Returning to South Africa

NP: I was at a stage where I was starting off my career and I wanted international experience. I’m an economist dealing with country risk, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. (Were you always thinking of going back?) Absolutely. I’m always making international comparisons and since 2000, South Africa’s political and economic risk indicators were improving every year. In 2003, there was an economic boom. (And yet there are indicators that some things are getting worse in South Africa: rape and carjackings are going up.) That’s true and you have to be realistic about those facts, but I don’t feel under threat by those facts. I think there’s an exaggerated view of how that affects the whole of the country, but that’s not to say there’s no crime, it’s just not as bad as often perceived by the press. (Tell me about the community you live in now.) I live in a suburb, but it’s not gated, but people do tend to have high security�cameras, lasers, etc. People who have those measures tend not to experience as much violence. (Was your move back based on emotional or economic reasons?) I think both but there are a lot of emotions. South Africa is still developing and there are a lot of problems and risks, but you can have a good lifestyle here and contribute.