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parking & safety in Capetown at night
I hope someone familiar with Capetown can advise me. My question is not only about nightime safety in the CBD but also parking. Oddly enough, none of the guidebooks--and I have about 6 of them on South Africa/Capetown--talk about parking. My husband and I plan to visit Capetown in a few months. We are thinking of staying in Camps Bay and renting a car to get around. Of course, we would like to go into the central business district at night to eat at restaurants and perhaps hear some music at Mama Africa's. However, I have read in several postings that it is dangerous to walk about in the CBD at night, that one should catch a taxi for even short distances. So does this make driving one's own car impractical and foolish, as one would have to walk from a parking space to a restaurant or music club?
By the way, in general, how does one park around busy venues in Capetown, such as in the CBD, at the Waterfront, or at the tram for Table Mountain? If Capetown is like most big cities, then parking must be scarce (this is certainly the case with my hometown, San Francisco, where you can drive around for a half hour looking for parking). Would it, therfore, be more practical to stay in the CBD rather than Camps Bay, and just take taxis all the time, instead of self-drive? |
As a general statement, the CBD is the safest part of Cape Town overall. Closed-circuit video surveillance, significant private security, and coordination between public and private sector (among other things) has really paid off over the last 5 years.
Having said that, it is a large city, and like any other city in the world, things happen, particularly at night. I drive and park in the CBD all the time, day and night, in different neighbourhoods and have never ever had a single incident with my vehicle, and the worst incident ever has been panhandling (which is also very much decreased in recent years). Personally, I am comfortable walking the streets (as is my wife), but I also know how to read many of the signs of potential risks and I am used to some things that would put tourists on edge. Frankly, the most dangerous city I've ever lived in was St Louis in the USA, and Cape Town is a delight after that! I would advise you to drive yourself and feel comfortable parking in any busy area at night if you have a car at your disposal. Long Street near Mama Africa is particularly busy, well-lit and there is visible security on patrol. De Waterkant, Heritage Square and Kloof Street are also good areas, as is the V&A and malls of course. Most nicer restaurants in any neighbourhood have a private parking guard/attendant as well for added peace of mind. If you don't feel comfortable driving, that isn't a problem, as at most hotels and major tourist areas you will be able to find taxis waiting in a taxi rank, and if not a restaurant or concierge will arrange one for you if you ask. During the day, you can drive and park anywhere that would be a tourist destination (all those you list) with confidence as far as safety goes. However, these places will often be crowded, and you may end up walking quite far (e.g., at the Table Mountain cable car station) depending on the time of day and the weather. In the CBD during the day, parking and traffic can each be a headache. (For reference, parking is R6.50 per hour with a 1 or 2 hour max for on-street. Taxis are R8 to 10 per km plus a R2 to 5 flag drop charge and wait fees. Camps Bay to Long Street at night should run you R60 - 70 or so each way.) So, if you're paying R200 per day for a vehicle plus petrol and parking, you could go back and forth to Camps Bay twice (more or less) via taxi and equal the cost for your car. For me, the question turns more on convenience and flexibility, and not on safety, and you'll have to factor cost in as your budget and itinerary dictate. Sorry to not have a clear statement to make, but hopefully there's enough detailed information for you here to make your own calculations...If you force me to give you advice, then take taxis to and from the CBD, but only for the sake of convenience. HTH Kurt http://afrikatourism.blogspot.com |
Kurt:
Thank you so much for your very descriptive and complete reply to my questions. You pretty much supplied all the answers about Capetown parking that are lacking in the guidebooks. I greatly appreciate your expert advice. |
Diamantina,
