The Relocated South African | Emigration stories

Connor Jackson was born in Durban, spent much of his childhood in Tanzania, returned to South Africa, and then unexpectedly found himself building a life in Hungary.
At 18, Connor went to Hungary on a Rotary exchange programme. He didn't choose Hungary as his first option, but what began as a one-year adventure became a life-changing experience.
He returned to South Africa after the exchange, started studying at Stellenbosch University, but soon realised that he wanted to return to Hungary. He eventually moved back to Budapest, restarted his degree, learned Hungarian and began building a career there.
In this episode, Connor talks about:
Growing up in Tanzania and living in an expat mining community
Arriving in Hungary with virtually no Hungarian
The challenge of learning one of Europe's most difficult languages
Returning to South Africa and discovering that he had changed
Leaving Stellenbosch and moving back to Budapest
Studying international relations and starting his career in Hungary
Finding community through Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and rugby
What life in Budapest is really like
Safety, public transport and the cost of living
Working for Hungarian companies
The challenges of Hungarian immigration and bureaucracy
Being forced to leave Hungary after a visa problem
How a lawyer helped him return
Why he recently became a Hungarian citizen
Travelling and building a life across Europe
Connor also explains why putting yourself out there is so important when you move abroad, and why joining a sports club or other community can be one of the best ways to make friends and build a new life.
And despite becoming Hungarian, Connor says you never stop being South African.
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SUPPORTED BY SABLE INTERNATIONAL
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: building your future beyond borders.
Find out how Sable International can support your journey:
https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy
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TIMESTAMPS
00:11 Welcome from Budapest
01:02 Growing up in Tanzania
03:43 Life in a Tanzanian gold-mining community
07:20 How Connor ended up in Hungary
09:08 Living with Hungarian host families
10:59 Arriving in Hungary with no Hungarian
13:35 Learning the Hungarian language
14:51 Returning to South Africa
16:28 Leaving Stellenbosch for Budapest
18:23 Studying and working in Hungary
19:12 Finding community through martial arts
21:35 Living in Hungary during COVID
23:44 Building a social life in Budapest
24:40 What Connor loves about Budapest
27:52 Cost of living in Hungary
30:50 Working in Budapest
32:42 Hungarian immigration and bureaucracy
35:23 Advice for South Africans considering Hungary
36:55 Becoming a Hungarian citizen
38:25 Travelling around Europe
40:00 Committing to your new life abroad
41:28 Braai, biltong and staying South African

CONNECT WITH THE RELOCATED SOUTH AFRICAN
www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com
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If Connor's story resonated with you, please share this episode with another South African living abroad.

Andreas Pyper's journey to America began almost by accident. In 1997, he and a group of friends entered the US Green Card Lottery as a joke. His wife Amanda won. A few years later, they packed up their lives in South Africa and moved to California.
What followed was anything but easy.
Andreas arrived in America as an experienced HR manager, but found himself starting again at the bottom. His first job was as an HR filing clerk. He had no US credit history, no professional network and no company waiting to welcome him. His wife also had to start over, completing the requirements to become licensed as a therapist in California.
The first 18 months tested their family and their marriage. They experienced financial pressure, loneliness and uncertainty. Later, they lost their home during the 2008 financial crisis and had to rebuild again.
But Andreas kept going.
Today, 26 years after moving to the United States, he is a Human Resources Director for a large county organisation in California. He shares the practical lessons he learned along the way, from building a US credit history and choosing the right employer to understanding pensions, healthcare and the importance of accepting that you may have to take a few steps backwards before moving forward.
Andreas also has some strong advice for South Africans considering America: build relationships with Americans, don't expect your South African career success to transfer immediately, be prepared to work your way up, and don't underestimate the importance of having a strong marriage and family partnership.
This is an honest conversation about immigration, resilience, humility, career rebuilding, marriage and making a new life work.
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SABLE INTERNATIONAL
For over 30 years, Sable International has offered solutions that simplify the complexities of cross-border movement and financial management, so you can focus on what matters most: building your future beyond borders.
Find out how Sable International can support your journey:
https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy
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TIMESTAMPS
00:17 Welcome and Andreas' life in California
02:32 Growing up in Durban and Cape Town
07:44 His political upbringing
09:13 University and national service
10:31 Working in HR and the Green Card Lottery
11:16 How his wife won the Green Card Lottery
13:16 Discovering California
16:07 His father's life after politics
17:10 How the Green Card process worked
19:19 Leaving family behind
21:02 Starting again in America
24:29 Building a US credit history
28:25 His wife's professional re-licensing
29:30 The difficult first 18 months
35:29 Immigration and marriage
37:25 Losing their home during the financial crisis
42:24 Building their lives again
42:41 The importance of government jobs and pensions
45:10 Healthcare in America
47:02 The biggest mistakes South Africans make
49:25 Advice for anyone considering emigrating
52:45 The one thing he would have done differently

