[I received this email from someone who lived in several Southern African countries including Northern Rhodesia (Zambia). It shows how some people eventually just get the hell out of this continent. Jan]

Read your articles, I’m ex Northern Rhodesian, Rhodesian, then South Africa, and then lived in Botswana (Selebi Phikwe). before coming to live in Australia 12 years ago and raise our children.

Your article rings a lot of thoughts and the reality so draining.
It took us over 3 years to gain acceptance for Australian emigration. We could not become Botswana citizens unless we lived there for 10 years, i.e. holding down a contract, when this expired you were given a month to leave the country. I could not re new the Zimbabwe passport, and landed up without a passport in Botswana, and told no contract and I was leave before the expiry of the Passport. The RSA embassy in Gabarone issued me a passport as had lived in RSA for 5 years, we were very lucky, that’s when we decide to apply for emigration and get out for our and our children’s benefits, as they were born in RSA, as per my contract in Botswana our children were not supposed to be born there. So strange but Botswanaia’s are very good natured people.

My mothers farm has been taken off her in Zim’s, the farm is between Norton and Darwendale, the flooring has been used as fire wood, and my mother was not allowed to take her ornaments, and old Photo albums, as well as our old school reports from the house, only allowed to leave with her wardrobe of clothes.

She is now living with my sister in Jhb. she was an ex South African before marriage. In Zims her cash, (43)+ bank acct. are frozen, with inflation so high it will be worth nothing shortly. So lucky that my father passed away a year before this occurred.

I’m glad of the web site and hope to hear more.