The Relocated South African | Emigration stories

Justin Levitt grew up in Welkom and Cape Town, toured the country as guitarist in rock band Red Tape Riot, then built a career in SEO.

In 2019 he followed a partner to the Netherlands, landing in Amsterdam just two weeks before COVID lockdown hit.

What followed was six unsettled years: a relationship that didn't survive lockdown isolation, a company sponsorship that evaporated when the business went bankrupt, and a year spent without a couch because he never knew if his contract would be renewed.

Justin talks candidly about finally getting permanent residency, the night in Paris when the Springboks won the 2023 World Cup semi-final, and why he's still proudly South African at heart.

"I don't know if I'm going to have my contract renewed. So, you know, I'll just live with the bare minimum until I really know." — Justin Levitt
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For over 30 years Sable International has offered seamless solutions that simplify the complexities of cross-border movement and financial management, so that you can focus on what matters most to you – building your future beyond borders.Find out how Sable International can support your journey: ⁠https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy⁠ _____________________________________________________________

TIMESTAMPS:
00:26 – Guest intro: SEO specialist
00:37 – Growing up in Welkom, the Goldfields
01:04 – Welkom's famous traffic circle legend
01:41 – School, university, bands in Cape Town
03:22 – Landed in Netherlands, COVID hit
04:18 – Learning guitar, convincing parents
05:05 – Backing a solo artist, touring years
06:40 – Forming rock band Red Tape Riot
06:54 – Why music never became a career
08:06 – Jan's theory: SA diversity vs France
08:45 – Radio stations that once launched careers
10:35 – Still plays guitar daily
11:31 – What SEO actually means
13:38 – Expectations before leaving SA
14:53 – Netherlands isn't just a Dutch UK
15:31 – Better government, worse restaurants
15:59 – Afrikaans doesn't help much here
16:47 – Dutch switch to English instantly
17:10 – Dutch know little SA history
17:51 – Arrived days before lockdown
18:17 – Locked down in a small town
19:02 – Lockdown strain on relationship
20:06 – Dutch bureaucracy, organized online
21:25 – Working remotely through lockdown
22:17 – Never settled, five cities
23:56 – Relationship ended in 2022
24:50 – Biggest sacrifice: uncertainty
25:45 – No couch for a year
26:09 – No regrets despite the struggle
27:20 – Struggle as priceless life experience
28:57 – Dutch supermarkets' tiny meat sections
30:30 – Hard to crack Dutch friend groups
31:12 – South Africans seen as hardworking
32:29 – Strict 5pm cutoff culture
34:00 – Feels completely safe here
35:36 – Still proudly South African
38:31 – Who Holland suits best
40:24 – Surprised by SA's racial dynamics
40:51 – Advice: experience first, then leap
41:50 – Doesn't see himself moving back
42:08 – Realizing the weight he carried
42:42 – Misses family and biltong most
43:35 – Best night: Paris 2023 World Cup semi
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Your documents should not slow down your new life.  Apostil obtains, processes, and couriers South African police clearances, apostille certificates, unabridged documents, and more, directly to your door, anywhere in the world. Fast, professional, and stress-free. Need your documents sorted?  Visit Apostil here -⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/apostilcoza⁠⁠ Documents with convenience.

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Connect with the podcast:
Website: [www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com](https://www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com)
Podcast: The Relocated South African — available on Spotify and all platforms

Loved Justin's story? Share this episode with someone weighing their own move abroad.

In this episode of The Relocated South African, I sit down with Jenny Forest Angel, who moved from Johannesburg to Wellington, New Zealand in 1997 with a 20-month-old and a 3-year-old in tow — no internet, just fax machines and expensive phone calls. 

Nearly 30 years on, Jenny's sons are thriving, her late parents followed her out and are buried in New Zealand, and she says she'd do it all again without hesitation.

