Hello, I'm new here :)

Hello, I browsed this forum a lot in the past, now I'm back to start posting

Thank you so much for this forum, for helping me a lot over the years!

I'm from South Africa originally, and I also spend a lot of time in the US, Canada and many other countries,
Europe, Asia, Oceania...

I am a firearms enthusiast since early childhood, also a prepper

I travel a lot,
and have a complicated situation where I care about many close friends/family, tenants, employees,
simultaneously in multiple states, countries, continents, environments,
urban, suburban, rural, 1st world, 3rd world...

So I'm not that specialised, and I'm more focused on mobility, travel, escaping, adapting to many places,
I love chatting & sharing info on many subjects!

 

Welcome aboard! As I'm sure you've realized there is a vast quantity of helpful info on this site. Enjoy!!!

 

Howdy!

 

Welcome to the monkey tree. Pull up a branch and make it your own.

 

Welcome from Alabama! Hoping that you can offer insight into prepping around the world.

 

Cool! And, welcome! From what I heard today, I wouldn't go back to South Africa if I was you. I mean no offense and certainly don't mean to be unkind, but I've been to many 3rd world places that I think a person would have a better chance than South Africa.

 

Welcome to the Monkey.

 

Hello and welcome. I worked in marine salvage for many years with some fine folks from South Africa and still stay in touch with a few. My worst experience with S.A. was the number of planes and stops it took me to get there, especially trying to change planes in France.

 

Yes, South Africa is the most difficult environment of all, other than some warzone or some entirely black country. I am there often for friends/family, business and charity. I was there during the massive riots in 2019 and 2021, I am there whenever there is a planned strike (like in 2023, but nothing happened), I'm ready to go at a moment's notice.

You learn to never relax You learn to live with daily power outages, severe chronic water shortages,
shortages of fuel and everything else, extremely high crime & corruption,
you learn a LOT quickly and put it in practice, gain experience.

Like the US, South Africa is also a great place to train with firearms.
The whites are self-reliant and experienced, at least the 10% that live in the countryside.

Unfortunately the country is built on critical race theory, ESG, DEI, race-communism,
and is predictably falling apart and becoming more anarchic and dysfunctional.
Half the country is unemployed and lives on welfare, vast & growing slums everywhere,
only 7 million taxpayers in a country of 60 million and all the tax money is stolen anyway,
and add millions of illegal migrants pouring in from other African countries.

South Africa has worsening food insecurity, violence can increase anytime,
a Rwanda-style situation is always possible, and the country can always split apart & become anarchic like Congo.

When this happens, the cities will become unlivable and there will be a massive internal refugee population,
so the smarter whites are already forming evacuation and refugee management plans,
and are ideally forming a bugout or bug-IN location in the safer parts of the countryside

 

So, it sounds exactly like what we have been told. Strange, there was a time in my life when I actually thought about immigrating to there. It truly sounds like the country is about finished, last gasp. I expect money was the reason President Ramaphosa visited but was shamed instead and warned to get his country in order or else...

There comes a time when one must realize that there is more to lose than gain by staying. Yeah, I know, it is hell to start over completely in a new country, and yes, I have done it, having to buy every damn spoon and plate, leaving all your books and tools, learn all the culture specific oddities, and a thousand other things but you can't save the place and all you will do is die there, probably by a bad death too so... I hope you have considered popping smoke and getting you and your family out.

America is not a bad place, and it has become very apparent these last few days that South Africans will be welcomed here, given asylum, as even our President is in your corner. Stay away from the major cities, live in the suburbs or countryside, and it's pretty good and getting better every day now that we have some common sense in the White House.

It's actually a good time to come here as it is changing tremendously fast on every level possible; politically, economically, even the government. I'm not saying there isn't still a lot to change but it's happening relatively fast for a democratic country and, if not America, then maybe somewhere else (Australia?) but get the hell out. If my math is correct, there are ~4.5 million whites in a country of 63 million so with those odds, there is no way in hell 'evacuation and refugee management plans...bugout or bug-IN' are feasible. Time to pop smoke.

 

In a way, there are two South Africas: the racially mixed western half and the heavily black eastern half.
Neither is great but one is a much better place than the other.

2/3 of whites and 5/6 of the population lives in the eastern half, because this is the part of the country that developed in the 20th century, and this is where the black homelands are. The whites living here are the most vulnerable. Also 90% of whites live in urban/suburban areas, they are very vulnerable too. Probably this is the group that is emigrating.

