South Africa

Tough season for parents of emigrants and other highlights from 'Vrye Weekblad'

Here's what's hot in the latest edition of the Afrikaans digital weekly

20 December 2019 - 08:08 By timeslive
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The festive season will be extra lonely for parents whose children have emigrated.
The festive season will be extra lonely for parents whose children have emigrated.
Image: Jeff Rankin

We often look at the reasons why people emigrate, where they go to and what the economic impact on the country is, but what about those who are left behind?

We seldom talk about the parents and family members, and the emotional impact emigration has on the family members who have to deal with this loss that is felt even more during the festive season, writes researcher Dr Sulette Ferreira.

For the parents of emigrants, this time of the year is not a happy time of gifts and menu planning and tree decorating, but a time when they feel their “childlessness” even more acutely. 

Emigration is nothing new and by no means unique to SA. 

In 2017 the number of migrants stood at 258 million internationally. In total about 3.4% of the world's population do not live in the country in which they were born.

The numbers have increased in SA over the last two decades, but reliable and recent emigration statistics are hard to come by because there is no single official agency collecting emigration data. 

Read all about it in this week's edition of Afrikaans digital weekly Vrye Weekblad.


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The emigrants and their parents live in different worlds with different realities. 

The physical distance from each other eventually translates into psychological distance – and sometimes it ends in estrangement and the breakdown of the family unit. 

Some families are more resilient and able to adapt to the changing circumstances. Their relationship might even strengthen because both parties make the effort to stay involved in each others' lives. 

They make appointments to communicate and regularly send messages and pictures.

But loss remains the common thread in the emigration process. 

If the parent who stays behind understands this loss and knows how to deal with it, it can lead to acceptance and lessen the trauma. 

Read the full article in this week's Vrye Weekblad

Must-read articles in this week's Vrye Weekblad

>> Browse the full December 20 edition

FREE TO READ - STOP THE FAKE NEWS | The Eskom fiasco is not going to be solved by sharing uninformed opinions, writes expert Piet Steenkamp.

WINNER! | 'Did anything positive happen in the country this year?' someone asks at the braai. Yes, a couple things, writes Willem Kempen.

SURVIVAL GUIDE | Max du Preez has advice on how to make yourself so resilient that you won't even notice how bad things are in SA. 

FESTIVE SAVINGS | Give the gift of Vrye Weekblad this festive season. Subscribe now and get 20% off!

10 LEKKER RECIPES | From baked cherry tomatoes on cold yoghurt, to flowery butter: here are our top ten recipes of the year. 

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