Andrew Stegmann

What Brexit could mean for South Africans in – or moving to – the UK

UK-immigration-696x455If the UK votes to leave the European Union on the 23rd of June this year, South Africans with EU passports will need to apply for UK visas or permits.

Over the past few weeks, Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants have been flooded with calls from EU nationals concerned about their future immigration status in the UK.

They have kindly answered these burning questions about our status in the UK in the event of Britain leaving the EU:

What happens if I’m South African in the UK with a South African passport?

Nothing will change. South Africans will be subject to the same UK Immigration laws, and the UK leaving the European Union will not impact you.

What if I’m a dual South African/UK citizen with two passports?

Nothing will change You will be able to live and work in the UK as a UK citizen, as you have a UK passport. A potential Brexit will not impact you.

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Andrew Stegmann

Rethinking Expats: Who Are They And Do African Businesses Even Need Them?

One of the biggest challenges companies face when entering African markets is hiring key executives but despite the short supply of local talent, many multinationals find the traditional model of deploying expats in Africa unattractive, according to an AfricanBusinessReview report by Nye Longman.

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Instead, some are looking at alternatives such as hiring Africans to work in other African countries or recruiting Africans returning from the diaspora.

“The local skills shortage is acute mainly because many African businesses have not operated on a multinational scale for long enough, with the result that even qualified people do not have the necessary international experience,” said Leon Ayo, CEO of Odgers Berndtson Sub-Saharan Africa. The U.K.-based company claims to be the U.K.’s largest executive search firm.

The appropriate skills for multinationals are typically sought among the expat communities in developed economies. However, many companies are actively reducing the number of expat executives that they deploy across Africa, according to a recent Odgers Berndtson white paper.

 One reason is the extremely high cost of living in many African cities, Ayo said. Luanda, Angola, was the most expensive city in the world for expats, followed by N’Djamena in Chad, according to Mercer’s 2014 Cost of Living City Rankings. Johannesburg, Cape Town and Windhoek ranked among the 10 cheapest cities in the world for expats in 2014. Angola held the No. 1 spot in 2015, while N’Djamena fell to No. 10. Joburg didn’t make the 10 cheapest in 2015.

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Andrew Stegmann

Why Zambia’s Kwacha is World Best-Performing Currency

Currently, Zambia’s kwacha is the best-performing currency in the world, a resurrection from last year’s failure where it was ranked third worst performing currency. With the improving copper prices, the currency is expected to bloom even further.kwacha-11461173455242_aspR_1.495_w704_h471_e400
Zambia’s kwacha has climbed from being the third worst performing currency in the world in 2015 to being the best this year, outshining silver and gold and 150 other currencies and precious metals, according to Bloomberg.

The report says that kwacha’s value against the US dollar has risen 19. 9 percent since the beginning of January, cutting its last year’s loss by half. Last year, the currency fell by 42 percent due to poor copper prices, one of the country’s main exports, as well as continuous power shortage.

The positive record is on the back of a strong monetary policy taken by the Bank of Zambia and other government interventions in the economy, including a review of fuel subsidies, the state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation reported.

The currency has also benefited from an increase in metal prices. Further, news of increased mining investment and proposed changes to mineral royalties have been seen to be more investor friendly.

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Andrew Stegmann

Zambia’s Xenophobic Riots Fueled by Challenging Economic Situation

A wave of xenophobic attacks has hit Zambia following claims that foreigners had killed six locals for rituals aimed at growing businesses. The government is acting fast to control the situation before it gets out of hand.zambia xenophobia
More than 60 foreign-owned shops in Lusaka, Zambian capital, have been looted following the riots which have since spread to nine poor neighborhoods.

The riots started on Monday, after rumors that Rwandans were behind recent ritual killings in Lusaka.

The Home Affairs Minister Davies Mwila reportedly said that the two were Zambian nationals killed “in the confusion”.

Many Zambians have described the attacks as the worst xenophobic violence in the country.

Already, more than 250 people have been arrested after the two days of violence and looting.

Since March, six people have been murdered in mysterious circumstances and their body parts removed. People hold the notions that the body parts would be used as charms to guarantee success in business.

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