We talk about the break-in that finally pushed the decision, the 18 months it took to feel settled, the "green stars on the calendar" trick she used to track her hardest days, and why she'll never send a car or a dining room table overseas again.
For over 30 years Sable International has offered seamless solutions that simplify the complexities of cross-border movement and financial management, so that you can focus on what matters most to you – building your future beyond borders.Find out how Sable International can support your journey: ⁠https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy⁠

TIMESTAMPS

00:01 – Introducing Jenny Forest Angel, 30 years in Wellington
00:41 – What prompted leaving South Africa in 1997
00:54 – Five burglaries in 18 months and a safety tipping point
02:48 – The break-in that made them commit to going
03:15 – Selling the house, packing a truck — "what a mistake"
03:41 – Landing in NZ on 31 August 1997, the day Diana died
04:39 – Leaving parents and siblings behind
05:26 – How her parents adapted to a hard move at a late age
06:50 – "We were the lucky ones"
07:12 – Husband's contract ending and landing a NZ job offer
08:57 – Deciding to bring her parents across
09:08 – Sorting her parents' residency paperwork
10:24 – The brutally hard first year, no support networks
10:44 – Crying every day for three months
11:21 – The infamous fish and chips "scoops" story
12:25 – Fax machines twice a week, no Facebook groups
12:35 – Her parents packing up 40 years of life in four months
14:07 – The airport reunion and chocolate-ginger confetti
14:26 – Were her parents financially secure enough to move?
15:33 – How her sons adapted — school, university, careers
16:34 – Sons' success: actuarial science and a master's degree
16:47 – The key to success: green stars on a calendar, "don't give up"
17:49 – Settling financially, and a quirky job exploring Wellington
20:14 – South African pride vs. "no job's beneath me" overseas
20:58 – Would things have turned out the same in South Africa?
21:24 – All Black or Springbok supporter?
21:46 – A 2011 Rugby World Cup ticket mix-up story
23:18 – Making friends: Kiwis vs. fellow South Africans
23:47 – Why the "soft landing" myth doesn't guarantee friendship
24:56 – What she'd leave behind if she did it again
26:56 – The personality traits that make immigration succeed
27:23 – "You can't swim upstream" — adapting without losing yourself
29:10 – "As the plane took off, I knew we were here to stay"
29:20 – How long it took to feel safe again
29:40 – No security bars, no fear — leaving windows open
31:17 – Returning to SA in 2001, her kids' reaction to locked doors
32:11 – Kids playing freely — the value of living without fear
32:25 – Advice for parents on the fence about immigrating
33:06 – Why moving young helps, but older kids adapt too
34:00 – The shrinking window for older parents to immigrate today
34:24 – Her parents' legacy and why she never gave up
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Your documents should not slow down your new life. 

Apostil obtains, processes, and couriers South African police clearances, apostille certificates, unabridged documents, and more, directly to your door, anywhere in the world.

Fast, professional, and stress-free. Need your documents sorted? 

Visit Apostil here -⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/apostilcoza⁠⁠

Documents with convenience.
_____________________________________________________________
Connect with the podcast:
Website: www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com
Podcast: The Relocated South African — available on Spotify and all platforms

Martiens Bekker is a sculptor, blacksmith and multi-medium artist from Naboomspruit. 

He served in the SA Police Force, studied forestry, and built a career making scrap metal sculptures and film props for Warner Brothers and DreamWorks. 

In 2009 he moved to Cornwall, UK, where he ran a coffee shop, served on the Coast Guard rescue team, and sold art — including a piece to the drummer of Queen. 

A chance invitation brought the family to rural Norway in 2014, where they've lived ever since. Martiens became a Norwegian citizen in 2024.
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Whatever taking your future global means for you, Sable International has the expertise to unlock what the world has to offer. With cross-border services spanning visas, second passports, tax, wealth planning, forex and studying abroad, they'll simplify the complexities so that you can focus on what matters most to you – building your future, beyond borders.

