Kensington Conference Centre, Olympia on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October 2008.

Your country needs your skills:

• Come find out about the exciting career opportunities with leading South
African companies

• The skills needed include engineering, healthcare, financial, legal, project management, retail buyers and planners, construction management, chartered accountants, artisans, information technology, mining, actuaries, banking and general management.

Get the lowdown on what’s really happening in South Africa from some of SA’s top movers and shakers:

• The honourable Helen Zille, Leader of the Opposition and Mayor of Cape Town will share her vision of the future of South Africa.

• Roelf Meyer, Project Direc-tor of Action for a Safe South Africa and the co-negotiator for the South African Constitution, will be presenting a fresh perspective on our current crime situation, as well as insights into what you as an individual can do to help tackle the problem.

• Leading Business School Head, Professor Nick Binedell, will talk about the exhilarating role South Africa is playing in an emerging economy.

• Francois Pienaar, former Springbok Rugby World Cup Captain will be talking about the Power of Sport

• Trevor Noah, one of SA’s funniest new comedians, will remind you in lighthearted way why we are proud to be “Saffas”.

Services
All your questions answered, including leading private schools and universities, buying property, immigration advice and all the other information required to move back to South Africa.

Also:
South Africa’s premier design event, Design Indaba, will be showcasing all that’s cool and cutting edge in SA design.

Speaker Programme

Saturday 4 October 2008
11h00 The power of sport - Francois Pienaar
Francois Pienaar returned to South Africa after 6 years living ????
and working in the UK, where he moved after successfully captaining the Springboks to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. He returned to SA in 2002 and is currently Provincial Chairman Western Cape at FNB and Head of sport.

Francois will share with you, the reasons why he returned and why he remains Proudly South African.

12h30 Action for a Safe South Africa – changing viewpoints on the fight against crime – Roelf Meyer

Roelf Meyer, project leader for Action for a Safe South Africa, says the support from society leaders is important, but that it is the involvement of everyday South Africans that will ultimately make the difference. “It’s the individual members of civil society who will make the real change happen, through a shift in thinking and action.”

Roelf will address bold moves being made by civil society to address one of SA’s biggest challenges.

14h00 A vision for South Africa beyond 2009 - Helen Zille

Helen Zille, Leader of the Opposition Democratic Alliance and the Mayor of Cape Town will share her vision of an embracing South Africa and why you never give up. She is undoubtably one of the most powerful women in South Africa.

16h00 South Africa – A Successful Nation?- Prof Nick Binedell
Professor Nick Binedell, Founding Director of Gordon Institute of Business is in regular dialogue with political, business and academic leaders around the globe. He is well known for his highly informative and content packed presentations, which always exude a refreshing air of positiveness about South Africa’s current and future scenarios. Nick will share his research on how SA compares in the global economy, particularly in an emerging marketplace.

17h30 The Lighter Side of Being South African with Trevor Noah
Have a good laugh with one of South Africa’s talented young comedians.

Sunday 5 October 2008
11h30 Challenges Facing South Africa
– Panel Discussion
Professor Nick Binedell, Director of GIBS, Roelf Meyer, Director FeverTree Consulting, and Professor Barney Pityana, UNISA Vice Chancellor will have a lively discussion on the challenges facing South Africa including issues of politics, crime, economics and education

14h00 Lunch Time Laugh with Trevor Noah
Have a good laugh with one of South Africa’s talented young comedians.

The above programme is subject to change.

Tickets available online at ?www.homecomingrevolution.co.za for £8.50 per individual, or £15.00 for two or £10.00 per person at the door.

Moving back to SA By Kelly Watson

I have this conversation almost on a daily basis....moving back to South Africa was one of the best things I ever did! I lived in London for 3 years. I never intended to stay that long. The idea was to go for 1 year and travel and then come back to SA. I did what I intended to do....earnt pounds, travelled, earnt pounds, travelled. That was probably my best year in London.

London is definitely a character building exercise and I highly recommend the experience. Go see London and come back.

I decided that if I was coming back to SA for good, it had to be worth it. I wanted to drive the car of my dreams (which I now drive) and take a job that was worth coming back for (I have a wonderful job here and my salary is higher than it was in the UK). It took me longer than expected to find the job I was looking for. I had my first job offer the day after I landed back in SA and although it was an excellent job offer, it was in Cape Town and I had come back to SA to be near my family who live in Jhb so although I would love to live in Cape Town one day - the timing was not right. I work for a bank and they seem to really appreciate the value someone who worked in London can add i.e. the international experience. SA also seems desperate to keep its skilled professionals here and they will pay you a good salary to keep you here.

I spent December in Cape Town and although I have always seen Cape Town as a beautiful city, I had never seen it like that before. Living in London really made me appreciate South Africa’s beauty.

I was very lucky that I came back to an already ?existing group of friends. I got to pick up where I left off. A few little things had changed in the 3 years I had been away....

I honestly believe London is what you make of it. If your good friends are there, you will probably enjoy it more than I did. All my good friends lived in SA and the people I spent time with in London weren’t the kind of people I would normally have been friends with.

London is a very lonely place!

I wasn’t actually aware of Homecoming Revolution when I made my decision to come back. My boyfriend has a very good relationship with them and he forwarded my CV to them. They were very helpful and forwarded it to some very prestigious companies for me. I think what they do is great! Everyone in SA seems to know about them and what they do. I went to a dinner they organised a couple of months ago and it was great to have dinner with other people who had come home and share our experiences. It was good for networking too.

The conversation about immigrating comes up at a lot of dinners, braais etc that I go to. My opinion is the people who have always lived in SA seem to be the ones who are negative about the country and the ones who lived abroad and returned home seem to be the ones who are positive about the future of our country. A lot of our friends seem to be returning to SA to have their children here and bring them up here.

I have felt safe being back. I live in a complex and probably wouldn’t feel safe if I lived in a house on a big property but not once have I lived in fear.