I have to back Kurt up fully in all that he has so wisely told you. My main reason for doing this backing up is because so many people have such a wrong impression about the safety factor in Cape Town and I do believe that what Kurt has told you puts this whole scenario in true perspective, as a matter of fact I think he has done an excellent job in how he has outlined it all to you. From his writings and his web blog I can truly see that Kurt not only knows but also loves our city and its peoples very dearly. I too agree that if you are going to do one or two trips to the city a taxi would be much better than car hire. A lot also depends on where you will be staying in Camps Bay. If you are going to be staying in the upper region of Camps Bay (which for marketing purposes is wrongfully referred to as Camps Bay in that it is actually named Rontree Estate) then I would probably say hire a car. I say this because you will be needing to spend quite a lot on taxis to travel back and forth to where most folk really want to be in Camps Bay viz near the sea. Furthermore if you are a shopper and will be walking around with lots of parcels a car would probably be a better choice than a taxi. I must tell you that in all my years of travelling in Cape Town and going to Table Mountain Kurt’s mail has really woken me up to something which is so obvious and that is that you should never drive to Table Mountain in that parking will always be a problem. Taking a taxi to and from the mountain is such a better idea. I suppose the reason for my only realizing this now is that I am spoilt in that as a tour operator I obtain preferential parking at Table Mountain. 8-) Thanks for the wake up call Kurt. Where I must disagree with Kurt is that during all times parking in Cape Town central is very easy and the reason for this is that most Capetonians do not like to pay for their parking so they have shunned the local parking system and found other ways of parking in or close to the city. This has resulted in our town being very easy, but more expensive, for parkers since the present parking system was instituted about 2 years ago. All in all I think the main fact that Kurt is so rightfully bringing over to you is that driving and parking in Cape Town is not difficult, be it day or night, however you might want to look into taxi hire purely to save some $$$. Btw Kurt another area that I have to agree with you is that the most dangerous city I have stayed in is far removed from Cape Town in that it was Las Vegas. I have spent more than 2 years in this city and have witnessed quite a lot of petty crime however I have also seen 2 drive by shootings in LV (terrifying experiences) while I have never experienced this in SA let alone Cape Town. With that said what always amazes me is how many people on this, and other travel forums, probably correctly ask the question of "how safe is Cape Town or for that matter South Africa" while they hop into planes and simply travel to LV without even questioning safety. Makes one think does it not. :) :) Enjoy our city when you visit us Diamantina. Very proudly part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
While I agree that CPT is generally safe (some routes on the commuter rail should be avoided at night), there have been problems on and near Table Mountain recently:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702080878.html So as Kurt said, be alert. It is always a good idea to check local newspapers online before your trip to see if there are things you should be aware of. And yes, Seywyn I do check USA cities' papers before I travel to them as well as well. I find it gives me a feel for my destination that makes the trip more enjoyable and also keeps me alert to problems. Everyone's perspective is different but I'll give Jo'Burg the nod for most dangerous city I've visited. |
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I just spent a week in Cape Town and self-drove everywhere. No problems with parking or security (wish there were car guards in North America). Table Mountain was no problem, although when we first drove up people were parking way down the road and walking up to the tram - about 1km. I didn't follow the trend, but instead drove up past the tram area and about 200ft past, lots of parking and car guards on that side. No problem with safety at Table Mountain in any respect and we're two women travelling.
Agree with Kurt for other comments. Camps Bay was about a 15 minute drive from the V&A Waterfront and parking at either place was no problem either. Cape Town is no more unsafe if you're cautious and aware than any other major city in the world. Yes, crime is a problem in SA, but you can avoid putting yourself in a difficult situation by exercising common sense and a reasonable amount of paranoia;-) Have fun and happy travels. Self-driving is the way to go if you like your freedom and to explore on your own. Cheers! Viv www.wavejourney.com |
Just curious, do you think the people who were mentioned in the article as being robbed were lacking in common sense or do you think they didn't have a reasonable amount of paranoia?
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You have to be very very careful in SA. I was in Pretoria three weeks ago and was nearly car jacked at 7pm outside a very upmarket mall. Two young blacks approached my car at a traffic light and were about to smash the window so I drove through the red. I have been to SA on countless occasions and am very aware. My wife is South African and I am moving there next month from CA despite the risks.
