Richard Newton

We hear a lot about a crime wave that is sweeping South Africa. Can anyone make a few suggestions as to how to avoid becoming part of that? <BR> <BR>Richard G. Newton <BR>Salt Lake City, Utah

s miller

I am a woman who was in South Africa in May and June, traveling alone in the heart of Joburg where they say all the crime is, and I was fine. Joburg, to me, was no different than any other big city I've visited: You keep your valuables hidden, walk with purpose and listen to recommendations on what to avoid. There's a suburb called Hillbrow that is universally noted as a place to avoid by blacks and whites. I was escorted there in a minivan on my city tour during the day and saw all I needed to see without putting myself in harm's way. I would suggest Jimmy's Face to Face tours for a city tour of Joburg and Soweto as they are most knowledgable about both areas. Also, remember that if you're in Joburg, you're surrounded by wonderful suburbs like Sandton, Rosebank and Melville that have beautiful malls and other areas to hang out. I never, ever once felt like my safety was at risk, and I even took a cab alone to a wonderful Indian restaurant in downtown Joburg called Kapitan's. They called me a cab that was waiting for me as I left, so again, no security risk. I was also in Cape Town and didn't experience problems there either. I stayed in the Green Market area, walked around alone at night and, again, I did not have a problem. Have a great time there. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and a highly underrated tourist destination.

USFLyer

I just got back from 2 wonderful weeks in the RSA. Started in Cape Town and finished in the Jo'burg area. SA has definitely changed a lot from the apartheid days when it was 100% safe. A tourist is unlikely to have a problem unless you are stupid. Despite the advice previously posted, I would not walk around at night except in tourist areas, like Cape Town's waterfront. Also, despite the politically correct advice given by the guidebooks you should know that like it or not most of the crime is committed by the blacks because they are the ones who are poor. <BR>Do not even bother with downtown Jo'burg-it is just a third world slum with people lighting fires on the side walks below modern office blocks which are unoccupied. Pretoria is far better. <BR>Definitely visit SA as it is the most beautiful place in the world. Just exercise normal caution and you will be fine. <BR>

Chandler

I've read your messages about safety in Pretoria, Cape Town and Jo'burg. We (my husband, my fourteen month old son, and I) are going stay near Durban (probably Umhlanga) and then we're going to rent a minivan and drive along the Garden Route to Cape Town. I've read that you should avoid driving rented cars because of the liklihood of carjackings and road safety. Is that true? Also, is there anything else we should be concerned about, as far as crime is concerned, when traveling in these areas?

mariampeachy

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