Hello Ryno. Based on the amount of inquiries we get, it seems that lots of people share your views. Please look at Q&A answer to How do I immigrate to the USA?. Also, because there has been some of this going on over the past few years, please also read our article, How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Immigration Fraud.

Kind regards
Ryno Brand

We as South Africans must condemn all forms of racism where it comes from the left or the right White or Black. There is no room for racism in the new South Africa. Any person who speaks about South Africa’s past Aparteid policies is living in the past and they net to get on board and come up to the times. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR RACISM IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA.

Come on Jonny !!!!

If you were South African you’d very well know that the majority voting base of the ANC are fiercely loyal whether the ANC steals directly in front of their eyes. You know African mentality.

As for the DA. It’s support base is growing each year ,but the majority of black South Africans are afraid that it’s a white party and that they might bring back apartheid even though the DA is comprised mostly by Black voters !? This is the crazy mentality we deal with each and every day.

The DA had some awesome wins in the last municipal election that you might like to report on. Watch some of the parliamentary sessions on YouTube and see how the tides have turned. Mmusi Miamane, the DA leader and Julius Malema is giving the ANC major migraines!

Hi Jonny. Thanks for your comment.

You are right in that there are South Africans outside the country who are overly critical of the country. Some are very critical because of a bad personal experience that caused them to leave (e.g. victims of crime). In my opinion, others appear to be overly critical to South Africans in the country because so many of them have become used to the issues that cause criticism and now don’t view them as being so bad. Also, South Africans in the country experience the good aspects, which those outside the country don’t. Either way, it will always be a mixed bag of different opinions.

About the ANC’s successes: I can’t imagine that the ANC had zero successes in the past 22 years. Speaking under correction, I believe that the Gautrain could be seen as one such success. The 2010 Soccer World Cup could be seen as another, although some issues emerged afterwards. The ANC’s problem is that the significance of their failures overshadow their successes so much. If you are aware of a major success, please mention it. It would only be fair. In terms of non-ANC successes, I believe that South Africa’s private industry is trying to make a difference.

About the ANC’s continued re-election: The ANC is lucky in the sense that they can rely on an electorate with a large percentage of people that are either unwilling or unable to see the big picture failures. Some of them will vote for the ANC in exchange for a meal and a T-shirt. Others vote for the ANC because their tribal chiefs instruct them to do so. Others vote for the ANC because it is the “liberation party” that brought them freedom 22 years ago. (The ANC is very good at reminding their electorate of this fact at election time, while demonizing whites at the same time and suggesting that a vote against the ANC might result in Apartheid returning.) Others vote for the ANC because of intimidation. The tide is starting to turn though. More and more of the ANC’s electorate is starting to become disillusioned with their lack of delivery on promises. The problem is that some of the disillusioned become EFF supporters, which is another problem. While the DA has been successful in the Western Cape, their problem is that many blacks still see them as a white party. (And if they don’t, the ANC tells them so.) I believe that a big reason why the DA has been winning elections in the Western Cape is because of demographics. The vast majority of ANC voters are black. Only 33% of the Western Cape population is black. The situation is very different in the Eastern Cape, for example, where 86% of the population is black, or Gauteng (74% black) or Limpopo (97% black). It will take a massive change in perception for the DA to win elections in the other provinces.

Those that still live in SA, fairly or unfairly, point out that it is the ex-SAns who live outside the country who are overly critical, as if to justify their decision to leave, when discussing the current state of affairs and/or prognosis for the future. Just an observation, not a criticism.

Anyways, two aspects you did not touch on are:

1) Are there any successes?

2) If the ANC is doing so poorly, why do they continue to be successful at the polls? The DA appears to have been successful in the Western Cape, why has this not translated into more support in the rest of the country?

I look forward to your replies to the above.

Thanks for your comment, Diedmar. From what I can see, global foreign direct investment rose a little during the second half of 2013. Then it dropped a little during the first half of 2014. During the second half of 2014 it started to rise, and is still rising. Here’s a document about that: http://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/investment-policy/FDI-in-Figures-October-2015.pdf
I’m sure that there are many factors affecting a country’s credit rating. In South Africa’s case, the ratings agencies keep mentioning ongoing labor strikes and the government’s inability to deal with it. The power outages have been mentioned too. They are costing the economy.