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While I agree with laguna92688 in terms of being careful when visiting SA I have to add the tag that you need be as careful in SA as you would be in any other country when visiting it. I have spent close on to 4.5 years in the USA and most of my time was spent in Las Vegas. During this period I witnessed 2 drive by shootings in Las Vegas where two people were killed. I have <b>never</b> witnessed a drive by shooting in South Africa. When off the strip in Las Vegas I found the city to be one of the most unsafe places I have ever stayed in yet tourists flock to the city in their millions for vacations. Why do I never see questions by travellers (on other travel forums) asking about the safety of Vegas yet I see many about South African safety in forums like this one? I think the answer is one of how much media is given to each city or country’s crime activities. In a nutshell, in my opinion having stayed in both places, if you are happy to visit Vegas you should be even happier to visit SA. Makes one think does it not? Another question to be raised is why do we see so many questions on this forum about safety in SA and then see so many trip reports <b>after</b> the original questioners journey claiming how safe their South African journey was? Furthermore most of these trip reports include how the traveler could not see any of the so called crime that everyone was talking about. This has happened so many times on this forum that I have stopped counting. Once again makes one think does it not! My answer to all of this is that media hype is the cause. Tuckeg with regard to the unfortunate incident on Table Mountain that you refer to I feel your query certainly is a valid one however my question in response is did the unfortunate person who was knocked down and killed in a car accident in your own city, be it yesterday or in the past week, lack common sense of how to cross a road or do you think that he/she didn't have a reasonable amount of paranoia about all the traffic so as to take more care when crossing the road? My feeling is that these things happen and not only in Cape Town but all over the world. In summary one should always watch your back as best you can whenever you travel and if you feel that you don’t want to climb Table Mountain when in Cape Town because of a mugging that took place on the mountain then you should also give some serious thought as to whether you should cross the road in your own city, after all there could be some bad drivers out there on the day. Just my twopence worth. Very proudly part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
Despite my comment about my incident in pta I do feel that Cape Town is relatively safe although according to my wife's family who live in Cape Town the situation is deteriorating by the day. The minister of "safety and security" recently made a remark in parliament that those who claim that crime is an issue (ie whites) are free to leave! Mbeki then spent something like R90m to import a wall to surround his residence. So the government is basically doing nothing to combat crime and it would be a tragedy if this is what destroys this beautiful country.
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Selwyn, this was not an incident on Table Mountain, this is a series of incidents that are targeting tourists. The articles clearly describe this.
We can talk about dangers in other parts of the world in the appropriate forum. The person who started the thread was asking about Capetown and I have tried to stay on topic and offer an update on the safety issue there. I provided links to articles in SA newspapers that mention specific problem, not anecdotal evidence. If this was a USA forum and a South African asked about visiting NYC and I was aware of of a problem there I would respond as well. I have no dog in this fight, and do not have any interest financial or otherwise in the issue. Should any information about crime related to tourism in SA be banned? To quote the bard "The lady doth protest too much, methinks". |
Laguna92688,
Not sure where the story about R90m spent on Mbeki’s fence originates from but it certainly shows how a story can become totally screwed up as the exaggeration continues. All I can say is the fence story is seemingly true however the amount of monies to be spent as per your quote is total hogwash! In the same way the minister of security certainly made some terrible remarks in Parliament however he retracted them all and apologized for the statement. Furthermore he NEVER DIRECTED his words to as you put it to "whites". He directed it to ALL South Africans and some of his fiercest critics after the speech were black South Africans. I also would like to comment that if you report an incident such as the one that you spoke of when you were partially approached by "two young blacks" that I find this type of reporting rather offensive to say the very least. "Two young men" would have sufficed quite nicely thank you! :'( :'( With regard to the government doing nothing about crime all I can say is that 2 weeks ago 5% of the budget for 2007-8 was allocated to policing and other mechanisms revolving around crime so I don’t think that the statement about the SA government doing nothing is truly valid Tuckeg, Firstly this is not a fight and I too don’t have a dog in this so called fight either. This is a discussion on a