Crime is unavoidable in South Africa. In this house, which we have lived in for about eight years, we have had probably around five robberies. Fortunately we have never been at home when they happened (the last one I was taking Nicky to the shops, and they watched me leave) but it certainly doesn’t hurt to put in secure measures to keep yourself safe. And be aware of the bad spots.
The best you can do is make yourself more aware of dangerous areas and be suitably prepared for the worst. Even if you aren’t living in one of these locations (and I certainly hope that you’re not), you can be aware of the dangers in passing through. I also believe that understanding the trends behind why these areas are so dangerous can only help us be safer. (Stats taken from this website)
1) Mitchell’s Plain
I guess this should not be a surprise. Mitchell’s Plain is also number one for common assault, robbery with aggravating circumstances, malicious damage to property, drug related crime, crimen injuria and kidnapping. It is number two for common robbery, illegal possession of firearms, theft from motor vehicle and attempted murder. It is number four for sexual crimes too.
2) Cape Town Central is number one for motor vehicle theft.
3) Durban Central. This precinct is also number one for sexual crimes, shoplifting and driving under the influence.
4) Park Road in the Free State is a burglar’s domain, being number three for business burglary and number two for residential.
5) Johannesburg Central comes in at number one for common robbery and second for for business burglary.
6) Rustenburg tops the list for culpable homicide and comes in second for commercial crime.
7) Honeydew
I have heard horrible stories of crime in this area. I think it is because there is a township close by. I also worked in the area (when I was teaching) and our school went through burglaries, particularly after building was done. The school put up a big wall at one stage which helped.
Honeydew is number one for residential burglary.
8) Phoenix in KwaZulu Natal is second for common assault and fourth for malicious damage to property. It is also sixth for kidnapping.
9) Pretoria Central is fourth for common robbery and fourth for general theft.
10) Pinetown in KwaZulu Natal is first for business burglary and carjacking. It comes in at number two for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
SO what have we learnt?
1) Steer clear of Mitchell’s Plain. Seriously, this is the worst crime ridden place in the country. Created for the Coloured people under the Apartheid government in the 1970s, much of the the place has deteriorated into urban ghettos and informal settlements. They have nearly 55 new cases a day according to this article, which also calls for better policing. Yes, the police service needs an overhaul, but this problem seems far deeper than they can handle. How does one turn around generations of drug addicts and criminals?
I read this touching article from Kirk Krotz, a musician who lived in Mitchell’s Plain. He talks about how violence was so part of his life he become used to it. Now that he lives in the Northern suburbs with white neighbours he notices how much they talk about crime, and yet have no clue as to what it really means. He says: As a child on the Flats, violence is a major part of your life. It is not something you choose. It is a daily reality you learn to live with. And today this is still true, maybe even more so than when I grew up.
I have no blanket solutions to a problem so great as Mitchell’s Plain, but as the man who threw the starfish back said- “It made a difference to this one.” So perhaps the solution for us as humans is to touch lives where we can, be it by a healthy, loving child or a random act of kindness. And pray for Mitchell’s Plain. I’m sure they need it.
2) Avoid Central Business Districts. They seem to be bad places for crime.
Having said that, my father ran a successful hardware business in Port Elizabeth’s CBD for many years. He had his fair share of burglaries, armed robberies and shoplifting. But he endured and had lots of customers. I guess the positive side of a hub like that is that you do have lots of foot traffic.
I see PE does not feature much on these lists but the Mount Road precinct (up the road from the CBD) comes in at No 7 for business burglary and No 10 for shoplifting. The PE townships feature for carjackings. (New Brighton No 6, Kwazakele No 10)
3) Don’t buy a house near a township.
If you really want to be stupid, buy a house next a group of individuals who need to steal to survive. I remember reading about a women in Walmer, Port Elizabeth near the Walmer location who had repeated robberies. Honeydew is another example. People driving on London Road late at night only have themselves to blame when they get carjacked, being right next to Alexander Township. Stay clear!
4) I know our crime stats are bad, but you don’t have to use them to your advantage. Shrien Dewani did this on a trip to a Cape Town township late at night (Gugulethu) and had his wife killed. Gugulethu is actually No 6 for Murder and doesn’t feature for kidnapping. Let’s hope he gets the justice he deserves.
5) Be safe: If you live in South Africa you need to:
– put up an electric fence (check, after our last robbery last year)
– install an alarm (we did that when we moved in)
-if you are walking/ driving around a suspect place late at night, the worst thing you can do is act lost. Be purposeful and get out of there.
– get insurance. (we started out with this too) This involves the contents of your house, your car, anything you hold dear. You also need to think about the unpalatable event of your death and get death insurance too.
I hope this was informative about all the places to avoid in SA.
Just remember, in the end, it doesn’t matter so much where you live, but rather the company you keep. Ask all the South Africans glued to their screens watching the Oscar Pistorius trial for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. They were living in a luxury suburb in Pretoria.
The culture of violence runs deep in this land.
What do you think? What can we do?
This post was sponsored by AIG.
We must have different meanings of townships here in the States. Here it is a area of land, each township has it’s own voting center, township board and committee, taxes, etc.
What does it mean there?
I’m sure if I were traveling in South Africa I would want to know where to avoid, this is a great resource for travelers!
Hi Rebekah. In South Africa a township is what was traditionally a “black” area (segregated under the Group Areas Act during apartheid). These areas tend to be where the poor blacks live, richer ones have moved into what was the “white” suburbs. I hope I am explaining it right, Wikipedia also explains it like this: “In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban living areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (black Africans, Coloureds and Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities.”
I would have a really hard time living somewhere with that much crime. It would be total culture shock for me. I agree that this is a really great resource for travelers. I tend to trust people too much. I think I would just avoid this area if traveling.
My sister lives in SA and she has had robberies too. She has bars on the windows and guard dogs are good too.
Avoiding is good!
You are braver than I man I could never stay somewhere that made me feel so unsafe all the time. I say that living here all cozy in Vancouver BC though.
Well at least we have sun!
Wow, what a heavy thing! It’s awesome you’re writing about it, though, and helping promote awareness and safety. Best wishes, Heather!