The South African community in the UAE is one of the most connected and active expat communities in the region. There are an estimated 45,000–50,000 South Africans in the UAE, primarily in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with strong representation in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. Here's your map of who's doing what.
SABCO — The South African Business Council UAE
SABCO is the anchor institution of the SA professional community in the UAE. Founded to promote trade and investment between South Africa and the UAE, it now serves 800+ member professionals and companies across all industries.
- BIZNET — Monthly business breakfast networking (6:30 AM–11:00 AM)
- BIG Inter-Council Night — Cross-industry networking with other business councils
- Annual Braai Day — The biggest SA community event of the year (October, National Braai Day)
- Annual Golf Day — At The Els Club (designed by SA's Ernie Els)
- Business workshops — Tax, visa, UAE business setup and SA-UAE trade
- Online community — Active member directory and referral network
SA Consulate General — Dubai
Beyond passport renewals and documents, the SA Consulate General runs community engagement programmes and coordinates with the SA government on community affairs in UAE. Contact: dirco.gov.za/dubai. See our full Consulate guide.
SA Schools and Churches
Two natural gathering places for the SA community:
- South African School Dubai (SASD) — Al Quoz. CAPS curriculum Grade 1–12. Regular school events are community events.
- Afrikaans and English-speaking churches — Life Church Dubai (Oud Metha), Victory Church, and several others have strong SA congregations and run community support programmes.
Springboks Watch Parties
Rugby is religion for many SA expats, and the UAE delivers. Key spots for watching the Springboks, SuperRugby and South African club rugby:
- Various sports bars across Dubai and Abu Dhabi — ask in the Springboks UAE WhatsApp group for which venue is hosting for each match
- Rugby World Cup and Lions series get particularly big turnouts — look for SABCO-affiliated watch parties
- Match times are usually 8:00–11:00 PM Dubai time for SA home games (SA is GMT+2, Dubai is GMT+4)
National Braai Day UAE — October 24
One of the biggest events on the SA community calendar. National Braai Day (Heritage Day in SA — 24 September, celebrated on a UAE-friendly date in October) is an annual gathering of thousands of Saffas in Dubai. Past events were at Sheraton JBR and the Dubai Autodrome. Organised by SABCO. Watch for the announcement on sabco-uae.org.
The WhatsApp Community — Your First Stop
The fastest way to connect is through our SA community WhatsApp groups. With 19+ groups covering general community, jobs, families, sport and more, you'll have the collective knowledge of thousands of Saffas at your fingertips. New arrivals find this invaluable for everything from finding a doctor to tracking down Mrs Ball's chutney.
Connecting with Other SA Expat Communities
- South African expat groups on Facebook — "South Africans in Dubai" and "South Africans in UAE" are the largest, with tens of thousands of members
- LinkedIn — SABCO has an active company page; search "South African" + "Dubai" for SA professionals in your field
- Instagram — Follow @saffa.ae for community content, event listings and directory updates
- Events at SA-owned restaurants — Mozambik and Braai Republic often host SA community nights