The 49 who left and the 64 749 951 who stay

RECENTLY, 49 South Africans quietly packed their bags, boarded a flight, and were granted asylum in the United States.

- ARMAND BAM

Not because they were stateless, undocumented, or fleeing war but because they said they no longer felt safe here. The world noticed, social media stirred, and for a moment, the actions of a few seemed to drown out the quiet resolve of the many.

Let's be honest: “The 49” sounds less like a historical event and more like a failed sequel to District 9. It's the kind of film that opens to empty cinemas and a few polite claps at a film festival in Iowa. And yet, somehow, it captured national headlines as if 49 people could declare the end of the South African dream.

But here's the thing: South Africa didn't stop when they left.

While we debated their reasons - fear, disillusionment, a longing for certainty - the streets were still swept, classrooms still opened, taxis still hooted and people, millions of them, still chose this place. They chose it not because it’s easy, but because it’s home.

Yes, life in South Africa can be hard. Really hard. We carry the weight of history, the burden of inequality and the daily grind of “making a plan” in the face of load shedding, potholes, and policy limbo. But we also carry something else something quietly extraordinary: a kind of stubborn hope; a belief, however battered, that things can be different; that they must be.