Ready to take your future global? Connect with Sable International today: https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy

Timestamps
00:44 — Introduction: calling in from the mountains of Telemark, Norway

03:16 — Growing up in Naboomspruit, a family of Springbok athletes, and losing his father at age four

03:68 — Police force, forestry, Israel — finding his path back in South Africa

04:35 — Meeting his wife outside Cape Town and deciding to leave in 2009

05:35 — Life in Cornwall: coffee shop, Coast Guard, exhibitions — and worrying about British youth culture

07:26 — How Norway happened: a sawmill invitation that fell through, and a school principal who convinced them to stay

09:17 — SA → UK (2009) → Norway (2014) — and a visa battle with the Home Office involving a court case

11:41 — Becoming a Norwegian citizen in 2024 and the language test

13:20 — Which move was harder? Why he'd tell South Africans: "Find somewhere they speak English first"

15:07 — What Norway gets right: unlocked doors, great healthcare, open-source tax transparency

17:24 — The scrap metal art: making props for Warner Brothers and DreamWorks from a Cape Town workshop

23:29 — The Falmouth market story: selling a fish made from pick handles to the drummer of Queen

27:49 — Living with narcolepsy, diagnosed after sepsis in 2016

29:30 — Winter income: copper jewelry, firewood for a traditional bakery, and a heritage market in Mjønøy

31:56 — The price of immigration: reuniting with his brother in California after 16 years apart

36:12 — Why they left: giving the boys a better chance — and what that cost in family connections

37:10 — Would he do it again? His son thanked him for getting him out of Cornwall

38:12 — What he lost: his heart is still in South Africa, but his mind can't align with what he sees there now

39:43 — Could he go back? A brother-in-law's farm and a nephew with Angelman syndrome

41:22 — Advice for young South Africans: understand passive income, tax, and build a foundation

43:28 — Final advice: don't set expectations too high — every country has its problems

Quote of the Episode
"The grass is greener on the other side — you know why? Because there's more sht there."* — Martiens Bekker

Links & Resources
Martiens Bekker — Instagram: search MJ Bekker or Martiens Bekker
BBC Autumnwatch -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DowbAXSquqA

More conversations. More destinations. More stories of South Africans navigating life abroad. Explore the full episode library at http://therelocatedsouthafrican.com.
_______________________________________________________________
Your documents should not slow down your new life. 

Apostil obtains, processes, and couriers South African police clearances, apostille certificates, unabridged documents, and more, directly to your door, anywhere in the world.

Fast, professional, and stress-free. Need your documents sorted? 

Visit Apostil here -⁠https://tinyurl.com/apostilcoza⁠

Documents with convenience.
_______________________________________________________________

Kerry grew up in Kempton Park, playing cricket and hockey his whole life before building a bulk tanker business with his wife on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. After years battling fuel theft syndicates and escalating personal threats, he made the call to move his family to the UK in July 2019 — arriving just months before COVID-19 turned everything upside down. Now, drawing on five years of hard-won expat experience, Kerry has retrained as a life coach to help South Africans navigate the emotional realities of emigration — before, during, and after the move._______________________________________________________________
Whatever taking your future global means for you, Sable International has the expertise to unlock what the world has to offer. With cross-border services spanning visas, second passports, tax, wealth planning, forex and studying abroad, they'll simplify the complexities so that you can focus on what matters most to you – building your future, beyond borders.Ready to take your future global? Connect with Sable International today: https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy
_______________________________________________________________Timestamps00:06 — Jan introduces Kerry and sets the scene: Kent, just outside London01:13 — Growing up in Kempton Park.01:40 — Building a bulk tanker business from scratch.03:47 — The moment everything changed.04:43 — The reality of transport crime in South Africa.06:06 — Impact on the kids.07:04 — Moving as a team.07:57 — Arriving in July 2019.09:32 — When reality sets in.10:59 — Cost of living surprises.12:44 — Making friends in the UK.15:30 — Did they ever consider going back? 16:43 — What Kerry found personally hardest.18:50 — The pivot to life coaching: from trucks to transformation.20:33 — Jan on the broader need.22:08 — Kerry's coaching business.23:10 — Why focus on South Africans specifically? 25:03 — The two biggest struggles Kerry sees.26:29 — Identity loss and cultural shock.28:19 — Are people regretting emigrating? 30:13 — Wrong reasons to emigrate.32:45 — How to make a better decision: 33:33 — Practical advice for new arrivals.35:28 — Sitting on the fence? 36:55 — Pushed vs pulled.37:59 — How to reach Kerry: kerrydeamer@icloud.com (website coming soon)Quote of the Episode"Stop digging the hole. Just take account of where you are in life, how you got there, and understand what needs to change — to make change." — Kerry DeamerKey Takeaways* Don't emigrate out of frustration. Decisions made from a negative, exhausted mindset rarely lead to the outcome you're hoping for.* The hardest part of the move isn't the logistics — it's the loneliness. Deep friendships take years to build, and the UK makes it harder than most.* You have to assimilate, not replicate. Trying to recreate South African life in the UK will leave you disappointed.* If you've just arrived, get involved — sports clubs, volunteering, community. Don't wait for people to come to you.* The story you're telling yourself about why you left matters. Make sure it's true.If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. Don't forget to follow and rate The Relocated South African wherever you listen to podcasts._______________________________________________________________Your documents should not slow down your new life. Apostil obtains, processes, and couriers South African police clearances, apostille certificates, unabridged documents, and more, directly to your door, anywhere in the world.Fast, professional, and stress-free. Need your documents sorted? Visit Apostil here -⁠https://tinyurl.com/apostilcoza⁠Documents with convenience.
______________________________________________________________More conversations. More destinations. More stories of South Africans navigating life abroad. Explore the full episode library at http://therelocatedsouthafrican.com.

