The Relocated South African | Emigration stories

Dale Lyell grew up in Johannesburg, joined the Safmarine Merchant Navy after matric and spent years travelling the world on container ships, bulk carriers and even the QE2. In 1998…

Quinton Pullinger’s story is anything but a straight line. He grew up in Springs, South Africa, trained as a goldsmith, and then took an unexpected leap to Taiwan after seeing an a…

Wynand Kuhn's move to Chile was never part of a grand plan. Born and raised in Upington, Wynand was working in the restaurant industry in Durban when his brother-in-law invited him…

Tracey Shearer left South Africa in 2003 with an Irish passport, a printer and no real plan beyond seeing what life abroad had to offer. What followed was a 13-year journey through…

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…

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,…

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 b…

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 Amer…

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…

When Murray Collier left South Africa for the United States, the plan was simple: gain some international experience and eventually decide what came next. Reality turned out to be…

When Merle-Louise first arrived in Malta, she wanted to get straight back on the plane. Fifteen years later, she can't imagine calling anywhere else home. After building a success…

Most South African doctors leave. Dr. Casper Joubert did the opposite. After qualifying at Stellenbosch University, Casper and his wife—also a doctor—built successful medical caree…

What happens when opportunity knocks later in life? Do you stay where you're comfortable—or do you take the leap? For Wendy Minnie and her family, the answer was clear. After succe…

When Berilyn Teeling moved from South Africa to Ireland, she wasn't just looking for a better life—she ended up creating one of Ireland's largest celebrations of South African cult…

From Cape Town to Brazil... and now Bali. Janlo van den Heever has never been afraid to challenge conventional thinking. After building a successful career with Red Bull in South A…

Duncan Goldsmith made the life-changing decision to leave South Africa in 1986—long before emigration became commonplace. Nearly four decades later, he reflects on what it really t…

Crime novelist, screenwriter and creative writing graduate James Fouché has swapped Cape Town for central China, where he's beginning a completely new chapter—not only in his caree…

After 25 years abroad, Retha Jacobs has built a life across three countries—but South Africa has never left her heart. Growing up in Pretoria, Retha took the road less travelled.…

Dr. Deepak Bhootra spent 15 years building a career in South Africa before taking that experience across Singapore, India and eventually the United States. Born in India and raised…

Werner Trieloff left the Free State at 21, chased whiskey and languages through Scotland and London, then followed a Brazilian love story to Porto Alegre in 2008 with only enough P…