South Africans return home to grow economy

Much is credited to South Africa's international exposure during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as its inclusion in BRICS and a sharper focus on developing countries.

"We have seen a 137% year-on-year increase in the number of visits to our blog from February 2010 to February 2011, compared to the same period in the previous year. An increase in traffic from secondary markets like Australia, Canada and Ireland indicates that more South Africans living in these countries are considering a return home and are looking to connect with others who have already made the move back to South Africa," explains Brigitte Lightfoot, managing executive of The Homecoming Revolution.

Young families returning

Tyron Whitley, who runs a car import agency in South Africa, has seen a similar trend evident among returning expats. "Since August 2010 we have seen a 30% increase in the number of South Africans wishing to ship their vehicles back to South Africa. The majority of the returnees are leaving the UK and we have some from Australia and Dubai.

The common trend amongst the returnees is that they are aged between 30-40, with young families, who are looking for a better standard of living for their children. They are finding the UK economy a strain, which is the final push they require to make the decision to return to SA. I would say the majority have been in the UK for ten years or more. On the work front, a good number of the returnees are looking to start their own business or have managed to get inter-company transfers".

The results of a recent online poll conducted by the Homecoming Revolution reveal that 43% of its social networking group's members are planning to return to South Africa this year, while 30% have already moved back home. The biggest concern for returning South Africans is finding work and the organisation believes that as a country South Africa needs to have aggressive strategies in place to attract South African expats, as well as skilled foreigners who choose to make South Africa their home.

In February 2011, the organisation hosted a local networking event in Johannesburg. Martine Schaffer, a director of the organisation said, "The calibre of people returning home is very impressive and our local events are a unique platform for connecting returnees in both a business and social context.

The majority of people at the Johannesburg event had exceptional educational and professional credentials and are making an immense impact on nation building, the economy and human capital in South Africa. We have also seen a change in the diversity of people returning. We know that in seven years we have helped bring home thousands of South Africans."

Go to www.homecomingrevolution.co.za or www.homecomingrevolution.co.za/blog for more information.