAR 6.7600”

FOR HISTORY FANATICS

A DVD by Prof Fransjohan Pretorius and H. van der Merwe on General De la Rey is available now.  Length: 45 minutes.  Cost:  R120 + postage.  Contact details:  fpretori@postino.up.ac.za  or  0027-82-7756911  or  0027-12-4202667.

DOCTOR(S) WANTED TO BUY PRACTICE

Wilmien Wiid writes on behalf of doctors Siebert Wiid and Anton Grobler:  “We are looking for a doctor who would like to buy into a 3-man practice in Kuruman.  For more information, contact us at tokkelos@telkomsa.net.  Thanking you in anticipation!”

AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMME ON AFRIKANERS

Henri le Riche writes that a friend of his is making a programme on Afrikaners for the international market.  He would like to take a sympathetic look at Afrikaners and will visit South Africa to have interviews with people in this regard.  Afrikaners in or outside South Africa are welcome to contact him.  Henri says:

“Please contact 'BOB' in America as he'll be happy to hear from Afrikaners in ways to help our plight.  You can contact Bob at: stilsonphoto@gmail.com.”

POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN MUSEOLOGY

Several positions are available at the National Museum in Bloemfontein, including:

  • Assistant Director,– contact Rick Nuttall or Adrian Clementz at 0027-51-4479609;
  • HR Manager – contact Adrian Clementz at 0027-51-4479609;
  • Research Assistant in Zoology – contact Dr. Nico Avenant at 0027-51-4479609;
  • Herbarium assistant – contact Dr. Ziets Zietsman at 0027-51-4479609;
  • Site manager at Florisbad – contact Dr. James Brink at 0027-51-4479609);
  • and more.

For more information, visit www.nasmus.co.za, or write to direk@nasmus.co.za.

RESEARCH ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN EMIGRATION

Pieter de Lange sends his appreciation to all who have already completed his questionnaire and thereby helped with his research.  Here is more information for all who have not heard about it yet.  Pieter says:

For some time now, there has been a marked exodus of skilled South Africans, to such an extent that it was estimated that in 2000 more than 20% of South Africans with a tertiary education were working abroad.  This questionnaire aims to determine what caused South Africans to leave in the first place, how they see themselves living abroad, how they perceive the “new South Africa” and what their future intentions are.  The objective is to publish a book, which will reflect this, so any individual contribution regarding personal experiences or particular viewpoints will be welcome.  No ideological agenda or commercial gain is connected to this information.

Pieter originally went to practise in London as dentist in 1974.  He is currently living in the UK.  To date, more than 300 people have completed his questionnaire and he especially also welcomes people who share their experiences with him in detail.  He is currently busy with research about emigration at institutions such as the Free Market Foundation, Universities of the Free State, and Stellenbosch, SA Institute for Racial Relations and with the assistance of internationally renowned authors such as Hermann Giliomee and R.W. Johnson.  If you are prepared to answer the questionnaire, send an email with the subject QUESTIONNAIRE to de_langepieter@hotmail.com.

NEW WEB SITE ON ROAD SAFETY AND CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Johan Jonck of Arrive Alive writes:  “I am proud to announce the launch of the newly designed Arrive Alive Road Safety Website.  For the past 5 years the old site has achieved much by way of creating awareness of road safety and interaction with the public – but so much has changed in the world of the internet and social media that we were in need of a better vehicle for our efforts to create awareness.  I would like to extend a word of appreciation to Charl and Pierre from Chillies who worked many hours over many months to create the new website – as well as different IT specialists who provided advice and led the way with their own designs and skills.  It is our wish that the new Arrive Alive Road Safety Website will assist in creating awareness of road safety and saving lives on our roads.  May this compliment and support the efforts of road safety officials from the Department of Transport, the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the many NGO’s focused on road safety!  Kind regards - Johan Jonck [www.arrivealive.co.za]”

This web site is great when you are planning a journey in South Africa, for general tips on driving and even for information about the conversion of drivers’ licences.

POSITIONS – ESPECIALLY IN CONSTRUCTION

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.

RELOCATION HELP

Contact the following agents for quotes to ship your goods back to South Africa:

SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZENSHIP

Once again handy information about citizenship:  It is indeed possible that one may inadvertently lose one's South African citizenship.  In the case of people who were born in South Africa, this usually happens when they apply for citizenship of another country without applying for the retention of their South African citizenship FIRST.  The citizenship of people who were born abroad and naturalized here at a later stage, will also be influenced by factors such as the number of years spent outside South Africa and when they left the country.  Contact us at alana@afriforum.co.za if you need more information.

MUSIC TOUR TO THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM

Jannie du Toit, Christa Steyn and three young South African artists will visit The Netherlands and Belgium between 6 October and 2 November 2008.  For more information, contact Jannie at agterplaas@icon.co.za.

TAX ADVICE

Tax consultant Fanus Jonck this month sent us more information about inheritances:

“With regard to inheritances (i.e. legacies and distributions from estates in South Africa) accruing to each non-resident or emigrant beneficiary –

  • The first amount of R500 000 will be freely remittable;
  • The balance will be remittable only on application to the Reserve Bank.

If the beneficiary is an emigrant, the aforementioned inheritances will only be able to be remitted if the date of death of the deceased is after the date of emigration of the beneficiary.  Where the inheritance (i.e. date of death) precedes emigration, the funds will be considered to be blocked.

For this reason, it is essential that those who leave South Africa with the possibility of subsequently receiving an inheritance out of South African assets should formalise their emigration with the Reserve Bank even if they have no assets of their own at date of emigration.  Children who leave South Africa without their parents from whom they could subsequently inherit, are prime examples of this issue.  Where a beneficiary claims to be an emigrant from South Africa, it is incumbent on authorised dealers (i.e. the banks) to call for proof that the beneficiary has been placed on record as an emigrant with the Exchange Control Authorities.  Where no such records can be established, the inheritance may not be released without prior exchange control approval.

People who might be influenced, should carefully consider their positions in this regard.  You are welcome to contact Fanus Jonck (tax@jonck.net, or 0027-21-9134164) with your queries.”

Thank you, Fanus!

NOSTALGIC MOMENTS

This beautiful window in the Methodist Church in Grahamstown which I photographed in July 2008, is in memory of the 1820 Settlers, but it also reminds one of the huge sacrifices people make when emigrating and establishing a new life in a new place:

FAR HORISONS

Arnold du Toit shares a bit of New Zealand’s winter with us:

DEVOTION

Matthew 6: 25-30:

Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on.  Is not life greater than food, and the body far above clothing?  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them.  Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life?  And why should you be anxious about clothes?  Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.  Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?

Often we waste so much energy on worrying needlessly, while all we should do, is simply to trust the Lord.  Sometimes we will face hardships, but even they serve a purpose.  Paulo Coelho writes in his Manual of the Warrior of Light:

“... God uses solitude to teach us how to live with other people.  He uses rage to show us the infinite value of peace.  He uses boredom to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity.  God uses silence to teach us to use words responsibly.  He uses tiredness so that we can understand the value of waking up.  He uses illness to underline the blessing of good health.  God uses fire to teach us about water.  He uses earth so that we can understand the value of air.  He uses death to show us the importance of life.”

May the Lord bless and keep you!

Kind regards from Pretoria!

Alana & colleagues
AfriForum
[www.komhuistoe.co.za / alana@afriforum.co.za]