travel forum about crime in South Africa or at least that’s how I see it. I must mention that as I see matters it is not a case of the lady doth protest, it’s a case of “the man tries to see all in true perspective” :). You ask as to whether all information about SA tourist crime or for that matter crime overall should be banned and my response to this is <b> “ABSOLUTELY NOT” </b>. All should be reported in my opinion. What bothers me however is how reporting can be sensationalised and taken out of perspective. The Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch mugging incidents certainly are not to be taken lightly and definitely should be reported however I do believe that one should see these incidents in the context of how many people ascend the mountain and how many muggings have taken place. Please understand that <b>I DEFINITELY AM NOT</b> condoning these activities, all I am saying is that because someone was mugged on Table Mountain this should not be a reason for one not to visit Cape Town or for that matter SA. All that it means is one should watch ones back as one should wherever one travels because anything could happen to anyone equivalent to what I have already quoted “the man crossing the street in your own home town" All in all what really hurts me as a proud South African is how many people keep questioning safety in SA on this forum yet when they visit us they are never affected by crime in any way, as a matter of fact they cant understand what all hullabaloo was about. After a wonderful holiday in a great land they then disappear off the face of the earth without acknowledging that they never ever had a crime problem while in our country. To this I must add that there certainly are those who have come back after their journey to say what a great, safe journey they had however these type of posts are few and far between. What a great pity methinks. :-< Just my two pence worth Very proudly part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
Selwyn,
Lets be realistic here. The huge majority of South Africans who are considering/have the means to move overseas are in fact whites and so of course the comment was directed at whites. Other members of the ANC regime have consistently referred to white expatriates as "whingers." The story of the R90m fence actually appeared in iol. The point is that regardless of the amount spent when Mbeki announces in parliament that crime is "exagerated" and then spends vast sums on a fence for himself surely demonstrates that either a) he is an idiot or b) there is a definite crime problem. Regarding my comment about "young blacks"-lets get around the political correctness and admit that the majority of criminals in SA are in fact Black and I would be astonished if there had been any case of hijackings by whites. Please do not accuse me of being a racist. My wife in fact was classified as 'coloured" but would return to the old SA-which despite having incredible levels of injustice did at least offer safety and security with zero tollerance of crime. |
Selwyn-text of story from iol.co.za regarding wall:
Using an apartheid-era law to restrict information about an alleged R90-million fence around President Thabo Mbeki's official residence was "concerning," the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) has said. Sanef reacted on Wednesday to a report in The Citizen newspaper in which department of public works spokesperson Thami Mchunu said the Bryntirion government estate in Pretoria was a national key point. A "comprehensive security upgrade" was part of routine security and maintenance of state assets and Mchunu would not divulge costs, the newspaper said. Sanef said that the National Key Points Act was an apartheid-era law that had no place in a democratic South Africa and had asked government for its removal from the statute book, said Raymond Louw, chairperson of the Sanef media freedom committee. "It is outrageous that a government department should now invoke the act to prevent information from being disseminated to the public." "Sanef's concern is that here, as in Zimbabwe, the government is resorting to apartheid government censorship to prevent the public from knowing what's going on." Opposition parties have demanded explanations for the apparent plans to erect a R90-million security wall around the complex. The forum feared South Africa might start "a perilous descent into further censorship" if the ban on information under the act was not withdrawn. The act stipulates that no information or photograph of a National Key Point could be published without official permission. However, the key points had never been publicly listed, Louw said. Attempts over past years to invoke the act to prevent photographs of certain incidents had been withdrawn when protests were raised, he said. The residences of Mbeki, the deputy president and cabinet ministers are situated on the 100-year-old estate. - Sapa |
Selwyn,
If you actually read the two posts I made, I never suggested not visiting Cape Town or Table Mountain. I did make the original poster aware of areas where crime has taken place so they could taken any precautions they felt necessary. My comment about what the people who were robbered did wrong was because wavejourney implied that one could avoid being victimized by some simple measures. That reeked of blaming the victims, and was |
Sorry posted a partial comment by mistake.