CONNECT WITH THE RELOCATED SOUTH AFRICAN
www.relocatedsouthafrican.com
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another South African considering life abroad.

James Whelan was born and raised in Johannesburg before moving to London in 1998. Five years later, after meeting his Japanese partner, he moved to Japan for what was supposed to be one year.
More than two decades later, he's still there.
James is now married, has three children, works in recruitment and has permanent residency in Japan. But despite building a successful life in Tokyo, he still feels a powerful connection to South Africa and says that if circumstances allowed it, he would move back home tomorrow.
In this episode, James shares the reality of life in Japan as a South African.
We talk about moving from Johannesburg to London and then Japan, the culture shock of arriving in Japan, living there without fluent Japanese, finding work, Japanese working culture, raising children in Tokyo, safety, healthcare, the cost of living, public transport, Japanese food and what it feels like to remain a foreigner after more than 20 years.
We also explore whether Japan has really become home for James, his connection to South Africa and his thoughts about eventually returning.
_______________________________________________________________
SABLE INTERNATIONAL
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: building your future beyond borders.
Find out how Sable International can support your journey:
https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
00:23 Growing up in Johannesburg
03:05 Moving to London
03:11 From London to Japan
05:00 Learning Japanese
08:43 Culture shock
11:32 Settling into Japan
13:00 Permanent residency
14:46 His children and South Africa
16:23 Working in Japan
18:31 Visas and red tape
20:23 Japanese work culture
24:02 Life in Tokyo
25:43 Safety in Japan
28:14 Food and adapting to Japanese cuisine
31:19 Healthcare
33:03 Cost of living
35:24 Public transport and cars
37:16 Family and leisure
40:14 Is Japan home?
42:52 What James would tell his younger self
45:01 Final thoughts

CONNECT WITH THE RELOCATED SOUTH AFRICAN
The Relocated South African is the show for navigating emigration from South Africa for a better future.
www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com
Listen, subscribe and explore more stories from South Africans around the world.
If James's story resonated with you, please share this episode with another South African living abroad.

