Fertilehealthy

As much as it pains me to write about our crime situation (since this is after all a health blog!), I’m glad that I have, because I think it helps to unburden ourselves from time to time. Sometimes the stress can get too much for me. And of course, it educates people abroad about our plight.

Sharon has left this comment after my last post:

As a fellow South African, all I can do is re-iterate that what you have posted is no exageration, but is the very sad truth.

My husband has lost a half sister, murdered in a car jacking, I have been mugged twice, my car broken into twice, my husbands car stolen, my mother in law’s home has been broken into twice, my mother in law and my husbands grandmother where carjacked together. I have a friend who is up for attempted murder after killing a would be car jacker who held them up at gun point and tried to rape his girl friend. Its just never ending, we live in a permanant state of terror and it has reached a point where I am starting to have problems sleeping as I’m terrified at night, despite the fact that we have a Bull Mastif and a Rottweiller, electric fence, securtiy gates and burglar bars on every door and window, armed response and panic buttons and we live inside a security estate with armed gaurds, 7ft walls and double electric fence.

My husband and I have started the process of emigrating to New Zealand, but it takes a while and we’ll probably only be able to leave by next year. We do however consider ourselves fortunate that we are able to afford this process, we will leave behind many family and friends who are unable to afford the costs of emigration and I worry terribly about what will happen to them all left behind in a country that is unravelling rapidly. In addition to load shedding, we also have unscheduled power outages for up to 20 hours at a time at least once a week.

We live in Johannesburg and life here has just reached a point where I cannot take it anymore. The crime and cruelty leaves me in tears daily. Last week a 3 year old girl died from her injuries after being raped by 2 men who believed that raping a young virgin would cure them of AIDS. How sick and disgusting, but having said that, we have a Health Minister that says that the African Potato and Garlic can cure AIDS and a Minister of Energy Resources who say’s that South Africans should just go to bed early if there is no electricty because of the power crisis. I just find it extremely hard to remain positive in this environment.

Sorry for the negative post, but the situation for me has reached a point where I’m battling depression because of the environment. The emigration consultant we are seeing from New Zealand has informed my husband and I that most South Africans tend to take at least 6 months to relax and unwind after emigrating to NZ and that half of us are suffering with Post Traumatic Stress disorder and we don’t even know it.

I believe it is a Genocide, just a very silent one.

When I read about my fellow bloggers’ daily walks outside, I just want to join in and go for long walks along the beach front. But my husband has expressly forbidden it. If I want to walk it will have to be on the treadmill at gym. What’s the use of living in a beautiful country when you can’t enjoy the beauty in peace?

There are of course people who remain positive and say that it’s not so bad. Mmm, in my opinion they have just accepted this way of living as normal. But it’s not! Whenever a South African visits friends and relatives overseas, the thing they talk about most upon their return is the absence of crime. Normal people live normal lives in other parts of the world. Yes, we know that there’s crime everywhere and that every city has its dangerous areas, but here the danger comes to us.

In South Africa we also have areas that are more dangerous than others. It’s more dangerous in the cities than in the country, but of course, farms are very dangerous. The townships and informal settlements must be a nightmare to live in.

Crime in South Africa is not a race thing. Everybody suffers. And the poor people suffer the most! The government, when not actively trying to downplay the crime problem, as they do with any issue that shows their ineptitude (like the energy crisis, AIDS, etc), like to blame apartheid. The truth is the apartheid ended 14 years ago and things have been going downhill at a brisk clip since then. Most South Africans are worse off than they were under apartheid. The poor are poorer, medical services are almost non-existant, education is in shambles and the infra-structure is crumbling since it has not been adequately maintained, let alone improved to accommodate growth.

Far from being the poster child for transformation, this country is rapidly becoming just another failed African state, where the rich politicians do what they want to the detriment of their people.

Rose asked how we can get out. With great difficulty! Only a few of us will manage it. Of course, the difficult part is not leaving here, but finding somewhere to go. There are several ways:

* First of all, you need to either have a job opportunity overseas and qualify for a work visa. Or you have to be qualified in a profession that is needed elsewhere. Canada is full of SA doctors, nurses, teachers, physio therapists, speech therapists, etc. There are so many South Africans in London, you’d be hard-pressed not to run into one. Australia and New Zealand are very popular places for South Africans to flee to. This option is not open to us, since Craig is a businessman and we don’t have any special qualifications.

* Alternatively you have to have an ancestral visa. My family has been here since 1660, so I’m not holding my breath that the Dutch government is going to invite me back anytime soon. Craig can conceivably get a Zimbabwean ancestral visa, since his parents are both from there. We’ll pass on that!

* We would have to start our own business in a new country, or buy an existing business (or be offered a business opportunity - hint, hint, hint!). That requires money. For the USA the minimum required is $1 million and we’re a tad short of that!

We are investigating all avenues. We have some leads and we are positive that things will work out for us. The decision has been made, now the means must be sought.

As Sharon mentioned, even if you do leave and start from scratch elsewhere, you leave behind not only your country and your culture, but your family and friends. And it may take a while before you can afford to visit them again… The emigration process takes about 1-2 years. It’s not a decision people make lightly, but I believe that the emigration agents can’t keep up with the demand. Of course the process itself is very expensive too.

Thank you for your concern, prayers and words of encouragement. Please pray that we will find a safe haven elsewhere where we can start a new life and raise a family. I don’t want to post about this again… I’ve got something nice up my sleeve for later!