and certainly was not applicable to the group who was with a guide. As for a dog in the fight, I was under the impression that you were involved in the tourism industry in SA, an industry directly effected by peoples' perceptions of the country's safety . If that's correct, then in my view you should indicate that when you offer your perspectives on safety in SA, especially since your view of the severity of the problem is at odds with the views of the overwhelming majority of South Africans I know. None of them would say that Las Vegas is more dangerous than Jo'Burg, for example. You talk about people posting how safe their trips were. I have avoided posting about my experiences but since you brought it up, I will tell you that I know thousands of people in the USA and over many decades I have never known anyone who was murdered. In the last three years I have made perhaps a 100 friends in SA, and one was murdered in his home recently. No one I know has been robbed in the US in as long as I can remember. In November, when I was last in South Africa, the home in Jo'Burg where we stayed was broken into twice (fortunately we weren't there), a friend we stayed with had her car window broken, her purse taken, and was punched in the head while her grand-daughter looked on. In the same period, two other friends had their cars broken into. A friend of mine who spent two weeks working on a habitat for humanity house was robbed at knife point. I am saying avoid South Africa? No, it's a fantastic country well worth many visits but crime is a serious issue and in some areas special precautions should be taken. |
Actually, wavejourney did not imply anything! I simply stated - with tongue in cheek, and a wink - that if a person exercises common sense and a reasonable amount of paranoia they will most likely not become a victim of crime. This would apply to any place in the world - please don't take a simple statement completely out of context and make a mountain out of a mole hill. I make my comments based on my own experience and I felt somewhat paranoid about safety while I was in SA - due to the horror stories told to me before I set foot in the country by my South African friends. My friend whom I travelled with had not heard or read anything about safety before arriving in SA, and did not feel that the country was any more unsafe than any other place she had travelled to. That is my experience and all I was relaying. I love South Africa and will recommend that everyone I know visit that beautiful country. But, I will tell them to exercise common sense - ie. don't walk around with your camera over your shoulder, flash money in public, put your bag down and not watch it, etc... - same as anywhere else. End of story!
Ciao Viv www.wavejourney.com |
Laguna92688 and Tuckeg,
After this mail I am out here on this subject. I have said what I want to and still maintain that South Africa overall is safe for tourists. One small point Tuckeg is that yes I am involved in the tourism industry but believe me I dont need to advertise on or via Fodors as I am a one man operation and I simply cannot cope with what is laid down for me to do already. Thus I dont want or need any extra trade especially not from Fodorites. Furthermore I dont see the need to have to tell Fodorites that I am in the industry because my reputation goes ahead of me and Fodorites seem to know that I am in the tourism industry as you have shown your own self! You can then justifiably ask me why do I write on Fodors? The answer is simple. I want people who visit my great country to attain the best that is possible when coming to our shores and in this regard I use my own travel experience as a proud South African to promote my country by telling these visitors what I believe is best for them to do while in SA. I do this with great joy and pride and do not expect anything in return for this helpful advice. My goal is simply that I want these visitors to enjoy themselves when visiting SA. More important is the fact that I love what I do on Fodors immensely as I get a kick out of knowing that somebody is having a great time in SA because I advised them wisely in this forum. You cannot believe the feeling that I attain when I am in an isolated guesthouse somewhere in the winelands and someone comes up to me, recognising my name badge as a tourguide, saying "thank you, thank you for advising us as we would never how found this and some other wonderful places without your help". You have no idea how many times this has happened to me and then besides the "personal kick" that I attain from this putting faces to names becomes such fun for me too. I have no other agenda whatsoever and there are many Fodorites out there who in the past 7 years (thats how long I have been writing on Fodors) have told me how much they have gained from what I have advised them as to what to do while they are in Cape Town or on the Garden Route as these are my speciality areas. With that said I must add that I have travelled these routes over and over for the past 10 years and guess what not once have I ever been affected by any form of crime or anything that could be harmful to me or my visitors. Now that should really make you think! Tuckeg I have to end with what I recognise is a writing error on your behalf but please forgive me for quoting your own mail when you wrote <i><b>"I am saying avoid South Africa?