Dangers of South Africa

South Africa is believed to be a country where danger is everywhere. For tourists, at least. On the canadian governement website, there is a recommandation to be very careful in the country. Should we really worry?

I can't tell about big towns I didn't visit, like Durban, Johannesburg or Pretoria. But it doesn't seem like there is any reason to avoid Cape Town.

When I got in my hostel, couple of blocks away from the Waterfront, a very touristic area, rules were pretty clear : never walk the streets alone at night, leave passport and wallet in a locker in the hostel and take a taxi as soon as the sky stops being blue. It is also recommended to be careful around Long Street, where the bars and night clubs are.

First thing, like everywhere else, one should take the usual measures to avoid trouble. Know pickpockets are all around, take care of your personnal belongings, like jewels and cameras. You can carry a decoy wallet you'll give someone who tries to steal anything from you.

To my friend who stayed in a hotel, someone said to take a taxi even if he was two blocks away from his destination and if there was no danger to be seen around.

That way, we became more nervous more because of the rumors than the real threats.

True that the South Africans disappear when the sun goes down. Streets are deserted. Nobody around. So it is easy to imagine nobody will step up for you if you get in trouble. That is where some discomfort come from when you feel all alone in that big city.

I've been alone in those streets, at night, twice. I had my hands and pockets empty, but I can tell I never felt threathened.

Still, during the day, one should be careful about people trying to get some money from them, especially by trying to overcharge you for a parking spot.

In smaller cities, streets also get empty early. The doors of the car should always be locked. It is probably better to avoid the hitchikers on the road too and to only go in townships with tour guides. Always negociate in markets.

They say one should also avoid stopping for people pretending they had an accident on the road. But we didn't get in a situation like that.

In the end, South Africa didn't seem more dangerous than any other country I visited.