Joburgers flee the purple paradise

Joburg residents, the legend goes, are abandoning Africa’s business hub in droves. Apocryphal, possibly, but in May an estate agent in Oudtshoorn, where I was at a health retreat, said an estimated 30 000 families from Gauteng (and strife-torn KwaZulu-Natal) had moved to George in 18 months.

If people haven’t gone yet, they’re being encouraged to. On Sunday 23 October an expo was held in Johannesburg titled Move Down To Cape Town: The Jewish Community Awaits.

There were one-on-one meetings, lectures on community and communal life, education, business, property lifestyle, and more — all held under the auspices of the Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies. To make it digitally real, there’s a website, and Instagram and Facebook pages.

They picked the wrong month. Johannesburg in October is a purple paradise, so beautiful it takes your breath away.