Expat life and identity: What it really means to be a South African expat…
For many South Africans, living abroad is not just a change in location, it reshapes identity, belonging, and what ‘home’ truly means.
Leaving South Africa rarely severs emotional ties. Many South African expats report feeling a sense of loss or “lost identity” after relocating, grappling with questions about who they are and where they belong.
This duality between the familiar cultural landscape of home and the unfamiliar rhythms of a new country is a central theme in the expat experience. A candid example of this can be found in Expat Conversation: You never stop being South African on SA People, where expat reflects on how belonging and identity evolve abroad.
Identity in Transition as a South African expat
Living abroad forces many South Africans to redefine their sense of self. You explain where you’re from more times than you’d expect, navigate new social norms, and decide which aspects of home to keep close. As discussions among overseas South Africans highlight, even simple things like language nuances or cultural cues can spotlight differences in belonging and acceptance. 
This identity shift often goes hand in hand with emotional challenges. Many expats write about the nuanced feelings of success mixed with sacrifice, something explored in expat grief is real, but nobody talks about it, which delves into the quiet emotional cost of pursuing opportunity abroad.
Preserving Culture and Connection
Maintaining links to South African culture abroad doesn’t always happen automatically; it often requires effort. Some turn to shared media and community networks aimed at the diaspora to stay connected, find support, and celebrate heritage.
Many South Africans abroad discover that home becomes less geographical and more emotional. Rituals like braais with fellow expats, following South African news, or connecting with community stories help keep emotional ties alive even thousands of kilometres from Durban, Cape Town or Johannesburg.
Ultimately, being South African abroad is a continual balancing act: it means holding multiple identities at once and redefining what “home” means while cherishing the heritage that shaped you.