I decided to cut back on the brain-rotting habit of watching political commentary on YouTube—especially the American stuff. Instead, I’ve switched to listening to audiobooks about sales psychology. It’s fascinating to uncover all these hidden systems—things we’re barely aware of—that companies and advertisers use to shape what we do and how we make decisions. It’s been a real eye-opener.

And while learning about these hidden systems, I recently had reminder of how they can actually help us move forward. During a conversation with Naeem and Khadeeja for this week’s SAFFA Spotlight, Naeem shared something that really stuck with me. He said he consciously avoids referring to South Africa as home because it stops him from fully embracing his new life and putting down proper roots here in Canada. It’s such a small thing, but it makes so much sense—and it’s so true.

For me, South Africa will always be where my roots are—my culture, my heritage. But Canada? Canada is home now. And making that shift in mindset feels like an important step in being fully present in the life we’re building here. That said, it doesn’t mean we can’t lean on our South African networks to help us settle in and thrive. In fact, staying connected with other South Africans here is one of the best ways to put those roots down, together.

In This Week’s Newsletter

• Upcoming Events

• Introducing SAFFA Jobs Canada on Facebook

• SAFFA Spotlight: Khadeejah & Naeem – Great Tips on Settling in Canada

• West Vancouver Cultural Festival: June 6–7, 2025

Upcoming Events

1️⃣ Vancouver Sevens Rugby: Let’s Sit Together!
📅 Friday, February 21 – Sunday, February 23, 2025
📍 BC Place, Vancouver

Are you heading to the Sevens this year? There’s already a group of 12 South Africans planning to sit together, and they’d love for you to join the fun! If you want to book tickets and be part of this group, email [email protected], and she’ll add you to the WhatsApp group where plans are coming together. Let’s bring some proper gees and make it jol to remember!

2️⃣ Afrikaanse Erediens & Fat Cake Feast
📅 Sunday, February 17, 2025, 🕔 5 PM
📍 Mount Calvary Lutheran Kerk, Mission, BC

Come join the community for an Afrikaanse Erediens, followed by a lekker fat cake and mince feast! It’s always a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and enjoy some classic South African flavors. Mark the date—you don’t want to miss it!

3️⃣ 99s Sevens Breakfast - 15th Anniversary Social
📅 Saturday, February 27, 2025, 🕗 8 AM
📍 Dublin Calling, Vancouver

Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the 99s at their special Guinness Six Nations live viewing event. Tickets are $20 and include breakfast and a pint—what more do you need? Make sure you get there early to grab a seat and soak up the gees!

4️⃣ Howzit Canada Website Launch
📅 Wednesday, February 14, 2025
📍 Online

We’re so excited to announce that the Howzit Canada website is officially going live on Valentine’s Day! Over the next two weeks, we’ll be adding businesses, community members, and resources to the site, and on February 14th, we’ll unveil it to everyone. This is your space to connect, discover, and thrive as South Africans in Canada.

When the big day comes, head over to the site, explore what’s on offer, and give it some love. Let’s make this the go-to hub for South Africans across Canada!

Introducing SAFFA Jobs Canada on Facebook

The South African Institute of Canada (SAIC) has just launched a new Facebook group called SAFFA Jobs Canada. This group is specifically for South Africans already living in Canada who are struggling to find work or have recently lost their jobs. It’s a space where we can support each other, share job opportunities, and lend a helping hand to those who need it.

This group isn’t aimed at South Africans looking to move to Canada—it’s focused on helping those who are already here. There are so many in our community facing challenges, like a friend of ours who is on the verge of getting his PR but suddenly got retrenched today and now urgently needs an LMIA-supported job. It happened so fast, and it could happen to anyone. That’s why it’s so important for us to stick together and be the support network our community needs.

We encourage you to join the group and keep an eye out for job opportunities. Whether it’s a role at your company, something you’ve heard about, or even advice for job seekers—every bit helps.

👉 Join SAFFA Jobs Canada here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/saffajobscanada

PS: If anyone knows of opportunities in the civil engineering or construction space for a civil engineer technologist, please let me know. It will mean the world to our mate.

SAFFA Spotlight: Khadeejah & Naeem – Great Tips on Settling in Canada

This week, I sat down with Khadeejah and Naeem, and it was an absolute pleasure to hear their inspiring journey of immigrating to Canada, the challenges they’ve faced, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

👉 Learn how Khadeejah landed job interviews within days of arriving by mastering LinkedIn.
👉 Hear how Naeem uses language and mindset to truly put down roots in Canada.
👉 And find out how they bought a house on the same day they got their PR!

It was so interesting chatting to them and hearing how they approached these big decisions—so much of what they shared really made sense.

🎥 Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/4xq8GSEIVO4

West Vancouver Cultural Festival: June 6–7, 2025

Lekker news! The West Vancouver Cultural Festival is coming up on June 6th and 7th, and the South African Institute of Canada (SAIC) will be there with a big stand again this year.

Last year was an absolute blast, so we’re bringing back some of the crowd favorites:

• Tastings of South African goodies like biltong, cookies, and sweets which had everyone coming back for more.

• A photo booth to capture all the fun.

• Traditional African face painting, which was a massive hit with both the young ones and the young at heart.

This year, we want to take it up a notch! We’re thinking about adding things like a drumming circle or maybe selling boerewors rolls, but we’d love your input.

Got any bright ideas or suggestions? Hit reply to this email and let me know. Whether it’s an activity, a performance idea, or something uniquely South African, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s make this year’s festival one to remember!

Thanks for reading!

It’s always lekker connecting with you through this newsletter. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it, and I hope you found something useful, interesting, or just plain fun in here!

And hey—if you know any other South Africans in Canada who might enjoy this, do them (and me) a favor and forward this email to them. The more of us who stay connected, the stronger our community becomes.

Until next time—stay warm, stay connected, and stay lekker!