Having flown in South Africa (CPL/IR), and the UK (fATPL), I would tend to agree that you won't save much at the present exchange rate going to SA.
I did my training at 43; that was around about £100/hr. I also flew a c172 from Port Elizabeth which was around £65/hr.
I came back the UK and brought a share in a piper cub (fantastic plane!!!) which ran at £35/hr, plus £75 monthly. I sold the share for what I brought it for, and had pretty much a free run of the aircraft so it I could do as many hours as I wanted.
Once I had the basics, I found I learned more from owning my own plane than I ever would have from hiring or being taught.
Ultimately, I assume, you're planning on a UK licence, for which there is no better training than actually flying in the UK. The weather is not that restrictive, and despite what I was told in SA, the ATC and airspace environment here is quite different here than SA.
The only problem with the UK is that its pretty small, and it's full of airspace which doesn't appreciate GA aircraft buzzing around.
Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me if you do decide to go to SA and want advice on anything.
OL