The western half of the country, or even the westernmost part of it, could be a viable state if independent. Also the economy and governance are much better in the west, with only 2% white unemployment compared to 8% in the east. Also, 80% of tax revenues from the west disappear into the eastern half of the country. If it were independent, the west would still be a 3rd world country because of its demographics, and the cities would still be violent, but it would have control of its own tax money, would have a higher quality of life, and would not have the race-communism that is currently destroying South Africa.

There is an ongoing migration of whites, all classes, to the western half of the country.
The coast is like California, and the interior is empty like the Australian Outback. The desert is a natural barrier.

If South Africa continues to fall apart, I hope that one of Trump's successors will recognise the secession of the western part of the country. It's not so far-fetched, a few new countries have formed in Africa, de facto or de jure, in the 21st century. Especially considering geopolitics with the Chinese, Russians and Antarctica. I'm glad that the US is becoming more realist and flexible, less interested in propping up a failed "liberal international order" and the Sorosoid woke South African state.

But yes, South Africa is the next Yugoslavia/Rwanda/Congo waiting to happen, and it will be tough for whites, so I don't judge whoever wants to leave. It's a sinking ship and I'm so glad that President Trump offered a lifeboat for whoever wants it.

I hope that whoever stays will be in the more defensible western part, which can become a new country.

 

Welcome from the INW.
Good summary of how things stand in SA.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write all of this up and answer our questions even though I realize it must be difficult for you to talk about it. Know that we find it extremely interesting, and I do hope and pray things turn out well for South Africa and that you and yours are able to make the hard and correct decisions concerning the future. It's got to be horribly difficult. South Africa is one of the countries that I have never been, been to a lot of places but never there and from the sounds of it, I never will. Please feel free to talk about this any time you're in the mood. As I said, we here find this extremely interesting to get firsthand knowledge of a place most of us have never visited.

Yes, I am very proud of our President and how he has extended our hand to South African refugees and shamed President Ramaphosa internationally and maybe, just maybe, forcing him to act to ensure safety for all citizens there. I never considered the breakup of South Africa but then again - why not. Of course, it's very, very doubtful they would allow that without a fight due to the revenue generated by the West.

I hope you are not angry with me for putting you on the spot, forcing the discussion. I've been in a couple of revolutions, one of which was extremely bad, very bloody, and when that madness happens, you simply do not know what will happen next, plans go out the window, you simply cannot react fast enough. The only real solution it to get ahead of it and stay ahead of it, acting before they force you to react. What multiplies the problem(s) is family, not one's fear for themselves so much but for family members and it makes almost any task almost impossible to resolve especially in a time sensitive manner so acting first is not only smart but necessary.

Thank you @Maria739. You will fit right in here because not only are there a lot of expats and those that spent time overseas here, but the huge majority share your mindset.

 

No problem at all, thank you!
I am well aware that at some point, staying and fighting is hopeless, such as in Russia in 1920.
South Africa at least in the western part is nowhere near that!
Ultimately free South Africans will need some foreign partners/sponsors though.

Which revolutions did you experience?

Also I love President Trump and what he is doing, and I spend more time in the US for business than in South Africa.
And I am informed and monitor closely whatever is happening in the US, because this affects the entire world.
I hope that President Trump and his chosen successors are successful and stay in power for a long time.

It's not only the Democrats/Uniparty but the entire Western globalist power elite that need to be brought to heel, and Trump and his movement are the ultimate weapons for doing so, or else everyone's basic freedoms, livelihoods and lives are in danger.

The US is the most free country on earth by far.
Hopefully it will stay that way, otherwise the future of the West and all freedom-loving people is much more uncertain.

 

Sorry, more questions... I did a bit of querying but got different and conflicting answers, what controls are on privately own firearms in South Africa. Are you allowed to own semi-auto rifles/carbines such as AR-15s, etc.? I highly doubt you are allowed automatic firearms, correct? I guess I am asking about what type of restrictions South Africans have for firearm ownership?

"Ultimately free South Africans will need some foreign partners/sponsors though."
Yes, that will absolutely be a necessity; however, I do not think given the historical ties to the UK commonwealth and America's interest in the region, that will be a problem. I do find the idea of a divided South Africa interesting...

"Which revolutions did you experience?"
The one I was speaking about was in Central Asia, in a small country of only 5 million, called Kyrgyzstan, 2010. I was working there, met my soon to be wife there, she's ethnic Russian, born there. They ousted the President, bit of a long story, lots of foreign politics, Russia was heavily involved and provided all the weaponry, and it was FSB orchestrated. Over 100 dead and 500 wounded when finished. The city was completely trashed, and they almost had a war with Uzbekistan which I think was part of the FSB plan to destabilize the entire region but was derailed by American influence, probably by threat. It was never reported accurately by the Western press, rapes, murders, massive looting. Why? Lots of reasons but I think since the coup was successful, it was over and done, and the West wanted to move on instead of talk about how Russia solidified its control of the region and in all honesty, the West simply didn't care. It's a long story but interesting in how real international politics are played. Anyway, scary times, never want to be in such a helpless situation again.
EDIT: This is one of the reasons I always laugh at those that talk about how the US did the coop in Ukraine. Sure, they were involved, and they won. This happens all the time, all over the world. Sometimes the CIA wins, sometimes the FSB, sometimes others...Kipling called it the 'Great Game.'