</b> No, it's a fantastic country well worth many visits but crime is a serious issue and in some areas special precautions should be taken".</i> As you have quoted the bard in one of your writings what more can I in my own simple way say other than many a true word is spoken in jest! :) I'm outa here on this subject. ;;) Very proudly part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
Selwyn-
You are dodging the subject! What do you have to say about the reported IOL document regarding Mbeki's wall? |
Laguna92688,
I am dodging nothing relevant to what this thread started off as. The key component to this thread is about safety in SA and in my opinion it is safe for tourists to visit SA. This feeling is not based on thumbsuck info, it is simply based on the very small amount of incidents that take place with regard to crime on tourists relative to the the total amount of tourists who visit our land. Furthermore these sort of stats happen all over the world. I am not here to debate walls around the SA or even the American president's estate as I dont believe it has anything to do with the original question to this thread and furthermore has absolutely no impact on tourism. The only part of "the wall" story that does play a role is the quoting of a R90m price as this is pure speculation and resembles some of the reports that one sees about crime as well as other media blown up stories. In finality may I remind you this is an African tourism forum and NOT a political one hence my not wanting continue with this thread unless it truly affects the original question asked in the thread. Very proudly part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
Selwyn...this is relevant to the thread. Here is another report highlighting the ANC's outrageous response to the crime situation in SA (published today in Business Day). As a responsible South African, you should be criticizing Mbeki's lacklustre response to crime in which like everything else he blames apartheid. Some good friends of mine who were confronted by a gang of blacks on the beach in Plett will now never go to SA again-more loss to the SA tourism industry
A CONFIDENTIAL household and business perception survey conducted in Johannesburg has found that residents of townships and suburbs are equally concerned about crime. The survey by the Bureau of Market Research involved more than 3000 households and 750 businesses in the city's informal settlements, suburbs, formal townships and the inner city. Conducted last year, it found that residents and businesses felt that law enforcement and safety services were deteriorating. A similar survey in 2005 rated crime as the fourth most pressing problem facing the city, after unemployment, HIV/AIDS and housing. In last year's survey, residents placed crime as the second-biggest challenge, behind unemployment, while businesses rated crime as the biggest challenge facing the city. In 2005, they said unemployment was first, with crime second. A breakdown of statistics by area found concern about crime was the highest in suburbs, and that crime was one of the top three concerns for people living in formal townships and the inner city, overtaken only by unemployment and HIV/AIDS. Participants rated it as more important than housing, health care, migration and corruption. President Thabo Mbeki on Friday in his weekly online newsletter ANC Today stirred up the debate on crime, suggesting a link between racism and perceptions that crime was out of control, with a significant sector of the white population still living in fear of black people, and using crime as a justification for racism. Mbeki said, however, that he was not disputing that crime was "unacceptably high". "The fear factor has long been a feature of white politics in our country. For long periods, this section of our population has been subjected to the unimaginable terrors of 'die swart gevaar' and 'die rooi gevaar'," he said. "For this section of our population, every reported incident of crime communicates the frightening and expected message that -- the kaffirs are coming!" Meanwhile, national crime statistics show that violent crimes such as cash-in-transit heists, robberies at businesses, car hijackings and car theft have increased nationally, and that Gauteng is hardest hit by these crimes. A review of a recent six-month police operation in Gauteng, Operation Iron Fist, showed that such crimes were still increasing in the province. The confidence survey found that residents' confidence in Johannesburg was increasing but business confidence was declining. Businesses felt less safe last year than they did in 2005, and felt that their employees were less safe travelling to work. Relevant Links Southern Africa South Africa Crime and Corruption There was a perception among both sectors that government was less able to control land invasions and street traders. Perceptions on the performance of the metro police remained constant. Households were satisfied with municipal services, with respondents saying they were now being correctly billed. But the survey found that respondents did not feel the city was interacting or communicating with households and businesses about its plans and its budget |
