How safe do I feel in Johannesburg, South Africa?

How safe do I feel while in Johannesburg?

I am paranoid about safety here as a result of stories that have been related to me by friend, relatives and also the media. I have found that most of the people that I interact with are also “concerned” some to the degree of paranoia. So I guess I feel some comfort in that I am not alone. Misery loves company!!! LOL….. Admittedly, there is crime and security concerns in most parts of the world, including the States. The difference for me personally is that I get to read about it or watch it on TV and do not personally know the victims. So it feels sort of far away and lends a sort of security.

I am going to document some of the anecdotes that caused my paranoia and follow that with some media extracts. So here goes:-

All the houses have metal gates on the doors and widows and most have gates inside the house segregating the sleeping areas from the rest of the house. I have been worried about what would happen if there was a fire. Most of the gates have multiple locks and the keys are always kept in non-obvious places. It generally takes tens of minutes to get into or out of a house.

A few months back, one of my cousins was going back home from work with his wife and as he approached his house, someone shot him at point blank range. His wife was spared. the motive for the killing has not yet been established as it was not a robbery nor a hijacking. The murderer has yet not been found and the prospect of finding the culprit is dim.

Another cousin was followed home. She noticed that she was followed and instead of stopping at her own home where no one else was there, she decided to go to a friend’s house thinking that with other people around, she would be safe. As her friend was opening her door for her, they were accosted by the robbers and ended up with my cousin’s friend being shot in the stomach!

Richard introduced me to one of his friends who related the following story. A few weeks back, he and a few of his friends were playing mahjong and in the middle of it, 4 people appeared suddenly from 4 directions having obviously gotten into the house from the back door and side windows and held them all up at gun point. They were all (including kids) forced to get on their knees and were tied up while the house was emptied of all useful things. Then they were stripped of all personal valuables. Needless to say, the kids were crying and scared. They were tied up for over two hours. I could hear the fear and anger as he related his tale of woe. Fortunately they were not injured and all escaped with their lives.

A while back (maybe two years now), an uncle of mine, who lives on a farm, had a break-in while he and his wife were in the house. Both he and his wife were tied up and told to indicate where valuables were hidden. My uncle is a bit of a tough guy and he told them off. This was fool-hardy to say the least. They went into the kitchen and produced a Chinese knife (cleaver) and started slicing up his face. They continued for over an hour, cutting him up badly. They left abruptly without killing either my uncle or aunt probably because of the sound of approaching car.

A cousin who lived in a really ‘good’ area came out of her sleeping area one morning and heard voices in the living area. She peered out just in time to see intruders and immediately banged shut the gate isolating her from the rest of the house and managed to activate the silent alarm that would summand the security people. She then ran into her bedroom and locked herself in. The robbers left when the security people turned up. She later found that her husband was downstairs tied up with his own shoelaces. The robbers apparently did not know she was upstairs and he had the presence of mind not to alert them of the fact.

My friend John insisted in picking me up at the airport this trip, and it was only afterwards that I understood from Richard why he was so insistent. There are special precautions to be taken when driving out of the airport. Several people coming in had been followed to their destination and then robbed. He did not want to scare me and so wanted to take these precautions without me knowing. One of Richard’s friends arrived and had a friend pick him up and drove to his friend’s home. They were followed all the way from the airport without noticing it and when they reached their destination, were robbed at gunpoint and all luggage and valuables taken. What are the precautions? Well drive home in a circuitous route and see if there is any car following, then when you get to the destination, beware of what is in the surrounding, and if there are cars or people, call the people in the destination to look around first before stopping. If there are suspicious people or cars around, do not stop. Always drive with a cell phone available and switched on.

A report was published that 30% of the traffic fatalities are pedestrians. The cars seem to accelerate when they see you crossing the street on foot. They must believe that they get points if they manage to hit a pedestrian.

Yesterday, I was following a truck piled high with wooden planks that it was obviously top heavy and the driver had trouble keeping it from tipping over and was driving very slowly. Despite this, I was honked insistently by someone behind me to overtake it on a blind curve! I slowed down in case the truck did tip over and asshole behind me tried to overtake both of us around a blind curve as the truck was swerving to keeps its balance and the oncoming traffic was going onto the side of the road to avoid hitting the fool. Sadly, I was hoping that the truck did tip over as he was passing. I afraid that if I stay long enough, I too will become as reckless.

Most people will not stop at a red light late at night. This even applies to the police.

My daughter, Margot, on a visit was driving with her cousin. They had the car windows opened and at a light, a kid reached his hand into the car and snatched her cousin’s necklace.

On the same trip Margot had her luggage stolen from her car at a hotel.



