I think it is unfair to generalize. What is a fortune ? As for space, I know plenty of people with houses well over 100m2. It very much depends on where you are willing to live. If you have the patience consider buying an older home in need of some TLC.

So Thirusha what happened. Did your Swiss plans work out?

Hi Diane_D,

Heard about your post and thought to send you a reply.

I was born and raised in SA and do understand your reluctance to give up the large living spaces. To tell the truth, 240sqm is usually considered a large very comfortable home. Way above the average for most areas. My Townhouse in Paulshof (Close to Fourways in Sandton ) was only 87sqm but plenty big enough for me.

My road to Switzerland was a relatively complicated one so please bear with me. I left SA in 2006 and moved to New Zealand of around six months. From there, I moved to the UK and after two years landed a two year contract working in Zurich.

I really had a great time and found that during the summer months the natural light and temperature were often comparable to SA. The winters we will not mention! ;-)

At the end of the contract, I returned to the UK but after about a year, I found that I wanted to return to Switzerland. About four years ago I landed another opportunity to return to Switzerland and grabbed at it with both hands. A decision I have never regretted.

I am well aware to the slow and relentless decline to living, service, and safety standards in SA and admit those were the very reasons I chose to leave in the first place. I am stunned that this has also reached beautiful areas like Hermanus too. I'm sure you have spent time on the beach just whale watching.

I for one could not envisage ever returning to SA unless very drastic changes were made first.

In your shoes, I would consider whether the trade-off of a few square meters of living space for the freedom to walk down the street without fear of being robbed, raped, molested or shot was worth it?

If I were in your situation, I would not hesitate to return to Switzerland. Sure the living accommodation is small by comparison but then again most houses in SA's suburbs are hidden behind six foot walls, topped with electrified fences and razor wire for backup. All the windows have burglar bars across them and the alarm system that has a radio link to the an armed security service is more sophisticated than what I have seen in most UK banks that I had visited.

That was the norm for Johannesburg and it sounds like it was getting or is also that way in Hermanus too. You will have to decide if you want to carry on living like a prisoner in your own home or not?

I live in a 60 sqm apartment on the shores of Lake Zurich and have a view of the mountains and know that in a few hours, I can be in a rural Location almost anywhere is Switzerland or Europe.

It pleases me greatly to see ladies walking down the street almost all hours of the day secure in the knowledge that they are safe.

Oops.. this was meant to be a quick reply..

Es tut mir leid!
Viele Grüße

Hi,
Thank you so much for that detailed reply
you made a point of so many things I am trying to weigh up.I do love the Swiss nature & winter in Davos where I lived before I left was freezing but awesome. I love the swiss quality, the intelligence & knowledge which is lacking dearly in SA.


Sadly to say the DA led western cape gov. has started mixed living ie. putting up shanty towns next to upmarket areas, ie. in Hermanus its in the middle of town. Most of 2018 we had riots which blocked the town & brought many businesses down really badly.

Which is exactly what you are saying... but you know firsthand how so much sky can cloud your judgement & leaves you living in hope for better times or even just lets you forget the obvious. typical south african.
but you are right. my property value has dropped & if I want to have anything left to move to CH I suppose I need to make up my mind soon as municipal election are in 2 years.
Thank you very much for your positive input.

Hmm let me see... CH with smaller living spaces, a higher income and very stable sociopolitical environment... or SA with larger living spaces and a chaotic sociopolitical environment with a dramatically higher chance of me or my loved ones being subject to horrendous violence or even death.

Tough choice.

Ha ha, very funny
Mate if you knew how much sky we have here, sky?
yes sky, believe me it makes you feel free & it makes you forget all the bad & life just goes on.
& hey we have great security measures to live well before we die, alarms burglar guards, security companies/
But you are right I need to make a move soon.... my ZAR is -14 to the CHF
I am going to be so broke when I get there, house sale & all. & I have 2 dogs...
I know I am going to sit in my small flat in the freezing cold, stone broke & regret the move every day
(on the other hand, i'll never know if I would have been shot the day after I left, hey)

Btw, thanx for the great text, well said & you really puts things into perspective

Ok I was being dramatic, and CH and SA are worlds apart, but life here in CH is what you choose make of it... it can be as boring or as exciting as you like depending on how you live your life and free time. SA has open sky and untamed (ok well, not as much any more) wildlife but possibly no near-future as a stable country with a sustainably good quality of life. It will very likely all (according to what I read and hear) get progressively worse and come crashing down at some point and do you really want to be there when it does? Better to leave and remember it well during the better times, than stay through the bad and forever associate it with misfortune.