If you are being robbed in South Africa, HAND OVER your stuff and don’t make eye contact. Unfortunately, sometimes robbers may be high on some kind of drug and the slightest provocation may set them off to hurt you. Don’t be a hero. Your cellphone is not worth more than your life. You obviously want to avoid getting to this point, but if you are caught in this position, just hand over your stuff.

Mind you, don’t use messenger bags. And as a matter of fact, South Africa has the second highest incarceration rate of any developed country after the US.

On Paper, South Africa has a very robust and strong constitution that came into power in 1996. Her constitution protects all people in South Africa from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation etc.

So no one is going to openly discriminate against you, because it’s against the law, right? If your response is yes then you are in for a very big surprise.

Let’s come back. Now, what comes to your mind when you hear the word South Africa? Xenophobia, right? Okay.

While we have heard of the good things and the bad about SA, you might guess I want to talk about xenophobia. But nope, there are other issues you probably do not know about South Africa, so, let’s journey together.

To get started, let me say this. If you’ve never been to South Africa, you are missing out on the good and the bad. Yes, I mean it.
At least, Sun City seems like a beautiful place unlike anywhere else on earth, but man, if you hate flying +/- 20 hour flight then that would basically be a living nightmare for you.

Fortunately, South Africa is mostly a beautiful place. In fact, it’s stupefying gorgeous. But unfortunately they are having some crime problems right now.

A South African, EttVenter said,

“I am a South African, and yeah, maybe I just take this place for granted. It definitely is beautiful, but to me, it feels so average in comparison other places I’ve seen. The crime is a problem though. I’m lucky enough to have never been a victim of any crime here, but I won’t deny that it’s crazy.”

Another said,

“The crime is definitely not new. I was born just before the end of Apartheid and I can tell you there’s not a day in my life in which crime has not been a problem there, but it’s statistically better now than in the 90s".

That being said, it’s something South Africans have adjusted to and there are many ways that you as a tourist can remain safe and still have a wonderful trip. Brick had this to say.

Another tourist, Sered had this to say.

“I visited Johannesburg once but wasn’t allowed out of the hotel after dark and in the evenings, my (local, South-African) colleagues refused to stop for traffic lights on some roads, preferring to carefully drive through the red lights instead. These things certainly made an impression on me”.

In case you are puzzled already, well, the above is valid because wandering alone at night in Johannesburg basically invites a mugging. And unfortunately stopping at a red light in a quiet intersection may invite a high-jacking.


Nevertheless, your biggest concern as a tourist should be the crime. Tourists with their big wads of cash and expensive gadgets are of course, an easy target and because of ignorance or inexperience often get robbed.

As long as you remain in the tourist areas though, this will be rare. Again, the best thing to do is, find an agency or local to help you navigate through else you may get yourself in trouble unwittingly.

With all the points made valid, how can you avoid the crime rate in South Africa & survive as a tourist/visitor?


How To Avoid The 5th Crime Rates In South Africa As A Tourist/Visitor


#1.
Don’t Carry Cash

Spots in South Africa basically accept debit and credit cards now, so, what you want to do is go with your CC and not cash. CC means Credit Card.


#2.
Don’t Wander Alone

Apart from carrying your CC around, you want to stick with a group of people because wandering alone may invite a mugging. For the same reason don’t walk alone at night. If you must, just get a tour group and stay with them and you will be fine.


#3.
Don’t Flash Fancy Personal Belongings

This is no zone to show your $50,000 Rolex wrist watch. If you do, then come see me on the other side. What you want to do is leave fancy pieces of jewelleries and watches at home and put expensive cameras and phones and laptops in a bag. In fact, put a lock on your backpack.


#4.
Don’t Give Money to Beggars

“Please help me I have not eaten for 21 days now”. This is the lines you will hear from beggars.

Immediately you hear that, ask them this. You haven’t eaten for 21 days and you are still alive?

Don’t get me wrong. Doing good to someone (charity) is great but, to get out of trouble when there, avoid it squarely. The truth is that you’ll see a lot of them because often at times someone might be begging to distract you while someone else pickpockets you.

Aha. Ooo, you thoughts those funny videos on YouTube were lie? If you want to be straight with them, when they approach you, ask them about the program made available for them.

How or Why? It might surprise you that the South Africa Govt. has programs in place to help such sets of people.

#5.
Keep Your Doors (Car and Home) Locked at All Times

You can keep your door open and carefree in New Zeeland but not in South Africa. If you do, sorry for your belongings.

In South Africa, a thief may take the opportunity to get in and out quickly. So, you never ever want to leave things in your car – not even in the trunk or out of plain sight, because car break ins are not just rare but very common.


[i]There are more but those are the 5th ways to stay safe.[/i]

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Also see - The Best Solution for Tourists Survival in South Africa - https://crackclap.com/crime-rates-in-south-africa/