South African diaspora

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The South African diaspora mainly consists of South African emigrants of European (mainly Dutch, Frisian and German descent), especially those whose mother tongue (first language) is Afrikaans, and of South Africans of European descent (mainly British descent) whose mother tongue (first language) is English. There is also a growing middle class in South Africa of Black African descent, many of whom are starting to emigrate to countries such as the UK and USA for better prospects, furthering the demographic weight of all South Africans abroad.

[edit] Frequent Reasons for Migration

Many South Africans have emigrated as a result of the high rate of violent crime in South Africa. The South African government claims that between 1996 and 2006, an average of 18,000 people have been murdered every year in a country of 50 million people. The crime rate fell in the early 2000s but has begun to rise again. Also some South Africans have left for economic reasons.

[edit] Destination

The South Africans have largely settled in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Argentina.^{[citation needed]}. Some of the world's largest South African communities outside of Africa are found in London, Miami, Perth, New York City, and Toronto. In the last few years many South Africans living abroad, particularly young white people, have moved back to South Africa. In fact, as many as 32,000 white South Africans returned to South Africa in 2006, compared to just 12,000 in 2000. Over this same period, the numbers emigrating have remained fairly stable at around 40,000 annually. If this trend continues, South Africa may see a net immigration of white population, something which hasn't been the case since 1987. Many cite the weather and family as reasons for returning. Many believe it's because of transformation purposes and work for white people is growing increasingly less.