S.Africa: Where have all the Whites gone that I used to know?
Date Posted: Wednesday 14-Jan-2009
I have worked in the computer industry in South Africa since 1983. And I've worked in Johannesburg in particular since 1985. There has always been a traditionally high turnover of people in our computer industry. Even in the 1980's they said the average person only held on to his job for 2 years before moving. I used to move around a lot in my younger days in order to gain experience and exposure. Furthermore, I did a lot of contracting (temping/consulting) work which meant I moved around even more. And when I worked for myself, I had several clients at once.
So I've been around the block a couple of times. And I've met stacks of people in Johannesburg, during the course of my work over the years.
Recently, I made contact with an old friend I'd last spoken to 5 or 6 years ago. We reminisced about the people we knew. And then we had an interesting discussion: Where have all the people gone that we once knew?
It was quite common for me to run into people I'd known every now and then. But I remarked to my friend that during the last few years, I've NOT been coming across anyone, anywhere, that I used to know, even if I work in circles where I used to work in the past.
South Africa's computer industry is small. At its height it probably only had 20,000 people in it, most of them in Johannesburg. So it was quite common for us to meet each other as we circulated and changed jobs.
But its actually been a number of YEARS since I've last met anyone that I'd known previously.
And this leads me to believe that either those people have lost their jobs and moved out of computers, or, they've left the country. Its making me wonder just exactly how many people have left the country, especially those who were qualified in the computer industry.
I know a bunch of my more recent co-workers (from the last 5 years), left the country last year. There was an enormous exodus last year.
The only conclusion I can reach is that either:-
1. The South African computer industry has shrunk tremendously
2. AND/OR: a heck of a lot of whites in the computer industry have left the country for good.
I would think it is a combination of both, with the preponderance being the latter. There are lots and lots of computer companies that used to exist, which have disappeared. Even large ones have disappeared by going bankrupt or having merged or having quietly shut their doors.
Like I've been saying for years now, I know of nobody who is making any money. All the businessnes just chug along. I can't remember when last I heard a "success story" told by any of my friends. When I first came to South Africa, I used to hear success stories all the time. I used to be told about this guy who became a millionaire or that guy who started a business and got wealthy, and so forth. I was running into people who were making money and hear from their own mouths their success stories. When I did consulting work I consulted to people with small growing businesses. People used to be optimistic and they had plans for the future, and people were alive.
I am pretty certain that every single one of the businesses I used to consult to, except for a division of a large bank, have *ALL* ended up shutting their doors. Not one of those businesses exists any more.
You would think one would hear lots of "black success stories", but I also don't come across those either.
South Africa today is a very different place to what it was when I first came here. When I first arrived here, it was vibrant and alive. Now it just chugs along from day to day. The only businesses that are still surviving are the few monolithic corporations with big markets. But the day of the "entrepreneur" (be he white or black), seems to have disappeared.
As for the people I worked with, I suspect that most of them must have left the country for good. Unless of course some of them changed careers or found themselves unemployed and they were never able to get back into this industry. That too is possible.
It is sad what this country has come to, despite all the great positive publicity and hopes people had for it. But wait, we'll see some really shocking stuff when the ANC wins the 2009 election and starts implementing real lunatic, hardcore communist policies. Then you'll see these crazies finish off this fine country for good. Of course, they are telling the blacks: "We're going to help you..." but I've heard that garbage and nonsense many times before. It is when "they try to help" that the real lunacy kicks in, and you'll see them "help the blacks" while destroying the country. And when the dust settles, the blacks will be far worse off. That is not far away any more.
Posted By: Jan
AfricanCrisis Webmaster
Author of: Government by Deception
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