If one considers the view's of the "pessimists" too long, it is not difficult to lapse into a spiral of depression with regard to the nature of South Africa and her economic future; suffice to say that this in fact could be the stimuli in itself to result in the so-called "brain drain" phenomenon. However, though opinions and views of even the experts may be rejected or accepted on que, the figures do speak for themselves. According to one such report, a staggering 1% of the total science and IT workforce left the country between 1994 and 2001, some 17 000 professionals! Research studies and government campaigns aimed at addressing the issue of skill shortages, continue to look for appropriate strategies to properly address and/or minimize the problem. In so doing, research studies and current literature have highlighted top destination countries for South African emigration, skilled migrant impact as measured in terms of industry and job classification as well as prevalent reasons for emigration. The essence of this study is to uncover the most prevalent socio-economic factor, as perceived by skilled migrants, and as a contributory factor to the brain drain crises. This study aims to evaluate, specifically, extent of safety and security concerns as most prevalent stimuli for emigration. In so doing, the study aims to present strategy solutions in alignment with findings to aid in present government initiatives to curbing the brain drain. Furthermore, it aims to provide a basis for further study to develop government strategies for skilled migrant prevention. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.