In order to escape the country’s high unemployment rate and depreciating currency, an increasing number of South Africans are leaving the country in search of work. It’s 2019 now, and China has hired hundreds of South Africans to teach English throughout the country. It was fortunate that some people stayed behind when the coronavirus sent many others packing.
To begin, being a South African abroad presents a number of challenges. Racism and a lack of government aid are two such problems that people face. It can be incredibly challenging for families to reconcile with children when a parent dies while serving abroad. Lisanda Sixaxeni, an educator in her twenties, had her story go viral last week. They attempted to bring their family member’s body back from China, but were unsuccessful.
Following is yet another sad case of the untimely demise of a Chinese professor. Siphosethu Mqokozo was a South African educator currently based in China. She passed away on a Thursday, but her family lacks the resources to transport her body back to South Africa. Siphosethu is supposedly 30 years old. She graduated from UJ in 2019 with a degree in teaching and promptly relocated to China, where she now works as an English language instructor. She left us, which is a terrible thing. No one from her family has spoken anything about what happened to her. Her family is raising money to repatriate their daughter from abroad.
And last, this month has seen the unfortunate deaths of at least three South African teachers teaching in China, leaving many to question what exactly is killing them. Worse yet, the government has no plans to repair the structure. The family must decide what to do on their own. In the wake of recent events, many would-be tourists visiting China are rethinking their plans. Locals now avoid the region out of dread after the tragedy surrounding the teachers’ deaths.