Monty Stephenson, chartered accountant (South Africa and Canada), business leader, and director of the Solulo Foundation.
Monty grew up in Plettenberg Bay and qualified as a CA with Deloitte Johannesburg before emigrating to Prince George, British Columbia in 1996.
Over ten years he built a senior career in audit, raised a family of three daughters, and came within six months of making partner — before making the emotional decision to return to Cape Town for family.
He and his wife Cathy have now lived in Cape Town for 20 years and recently reclaimed their South African citizenship.
Quote of the Episode
“We never left South Africa angry. We left to go and experience a different culture — and fell in love with the country. But we’re committed South Africans.” — Monty Stephenson
For over 30 years Sable International has offered seamless solutions that simplify the complexities of cross-border movement and financial management, so that you can focus on what matters most to you – building your future beyond borders.Find out how Sable International can support your journey: https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy

Timestamps
00:00  —  Welcome & intro.
03:29  —  How the move to Canada happened: a chance conversation at a hotel in Joburg led to a call from Deloitte Canada .
06:40  —  Cathy's struggle to find work as an occupational therapist in Canada.
11:01  —  On Canadians: their warmth is earned, not automatic.
15:00  —  The first 18 months were tough.
20:40  —  How a planned two-year stay became ten — and what that meant for family left behind in South Africa.
25:12  —  Monty's mom visited Canada and her peace at seeing their life there.
33:15  —  The difficult decision to leave.
39:02  —  How they ended up back: an impromptu interview in Joburg organised by his brother-in-law, then one in Cape Town the next day — and a job offer from Ernst & Young on the spot.
45:00  —  The final push to say yes:
46:08  —  Reintegrating into South Africa. Early months in Camps Bay were a shock — the crime headlines hit hard. But within three months they found their feet and reconnected with community.
50:07  —  Monty's philosophy on safety: "There's one criminal in our community and 99 of us are sitting inside letting him own the street. Let the 99 go outside and be connected — and he'll move on."
52:00  —  Monty's involvement with the Solulo Foundation, supporting township and rural entrepreneurs.
58:37  —  His eldest daughter is now back from London. His advice: go, explore, get your Canadian passport, and come back if South Africa calls you.
01:02:50  —  A message to South Africans abroad: "Please don't crash us overseas.
01:03:53  —  Wrap-up and sign-off.
_____________________________________________________________
Your documents should not slow down your new life. 

Apostil obtains, processes, and couriers South African police clearances, apostille certificates, unabridged documents, and more, directly to your door, anywhere in the world.

Fast, professional, and stress-free. Need your documents sorted? 

Visit Apostil here -⁠https://tinyurl.com/apostilcoza⁠

Documents with convenience.
_____________________________________________________________
More conversations. More destinations. More stories of South Africans navigating life abroad. Explore the full episode library at http://therelocatedsouthafrican.com.