SA has lost hundreds of thousands of talented, energetic people

Writer Darrel Bristow-Bovey, enjoying the rugby in France, posted on X this week: “I don’t know who needs to know this (every South African in France needs to know this) but I found a bar in Aix-en-Provence that sells a pint for 3 euros.”

He followed this up, the next day, with “Nothing made me prouder than the speed with which an elite squad of four South Africans followed that tweet to the affordable beer”.

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There are hordes of South Africans in evidence across France, hoping the Boks make history by winning the Rugby World Cup for the fourth time.

At the warm-up match against the All Blacks at Twickenham in London, the biggest roar came from green-and-gold supporters, who seemed in the majority in the 80 000-seat stadium.

Goodness, one might have thought, a lot of South Africans have plenty of money to travel. But, they’re already there.

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Most of these people supporting the Boks were part of a diaspora, which has seen this country lose hundreds of thousands of talented, energetic people.

The fact that they’re still proud to flaunt their love for their country shows they didn’t want to leave, they felt they had no choice. Something for our rulers to think about, perhaps?

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