Staying Positive About South Africa with Paul Harris - E12

You’ve probably seen South Africa in the news a lot lately - and not a lot of it is good news! How does the news impact the decision to leave, stay, or even return? And what is it that keeps people positive about South Africa, despite all the challenges that make headlines?

In this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Paul Harris, a well-known South African entrepreneur, businessman, and one of the founders of Rand Merchant Bank - and my former boss, I might add! With so much negativity and noise in the media about South Africa, often from those who have left, I wanted to get Paul’s perspective on why he still feels so strongly about the country, and why it's important to report good news too.

Chatting with Paul was a refreshing experience, mainly because of his ongoing optimism about South Africa, even when times are tough. Our conversation helped me reflect on my own journey and the reasons behind deciding to move abroad. It also reminded me why, despite having left, I’ll always love my country!

Hopefully, our discussion can help others think more deeply about what it really means to stay or leave, and how much our attitude and actions can impact our future - no matter where we are in the world.

“I'm a proper South African and more South African than any Australian is Australian and any American is an American.” - Paul Harris

00:00 Introduction

05:33 South Africa's resilience over the years

06:35 Being positive about South Africa

11:12 “Would you live in the wilderness or would you live in a zoo?”

16:09 South Africans are resourceful and aspirational

21:56 Adapting to a new culture abroad

27:38 Improving South Africa-US relations

32:14 Navigating opinions on social media

Resources

• Read Paul’s original ‘message to a friend overseas’ on Biznewshere: https://www.biznews.com/sarenewal/2025/01/14/paul-harris-no-need-to-stress-about-sa

This podcast was produced by the team at Zapods Podcast Agency:

https://www.zapods.com