Are a significant amount of white South Africans immigrating to the US or parts of Europe for various reasons? If so dod they have an organized community in certain areas?
If I look at the stats from my mostly white South African high school, a significant number of those people now live in the UK or Australia, although most remain in South Africa. I don’t think there is as much emigration to the United States, although that may be an odd thing to say since I emigrated to the US myself! I can’t speak for other people’s reasons: in my case I moved for a job and ended up married to an American, so I am here to stay.
I’m pretty sure there are organized communities in places that have high concentrations of South Africans. I don’t live in such a place, although there are enough South Africans in the US to support mail order of South African food item favorites.
There are certainly quite concentrated South African communities here in Sydney. The local (Bondi Junction) supermarket has a section exclusively dedicated to “SA” foods, which tend to be varieties of dried meat and preserved sausages. I understand there are others on the north shore too.
Not so much South Africans, but white Zimbabweans- big-time.
My uncle left during the civil war to avoid having to fight, he tried to get into the UK, but ended up in Germany, before eventually getting into the UK in the 1980s.
My mother left in the mid 1970s for Northern Ireland to follow her then boyfriend.
My grandmother came to live with my parents after the death of my grandfather in 1979.
My cousin left for London to be a lawyer 10 years ago.
My uncle and aunt left 8 years ago for Australia, along with my uncle’s sister and many of their friends. At the time they left the hospital where my uncle worked hadn’t paid any staff for several months.
Some of their friends went to SA, some to the US or UK, but most went to Aus or NZ.
For the most part they wanted southern hemisphere with similar climates to where they had grown up, to try to lessen the homesickness, or to go near other friends and relatives. If you’re willing to move somewhere remote initially, immigration to Aus isn’t difficult as a skilled worker.
As it stands the only one of my relatives still in Zim is my cousin, who is marrying his Zimbabwean girlfriend in Mozambique in a few weeks (best
compromise to ensure most family could attend).
It isn’t only the white people who have left- there are several black Zimbabwean families in my local area, as well as a sizeable community in Australia.
As for food- I believe my uncle in Aus has made kangaroo biltong, which turned out ok.
My advice to all South Africans is: don’t live in South London.
There is a sizable population of young South Africans, predominantly white, who live there, and it is really, really, like like living in South Africa, aside from the weather. The sports/macho culture, the braai (barbeque), the beer. The springbok themed pubs. It is almost entirely unlike living in the UK.
When I was there I avoided the area (especially Wimbledon) as I wanted to experience another culture.
To answer the O.P, the USA is not really a major destination for white southern African emigration. Canada is far easier to get into (apparently) and has a more similar culture (IMHO) to what we have in SA.
That said, most emigration is to Australia and New Zealand.
In this respect (as in many others) you can assume Zimbabwe to be the “little brother” country to South Africa. White culture across the countries is very very similar having had similar histories, although there are language differences.
My entire extended family has left Zimbabwe with the exception of my mother. They have variously settled in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and, for the farmers, Zambia. Several of my uncles first left Zimbabwe for South Africa in the late 70s/early 80s, and have now moved on to further afield.
In each case they have found well-connected Zimbabwean/South African enclaves.
FWIW, Ex-Rhodesians and Zimbabweans are known as “when-wes” because many sentences they speak start with the words “When we were in Zimbabwe…” - there is a very strong sense of national pride, and even after living in South Africa for 12 years, I identify myself as Zimbabwean.
South Africans are similarly patriotic - even years after emigrating they will seek out other South Africans, to share the common culture (and, to moan about the one in which they are currently residing)