"I love President Trump and what he is doing..."
Yes, real Americans do too; however, I would rephase it as '...what he is trying to do.' Many of these changes are not permanent - yet - as most of our Congress wants things to remain the same so they have to be dragged to do what's best for the country, not what is best for their donors or their campaign. Actually, many of us feel this is our last chance for the country. Should Biden had won, and I believe if they could have stolen the election again, they would have, I truly believe we would have seen the collapse of America within his second term. Economics are our Achilles heel and we're sitting on edge with a huge national debt.

 

Gun ownership is allowed, but all firearms are registered and there is a lengthy bureaucratic process:
application, background check, house inspection, written tests, and a practical shooting test.

And there are different licences with different restrictions, such as for self-defence or hunting.
Concealed carry is allowed.

Semiautomatic rifles are allowed and AR-15s are becoming more popular.

Sound suppressors are unregulated and common, and very short-barreled rifles are allowed
No automatic weapons.

The most popular rifle is the Vektor, the locally-made version of the classic Israeli Galil,
35-round magazine, with 3 versions: regular, short, and very short-barreled versions.
The regular and short-barreled versions were exported to the US in the 1980s.
Full-auto AKs and police and military weapons are common among the vast underworld.

The best licences with the fewest restrictions are for those who are part of shooting clubs, and for private security.
Private security forces are more than double the combined police and military forces,
and are popular small businesses for whites.
(large businesses have mandatory black ownership & racial employment quotas)
Also I should mention that the South African military has only 6 working aircraft,
of which 3 are training aircraft, due to neglect and lack of maintenance.
South Africa’s Airforce has just 6 working aircraft – its close to defenceless

Supposedly 1/3 of white households own a firearm in South Africa, similar to California.
Nothing like the 90% in Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, etc.

The much bigger problem is the hostile, pro-criminal woke legal system if there is ever an incident involving a firearm.

Unless you are private security, generally you are not allowed to defend yourself with a firearm (though you may own one),
except INSIDE your own house or business, against someone who is armed.
You cannot shoot someone merely on your property or in your garden.
This incentivises all types of intruders and squatters.

 

"Gun ownership is allowed, but all firearms are registered and there is a lengthy bureaucratic process:
application, background check, house inspection, written tests, and a practical shooting test."
Every state here is a bit different. Here in Idaho, I can walk into a gun store and walk out with a new rifle or handgun. You do fill out form which has the make, model and serial number but these forms are not supposed to be used as a registry; nevertheless, our FBI has been caught a couple of times doing just that. They supposedly are kept on file by the seller, that's it. They do call the State Patrol to check and see if I have some sort of legal reason that won't allow me to purchase a firearm.

"You cannot shoot someone merely on your property or in your garden."
Yes, here (Idaho) it is you or some else must be in immediate danger of injury, but some states are different. I still cannot convince my wife that she cannot shoot someone she catches stealing on our property. I just hope no one tries it. LOL!

"Sound suppressors are unregulated and common..."
I hope we can say the same in a month or two. It's in our Congress now. Currently, they are registered, and you have to send in an application plus $200, called a tax stamp. Ridiculous.

"...and very short-barreled rifles are allowed."
That would indeed be nice but personally I don't think there is a chance in hell of that happening here. Our minimum barrel length is 16 inches and any shorter you have to register, submit the application, and pay a $200 tax stamp. Lots of rules and regulations on it also...

"No automatic weapons."
I honestly never thought I would say this but during the last 4-years under Biden I have change my mind on a lot of things. I wouldn't mind owning an automatic weapon, something light like a M249 (shoots 5.56). I know, silly, waste of ammo but if you really needed to suppress someone or something...it would be worth its weight in gold. While you actually can have them here, the cost and the hoops you got to go through makes it almost impossible and not worth the hassle or money in my opinion.

"...most popular rifle is the Vektor, the locally-made version of the classic Israeli Galil..."
I had to look it up, never saw one before; however, I never handled a Galil either, saw photos of course. Looks good! I've heard lots of good things about the Galil and reading the history of the Vektor it seems to be very reliable and been around a while...