By Alec Hogg
Travelling reminds us of important stuff which otherwise slips into hidden recesses of the mind. Two things worth sharing from this week’s visit.
When we set up BizNews’s UK operation between 2016 and 2019, I met many relocated Saffers. Hundreds of thousands live here, most arriving on youthful adventures, like Kiwis and Aussies have been doing for generations. But while Antipodeans invariably return home, my compatriots mostly stay. Sad that.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___Another reminder was how badly some of SA’s public servants behave when they spend taxpayer-funded Sterling away from home. An example was shared by a friend who recently hosted an SA cabinet minister’s media event, where journos from London’s big media titles were in attendance.
The hosting politician arrived an hour late, accompanied by three bodyguards. Then complained to waiting worthies from the FT, Times, Guardian, BBC etc., to being under the weather, requested their lunch be packed in a‘doggie bag’ – and departed. True story. Hopefully that’s an exception. But don’t bank on it. Roll on 2024.
Read more:
- RW Johnson: The mistaken nostalgia for the Mbeki Presidency
- Play the share market, win prizes, with SA’s hottest new game – Fantasy Fund Manager
- South Africa’s hypocritical anti-Western stance: A dangerous path? – Andrew Kenny
