South Africa - scared!

Voyager2002

callum9999 wrote: »

The media certainly aren't lying - there is lots of crime and violence in the country.

That being said, there are also millions of people. Assuming you are sensible, the odds of you being a victim of any of it is minimal.

Remarkable that people don't have the same worries about the USA, where the risks are probably a good deal greater (although still at a far lower level than the chances of road accidents and the general risks of everyday living).

cherryblossomzel

Remember that would you read/hear about are the most violent gruesome stories there are. People who have lovely uneventful holidays don't talk to the media/post it on the internet. That can make it look far worse than it really is.

When you're a tourist (in any country), you should keep your wits about you, keep valuables out of sight, don't flash cash etc. Poverty is problem, so you might get more opportunistic crime, particularly if you're walking around looking nervous and scared. Be confident. Stick to the main tourist areas. Be careful on the roads, some of the drivers are crazy (though I find Italy and Egypt to be far worse).

It really is a beautiful country and most of the people are lovely.

EssexExile

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Remarkable that people don't have the same worries about the USA, where the risks are probably a good deal greater (although still at a far lower level than the chances of road accidents and the general risks of everyday living).

The murder rate in the USA is about one sixth of that in South Africa. If you keep away from the big cities it is even less.

slopemaster

Deleted_User wrote: »

Not sure I'd enjoy a " relaxing " holiday if I was constantly on guard for possible carjacking or armed robbery.

That's exactly my problem. Not only the fear of something actually happening, but the fear that I'll be too stressed out to enjoy myself.

slopemaster

By the by, I've lived in Egypt so I'm used to crazy drivers.
And travelled quite a bit in the USA, where the rates of violent crime are indeed much higher than in the UK - if much lower than ZA! But we always avoid big cities as much as possible.

Moto2

FDR once famously said ....

"the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

callum9999

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Remarkable that people don't have the same worries about the USA, where the risks are probably a good deal greater (although still at a far lower level than the chances of road accidents and the general risks of everyday living).

I can assure you that the risks in the US are a fraction of the risks in South Africa. It is an incredibly violent place - particularly Johannesburg. I'm not aware of any places in the US, for example, that have armed militias patrolling city streets and torturing suspects. You may have also noticed the recent events in several areas where they've started beating African immigrants to death for "stealing their jobs".

The only caveat I'd add to that is a lot of the violence etc. is aimed at other Africans and not tourists. There's a high chance of muggings etc., but not so much of murder/assault. I think in my recent trip there I met 4 groups who'd had their cars broken into, one of which had all their clothes/possessions inside so lost everything, 2 people had their wallets stolen, 1 person had their passport stolen, 1 person was stopped at gun point at a red-light and on my tour, 3 people had all their belongings stolen from the truck at a campsite.

Despite painting a picture of some kind of violent hell-hole, I greatly enjoyed the trip none-the-less! If you're of a particularly nervous disposition then maybe give it a miss, but any normal person would be fine - and as long as you're sensible, are unlikely to be a victim of any major crime. I also agree with your general point though - people listen to stereotypes too much and forget you could just as easily be a victim of crime walking in a dodgy area of London or New York.

pendragon_arther

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Remarkable that people don't have the same worries about the USA, where the risks are probably a good deal greater (although still at a far lower level than the chances of road accidents and the general risks of everyday living).

Yeah, but in the US the police don't go round shooting innocent people indiscriminately...

Oh:eek:

C_Mababejive

Deleted_User wrote: »

Not sure I'd enjoy a " relaxing " holiday if I was constantly on guard for possible carjacking or armed robbery.
If I want that I'd go to Mosside.��

I digress but as one who has lived close to manchester for decades i have to say that the portrayal of moss side as a place whos name is synonymous with violence and crime perpetrated largely by afro caribbeans is now outmoded and has been for a long time.

Mrs_Soup

I've had a few holidays in SA and I love the place but have avoided JoBurg entirely other than passing through the airport because I would be too scared to hang around there. Do you absolutely have to go there or could you go somewhere else. A popular self drive route is the Garden route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth from which you can either go to the malaria-free Eastern Cape game reserves like Addo Elephant park or fly from there to the Kruger - there is an airport right in the Kruger- Skukuza. Unless there is something in Joburg that you desperately want to see then I can't see much point in staying there.

Although I like buying jewellery while in SA I tend to remove pretty much all of my own except wedding ring and leather/plastic banded watch. Other than that I wouldn't flash around fancy cameras but otherwise normal sensible precautions. I haven't driven there but more because I don't like driving in strange cities.
You have to get it in perspective. There are bad people around but 99% of people are just going about their daily lives and won't bother you at all.