Emigrate to South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary democracy with a federal structure. In addition to the central government, there are independent parliaments and governments in each of the country's nine provinces. When the new constitution came into force in 1997, the separation of powers and a comprehensive catalog of rights were established, which represented an important step in South Africa's political development. The President, who has far-reaching powers, is both head of state and head of government and is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly. A vice president supports the president. The ministers are appointed and dismissed by the president and form the cabinet. South Africa's seat of government is in Pretoria.

Although South Africa has excellent healthcare, this is largely limited to the private sector and is correspondingly cost-intensive. For this reason, it is important to invest in international health insurance in order to gain access to high-quality healthcare. Most hospitals in South Africa are public institutions. However, they are usually overcrowded, underfunded, understaffed and have long waiting times. The standard of medical care in public hospitals can therefore vary from acceptable to very low. Common problems include outdated or faulty equipment and shortages of drugs and staff.

In the larger urban areas of South Africa, there are many excellent private hospitals and doctors to choose from. General practitioners (GPs) are the first port of call for everyday ailments and can refer patients to specialists if necessary. However, it is also possible to see a specialist directly without a referral. Expats, on the other hand, are likely to be in an income bracket well above this level and therefore have to pay for healthcare themselves, even in public hospitals.

The African penguin is a unique species that only occurs on a few coasts and are the only penguins in Africa that still live in the wild today. These birds breed in colonies that stretch from southern Namibia to Port Elizabeth. There is a special story behind the penguins of Boulders Beach: two breeding pairs of African penguins came to this beach in 1982 and founded a small colony. Since then, the number has grown to around 3,000 penguins.

Originally, the African penguins were also known as jackass penguins due to their loud, donkey-like calls. They can dive underwater for up to 2.5 minutes to catch small fish such as anchovies or sardines, squid and crustaceans. Their short tails and fin-like wings help them to navigate in the water, while their webbed feet help them to move forward.

Although the penguins have a protected habitat in the Boulders Beach nature reserve, South Africa's penguins are threatened with extinction. The impact of humans and the lack of food are affecting them. But don't worry, by visiting these impressive birds you can help protect their future. Every year, more than 60,000 people visit the beach near Simon's Town to photograph and observe the famous penguins of Boulders Beach. The proceeds from these visits help South African National Parks (SANParks) to promote the protection of the penguins.