Weighing the odds –SA vs Aus

Following on the previous post, here is a story told by an expat family who returned to South Africa.

I fortunately never 'left' as such and live in both countries - indeed, of the past 4 1/2 years, I have lived in South Africa for three years but I digress, read on.

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We decided to return to South Africa after nine years abroad - two years in the UK consulting for Cable and Wireless and seven years in Sydney.

One Christmas in London was enough to cure us of the dream and romance of a white Christmas, give us the sun and the beach anyday. So the chance to head "down under" was opportune, and we head off to help start up Virgin Mobile in Sydney.

After seven years in Sydney we were well settled, had made a new group of friends, had got ourselves involved in kids and sporting pursuits, and had found our niche, both socially and business-wise - to the extent that my consultancy was running at full capacity, and I had even been voted one of the top 10 marketing personalities in Australia by B&T Magazine.

So coming back was not a decision based on a lack of opportunity or success in Australia.

I guess that's why it may seem a bit strange to some people. So I thought I would try to give some insight into why we have moved, as well as my perceptions of Australian life - particularly with the current "grass is greener" mentality and discussions again doing the rounds in South Africa.

The reasons to come back are simple - our family are still in South Africa (in the Eastern Cape), and we wanted to spend time with them, and let our kids spend quality time with their grandparents. We also wanted to be part of an extended family.

We also wanted to see what we could do to help get this South Africa running at its true potential. That may sound like "opportunistic armchair liberal crap", but being away gives you a clearer perspective on the country, the opportunities we were afforded, and a sense of obligation to help.

What this will result in, in terms of actual input or output is anyone's guess - but doing this article is a start, if it gives a different perspective to those wishing to pack it in.

We didn't make a list of pros and cons about moving, but we spent a year talking about it before making a decision.

I also made a trip out here to see what opportunities there would be for me to start a marketing consultancy here - particularly as we did not want to move back to Joburg.

The trip was more encouraging and positive than I could have hoped for, with everyone I met exceptionally upbeat about not only the level of opportunities, but also the potential and future of the country.

That ticked a big box - yes, we would probably be able to earn a decent living. So we packed up and moved back - the accidental expats returned.

And what about Australia?

Australia is a reasonably easy transition for South Africans wishing to emigrate. In a lot of respects it is similar to SA - they love sport, they have an outdoors lifestyle and culturally, they tend to have some similar ideas. It has low rates of crime, lower rates of interest, social and economic structures that work and very low levels of unemployment which result in a high demand for skills. It is a country which is easy to live in, with great beaches and recreation facilities, good schools and on the whole very sociable people.

It is a country where you can live comfortably in the "thick middle class", but where it is exceedingly difficult to get ahead. The salaries are not globally competitive, particularly in a city which, in my opinion, is far more expensive than any I have lived in (including London).

Australia is a very socialist country, where the status quo is praised, middle class equality is encouraged, and "tall poppies" are cut down as fast as they arise.
You should not expect praise or support for successful entrepreneurial ventures. If your ambition is to live a comfortable life of relative success and anonymity it might just be the ideal destination.

If however, you do not want to be overregulated and conformist, and want to get out there and set the world alight by challenging the status quo, you will find it frustrating and confining.

This is not just due to the regulations, but also due to the mentality of the majority of the population - amazingly, all those out-there, go-getter Aussies you meet while backpacking, become conformist, consensus-driven "wage slaves" when they get home. (I know that is a massive generalisation, but it is also my very strong observation.) Decisions are deferred to the "committee", and commitment is avoided, particularly if the decision goes against the norm.

What the Australians have done exceptionally well is to market themselves, internally and externally. I am not talking specifically about a tourism campaign or any specific piece of communication, but rather about the overall communications, which have resulted in a huge sense of national pride and a global perception of Australia being the relocation destination of choice. They are widely thought of as the "land of opportunity", and you only have to look at how many South Africans have headed there to see how successful it has been.

Australians have, for the last 20-odd years, been targeted by campaigns which build this sense of national pride - where FMCG products are stamped with the "Australian Owned/Australian Made" stamp to guarantee that profits and jobs are staying in the country. This led to changed consumer behaviour, where marginal local brands suddenly became market leaders by being "local". Their sports teams are given heroes' welcomes and are actively marketed and involved in the community. They spend a small fortune on television advertising and events to reinforce this message, and to take it to the rest of the world.

They have actively controlled their messaging globally rather than rely on the media to do the job for them.

This is a lesson which South Africa needs to learn. We need to actively engage the necessary partners and resources to manage our image and messages to the world. For too long we have let the world's media control what is said and heard about South Africa rather than have a strategic campaign to build the country's positives.

Yes, we have our problems, and yes some of the media is not pretty, but why are we not at least delivering the positives to balance the negative press? We have just won the Rugby World Cup, but three months later, what has been done to leverage this? I don't see anything - even our internal messages and media are dominated by Eskom, crime, rates rises and the like - where are the images and stories that make me "proudly South African"? I am not advocating that we bury our heads in the sand, but if we don't expose and celebrate the positive, how can we hope to have any positive coverage abroad?

I have seen the "Proudly South African" stickers on cars, but what else is being done? And more importantly, how are we making sure that it works? If the current wave of sentiment is any indicator, I would say it is not working.

There seem to be a lot of people who are seriously considering "packing for Perth", and that does not sound like a successful campaign.

Eskom seems to be the main reason - we can't supply electricity, the water system is collapsing, we are going to hell in a handbasket, SA is the next Zimbabwe... did I miss any?

These are all problems we can overcome. We survived the transition from Apartheid to a true democracy without a civil war... surely this is just a speedbump in our road to progress? Maybe if we all did our bit instead of bitching and moaning we might achieve a fast, effective solution... it's worth a shot.

So, why did we come home? Well, first of all it is home, and always will be. We are fiercely proud South Africans, and to live somewhere else will always be a compromise. This country is part of our DNA and we want to help it get stronger and live up to its potential.

There is massive opportunity here for anyone wanting to grab it and just "go for it". And, I want to live surrounded by the family and friends we love. Surely that should be enough reason for anyone.