Andries Coetzee left South Africa for the United States in 1999 to do a PhD. His plan was simple: complete his studies and return home.
Instead, 27 years later, he is still in America.
After completing his PhD at the University of Massachusetts, Andries joined the University of Michigan, where he has built a successful academic career. What began as a temporary move became a life in the United States.
But his connection to South Africa never disappeared.
After becoming an American citizen, Andries found that his South African identity became more important to him. His research shifted towards South Africa and Africa, and regular visits home gradually strengthened his desire to maintain a deeper connection with the country he left behind.
A powerful experience during a University of Michigan orchestra trip to Soweto finally convinced him that he wanted a second base in South Africa. He has now bought a property in the Stellenbosch area and is considering spending much more of his time there after retirement.
In this episode we discuss leaving South Africa, adapting to American academic life, the differences between South African and American universities, life in Ann Arbor, the cost of living and healthcare, South African identity abroad, and what it means to be at home in two countries.
We also talk about Andries' optimism about Africa's future and why he believes more South African and African students should consider postgraduate study in the United States.
Most importantly, this is a conversation about something many emigrants eventually discover: you can build a successful life somewhere else without losing your connection to where you came from.
"As an expat, you're at home in two places, but not really fully at home in one."
_____________________________________________________________
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 – building your future beyond borders.
Find out how Sable International can support your journey:
https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy
_______________________________________________________________
TIMESTAMPS
00:06 – Why Andries went to America in 1999
03:04 – Growing up in rural Limpopo
04:08 – Adjusting to the American university system
08:37 – From PhD student to professor at Michigan
11:00 – Why he didn't return to South Africa
14:48 – Family, loss and building a life in America
18:53 – The South African "soft landing"
20:32 – Why Africa became important again
24:42 – His optimism about Africa's future
27:11 – Why he's considering a base in South Africa
31:02 – The Soweto experience that changed his thinking
34:06 – Buying a property in Stellenbosch
34:41 – Could he eventually return permanently?
38:07 – Retirement, money and exchange rates
40:33 – Healthcare in America and South Africa
43:43 – Afrikaans, culture and identity
46:57 – Being at home in two countries
48:38 – Advice for students considering America

CONNECT WITH ANDRIES COETZEE
University of Michigan
Email: kutsiya@umich.edu
Andries also offers workshops and guidance to African students interested in studying in the United States.
CONNECT WITH THE RELOCATED SOUTH AFRICAN
www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com
The Relocated South African – available on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
If Andries' story resonated with you, please share this episode with another South African living abroad.

Olaf Duve has lived in four countries, built an international career and ultimately settled in Sydney with his wife and three children.
Growing up in Johannesburg, Olaf left South Africa at 18 to study in Germany before spending eight years in the UK. After a decade in Europe, he returned to South Africa to join his family's logistics business, eventually helping grow and sell the company.
Then, with three young children, a casual conversation over a braai planted the idea of Australia.
Olaf had never even visited Australia. He booked a flight, spent a week interviewing for jobs and, three months later, moved his family to Sydney.
Nearly ten years later, Australia is home.
In this conversation, Olaf talks honestly about the realities of moving countries with a young family, why the first two years can be the hardest, the challenges of adapting to Australian working culture, the cost of living, family left behind in South Africa, and why South Africans shouldn't automatically assume that emigration is the right answer.
We also discuss why Australia feels surprisingly familiar to South Africans, the importance of integrating into your new country, and what Olaf would tell someone considering making the move today.
His advice is refreshingly balanced: don't leave simply because everyone else is leaving. Make sure the move is right for your family and go in with your eyes wide open.
"Just be grateful and don't get so stressed... appreciate the decision you've made and enjoy the benefits of where you are."
______________________________________________________________
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 – building your future beyond borders.
Find out how Sable International can support your journey:
https://bit.ly/3R3g1sy
_______________________________________________________________
TIMESTAMPS
00:06 – Introducing Olaf Duve
00:41 – Growing up in Johannesburg
01:38 – Having a German passport
02:26 – Moving to Germany and then the UK
05:29 – Why he eventually returned to South Africa
06:00 – Starting his career in logistics
08:37 – The conversation that sparked the move to Australia
09:30 – Moving to Australia with three young children
11:00 – Australia's visa and skills requirements
12:05 – The first two years with a family
14:24 – Why Australia feels familiar to South Africans
17:15 – The South African community in Australia
20:48 – The cost of living in Australia
25:33 – Deciding that Australia was home
28:00 – The challenge of ageing parents back in South Africa
31:02 – Australian versus South African working culture
36:38 – Will he ever return to South Africa?
39:13 – The advice he'd give his younger self
40:37 – Should young families emigrate?

Connect with Olaf Duve
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaf-duve-889893109/
Connect with The Relocated South African
🌍 www.therelocatedsouthafrican.com
🎙️ The Relocated South African — available on Spotify and all major podcast platforms.
If Olaf's story resonated with you, share this episode with someone considering a move to Australia—or someone trying to decide whether emigration is right for their family.