Expatriates in Europe and other parts of the world should move back to South Africa to play a part in transforming the country, South Africa’s Public Protector, Adv. Thuli Madonsela, has pleaded.

Addressing the Homecoming Revolution-Speed Meet Africa event in London during the weekend Madonsela said expats can help to build a South African society which should be in pursuit of an inclusive society rooted in human rights and social justice.

The Homecoming Revolution seeks to encourage all Africans not living on the continent to return to their native lands and bring with them the skills they have gained to develop Africa.

“Please come back to South Africa to lay your brick in this great transformation project in pursuit of our constitutional dream of the South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and which has voluntarily chosen to transform itself into an inclusive society based on human rights, including social justice, where every person’s potential is freed and their lives improved,” she said.

According to a statement released by her office, she also told expats that they would have opportunities to play a “significant role in the world as global citizens while based in South Africa, the land of their birth or ancestry”.

There are hundreds of scarce skills jobs in South Africa which South Africans in the diaspora can fill. She added that the constitutional and social problems South Africa faced were opportunities for South Africans to bring in an international perspective combined with knowledge of the local complexities and peculiarities to help resolve the snags.

She argued that the rejection of corruption and accountability lapses among those entrusted with public power was an example of the good that was happening.

“The fact that we talk about these lapses is because wrongdoing is resolutely rejected and reported by people and a free and vigilant media and then dealt with by various pillars of constitutional democracy and guardians of the Constitution,” she explained.

But now we wonder if everything was taken in to consideration and put in to perspective in the real world. Not the politically correct speech version of it the real world.

1. If South African returns home, and face it most are white, they have to move back to a country where they are judged based on the colour of their skin. Work, buying shares in companies, government contracts, applying for loans etc. This is all affected by Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment that is still failing 20 years later.

2. Corruption, it’s a big thing to chat about it in your speech but the reality is, it’s still there and nothing is being done about it. #nkandla

3. Crime, not more is being done about crime. This counts for all South Africans as crime does not target white people there are victims of all colours and shapes.

4. Electricity, seriously number 2 comes back and a few more can be added but if you cannot even secure electricity then how can you expect people to return?

5. Cost of living, this can turn in to a long list but let’s just say everything costs more and every time petrol prices goes up or the rand falls in value to the $/£ then everything costs more. But when it drops it stays high. It only goes up never down.

So this is a serious question, a valid question and one that deserves an answer from South Africans living abroad…

WOULD YOU MOVE BACK TO SOUTH AFRICA? If YES or NOW give a reason.