“It’s Not Because I Don’t Like South Africa”: Dubai-Based SA Woman Explains Why She Won’t Return
- A South African woman based in Dubai opened up about why she does not see herself ever returning to live in South Africa
- Stylemelouisa has spent 10 years living abroad, first in Italy and then in the UAE, where she says most of her growth happened
- Her candid video sparked a wave of responses from fellow South Africans living abroad who shared their own experiences
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Source: Facebook
A South African woman living in Dubai has sparked conversation online after sharing her honest thoughts on why she would not move back home. Stylemelouisa posted the selfie-style video on Facebook on 21 October 2026, and it quickly resonated with South Africans scattered across the globe.
In the clip, she addressed a question she says she receives often: would she ever return to South Africa? Her answer was a clear no, but not for the reasons many might expect.
"It's not because I don't like South Africa. I absolutely love the country I am from and it will always be a big part of me," she said.
A decade of building a life abroad
Stylemelouisa left South Africa at 23, first relocating to Italy before eventually settling in the UAE. She described the journey as one that forced her to rebuild from scratch in unfamiliar cultures, navigating challenges she had never encountered back home.
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Looking back at those ten years, she said the person she has become was largely shaped by what she experienced outside South Africa. Her goals, her vision for the future, and the life she is actively building all belong to her chapter in the UAE.
"When you leave the place you grow up in, you kind of discover parts of yourself that you never would have discovered if you didn't leave in the first place," she said.
She added that while home will always be a part of her, it does not have to be the place she returns to, and she has made peace with that.
See her Facebook reel below:
South Africans abroad weigh in
The video on her Facebook page drew responses from South Africans who have lived abroad for years, many of whom shared strikingly similar journeys.
@Patrick Matlala wrote:
"During the FIFA World Cup in America, I saw many white South Africans who are proudly South African and love this beautiful nation."
@Vincent Sokolic said:
"NEVER say never. Been in Europe 23 years over two periods."
@Andre Simpson commented:
"Dankie tog meisie!!! Stay where you are!" [Thank goodness girl!!! Stay where you are!]
@Jancarel Berg noted:
"UAE is different. Lived there for 25 years, but the day will come when you will leave. They all come and go."
@Patricia Veronica Napoleon shared:
"I've been in Australia for 23 years and recently turned 50. My kids don't know any other home, even though they are aware of their roots."
@Bruce Hinds offered a different perspective:
"18 years in the UAE. Just got back to SA and I am so much happier being home."
@Chandre Brown Wiratno added:
"Same boat. Living abroad over 18 years (15 years Dubai, 3 years and still Aussie now). True facts, you stated."
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Source: Briefly News
