News

The 49 Who Left And the 64 Million Who Still Choose South Africa

Published

3 months ago

May 19, 2025

zaghrah

Recently, 49 South Africans quietly left the country and were granted asylum in the United States. Not because they were fleeing war or lacked documentation — but because they said they no longer felt safe in the place they once called home.

Their departure sparked international headlines, social media debates, and sharp divides in opinion. For a moment, it felt like the actions of a few overwhelmed the stories of the many — the 64 million who still live, work, dream, and struggle in South Africa every single day.

Let’s be honest. “The 49” sounds more like a forgotten sequel to District 9 than a turning point in national history. And yet, somehow, it made noise. Loud noise. It suggested that these 49 represented a symbolic end to the South African dream.

But the dream didn’t die. It wasn’t cancelled. South Africa didn’t stop when they left.

While we were busy dissecting their motivations — fear, uncertainty, or perhaps the desire for a quieter life — ordinary life continued. Taxis still hooted in the early hours, spaza shops opened their doors, teachers welcomed kids into crowded classrooms, and builders resumed work on half-finished homes.

Because people stayed. They stayed not because it’s easy, but because it’s home.

South Africa is not perfect. Far from it. It demands a great deal from its people — resilience through load-shedding, potholes, red tape, inequality and crime. And yet, it offers something equally powerful in return: a sense of possibility. A belief that despite it all, things can change. Things must change.

Millions of South Africans, many in far tougher circumstances than those who left, have made the quiet decision to stay and build. They live in under-serviced townships, in homes where hunger is a frequent visitor, and where safety is not guaranteed. And still, they stay. They build. They hope.

There’s leadership in that choice.

Leadership isn’t found in leaving. It’s found in teachers staying after hours. In nurses showing up before their shifts. In entrepreneurs who keep paying salaries even when profits disappear. It’s in the resolve of domestic workers raising children not their own, while sending their own through school.

That is leadership. That is nation-building.

And while 49 people found their own truth in another country, they’ve also walked away from a deep and complex beauty — the kind you can’t explain to strangers. They’ve left behind ubuntu, braais, township jazz, family WhatsApp groups, and the kind of laughter that bursts through even the hardest day.

Even now, some of their asylum claims face tough questions. Not everyone in the U.S. is buying into the narrative of persecution. Even the Episcopal Church, known for its inclusivity, declined to assist. Because cultural dislocation is real — and visas don’t come with translations for heritage, humour, or heartbreak.

Still, to those 49, we wish you peace and purpose. Migration is an ancient impulse. But make no mistake — leaving is not leading.

To the millions who stay: thank you. You are the real story. You’re not trending, but you’re transforming. You are not fleeing. You are forging.

And while others chase green pastures elsewhere, you are tilling the hard, stubborn soil here — because you still see something worth growing.

That’s not blind loyalty. That’s courage.