Laguna92688
Wow! Are you sure that the people who confronted (whatever that means) your friends on the Plett beach were really black? Were they not straight forwardly put South Africans by any chance? My suggestion to you is that you be a responsible citizen of your country as best you can and let me decide on my own as to how to be a responsible South African thank you very much. I truly have better things to do with my time than answer your second hand reporting responses hence the shortness of this response which even though already mentioned twice before, I now will definitely not be responding to hereafter in this thread. Very proudly <b>AND SAFELY</b> part of the wonderful ((R))nation of South Africa |
Yes Selwyn they were black. It would be incorrect to call them South Africans because they may well have been Nigerian. Hopefully for you your dream ANC government will actually stop their racist comments about whites and start caring about fixing the crime problem before its too late and people will stop getting murdered by these thugs.
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Wavejourney, you didn't say "if a person exercises common sense and a reasonable amount of paranoia they will most likely not become a victim of crime"
You actually said "but you can avoid putting yourself in a difficult situation by exercising common sense and a reasonable amount of paranoia" Now if you meant the latter, I agree but what you actually posted implied that those who had been victimized didn't do one or the other. Selwyn, I only became aware of your connection with the industry because I happened to see one post that made a vague mention of it. How you think the average forum visitor would know it is beyond me. If Diamantina is still reading this, I wish she would post if she was aware of your professional interest and if she would have like to known about when considering your advice. I know I would. As for my error, you are correct I transposed I and am. To clarify, I am not suggesting people avoid SA because of crime. I have many SA friends who rely on tourism and I hope it continues and grows. But I also have many American and European friends and I want them to be safe when they visit South Africa. I feel the best way to do that is to make them aware of potential dangers so they can take the precautions they feel necessay. I did that with my posts about the problems at Table Mountain. Interestingly, the City of Cape Town agrees with my approach: "The City of Cape Town has a new policy to manage attacks on tourists, with tourist safety becoming an ever more critical issue ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The plan does not attempt to stop crime, which remains the job of the police. Instead, it seeks to warn of the potential dangers and then co-ordinates the efforts of all tourism-related bodies and communication with emergency services after any incidents. ......awareness remained "our greatest weapon". This was "warning tourists in a way that is not frightening, but practical"." Complete article here: http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?s...5647854C325306 You seem to resist input from non-South Africans but perhaps you might consider following their example. Tuckeg |
me and my wife have stayed in simonstown twice no problem. just remenber their are places averywhere you stay out of at night .
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Selwyn-I wonder if they were Black?!
Three Dutch tourists and their hiking companion were robbed on Table Mountain, Cape Town police said on Thursday. Inspector Bernadine Steyn said two men and two women, all believed to be in their 20s, were hiking on the mountain near the Twelve Apostles peaks around 3.30pm on Wednesday. The women and one of the men are from the Netherlands. They were attacked by two men on foot, armed with knives, and robbed of personal items including cellphones, wallets, binoculars, a camera and clothes. Nobody was injured and no arrests have been made. - Sapa |
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Some incidents have occurred in the Silvermine area, perhaps patrols on Table Mt. have forced the robbers to move:
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?s...5057565C425468 |
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