How safe are driveways? :-

Gang targets Bloem driveways - 22/09/2004 15:27 - (SA)

Bloemfontein - A group of three hijackers were undaunted when the first car they stole left them stranded in Universitas, Bloemfontein - they promptly hijacked another one and got away, police said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening three armed men beat up a 59-year-old man and his friend and stole his Ford Courier, said Inspector Henk du Toit.
The friends were attacked while talking in the driveway. The man, identified only as Mr Wright, tried to kick the thieves' firearms away but missed and fell over.
The attackers then beat and kicked the two men, stole the keys to the car and drove away. They were brought to a halt 200m away when an anti-hijack device cut the power of the car, said Du Toit.
Undaunted, the men then attacked Janse van Rensburg, who was pulling out of his driveway. He and his four-year-old child were dragged out of his Toyota Rav and the robbers drove away with the car.
Area Commissioner Baile Motswenyane warned Bloemfontein residents that hijackings had "become a reality in Bloemfontein".
She recommended people take precautions such as anti-theft devices, and unobstructed driveways.



Need a car, well just go order one from a hijacker:-

Hijacker 'test drives' target 08/10/2004 08:46 - (SA)
Christel Raubenheimer
Pretoria - "Have you ever been hijacked?" a prospective car-buyer asked a Menlyn Park salesperson before producing a gun and forcing her out of the luxury sports car.
He then drove off in the green Rover MG ZR, which sells for R180 000, after leaving the woman stranded next to the highway in Lynnwood.
The hijacker was undeterred that the salesperson had a copy of his driver's licence at the salesroom.
On Thursday, MG Rover staff in Menlyn Park were reluctant to talk to the media.
Inspector Percy Morokane said the salesperson had taken the man on a test drive.
On the N1 highway, the man stopped, produced his firearm and told the woman to get out of the car.
Colleagues had to collect her where she waited desolately at the side of the highway. She had no injuries, but the green car is still missing.
It was established that the same person had been on a test drive with a car from the Kia dealer situated near the Rover dealer. However, the Kia sales consultant had kept the man's original drive's licence after making a copy.
The Kia consultant said: "He gave the impression of being a joller. I didn't have a good feeling about him."
The alleged car thief made straight for the woman consultant at the Kia dealer, but she asked one of her male colleagues to take him on a test drive as the man made her feel "uneasy".

Follow a specific route
While the woman was making a copy of the man's driver's licence, he and the consultant left for a test drive.
It is thought he had second thoughts because he had not got his original driver's licence back, or possibly he was wary of the male consultant.
"Normally we ask to keep the keys of a prospective buyer's own car and also hold the original driver's licence at the office until after the test drive," said one of the staff members.
They also follow a specific route to allow colleagues to check on them and sound the alarm if they are not back from a test drive after a certain time.
The police are on the look-out for Daniel Koekemoer, whom they believe can help them in their investigations.



Even the Cops are not safe from crime (Anywhere else this would assumed to be an amusing joke, but alas, this is real here) :-

Hijackers hit cops on the job - 17/11/2004 23:04 - (SA)
Marida Fitzpatrick

Johannesburg - Four police officers were hijacked this week after being called out to a Midrand shooting.
The police from Midrand crime intelligence unit were in plainclothes and driving an unmarked vehicle.
Hijackers surprised them when they stopped outside the President Park home of James Dyer on Monday afternoon.
Dyer's parents-in-law, who live in a flat on the property, were attacked by robbers on Friday night.
Police went to the house on Monday as part of their investigation. They had not told Dyer they were coming and arrived unannounced.
Dyer said: "When I saw four strange men stop in my drive, I thought they were robbers."
While he was wondering what to do, four hijackers stopped behind the police.
Dyer said four men jumped out of their vehicle and pulled the police out of their car.
They told the police to lie on the ground.

Couldn't get car into reverse
Dyer said: "I could not understand what was happening. It looked like one gang of robbers was hijacking another gang."
The hijackers couldn't get the police vehicle into reverse and crashed into Dyer's gate. Eventually, they fled with the cop car and their own.
Dyer said that, at that point, he thought it might be a trap to get him outside his house.
He locked himself inside and called the police. He shouted at the men still in the driveway to stay away.
"Don't come near me! The police are on their way."
It was then that the police shouted out: "But, we are police."
Dyer refused to believe them at first and it was only when other officers arrived and greeted their colleagues that he began to relax.
According to superintendent Eugene Opperman, the stolen vehicle was recovered a few hours later in Ivory Park. The suspects and stolen firearms are still being sought.
Dyer said he was concerned that his house had come under attack twice in four days by armed robbers.

Father-in-law's hip was shattered
"I hope it was a fluke and that it doesn't happen again."
Charles Meyer, 77, and his wife, Sara, 71, Dyer's parents-in-law, were both shot during Friday's attack.
Meyer's hip was shattered after he was shot in the groin.
He is in a serious condition at Sunninghill Hospital. His wife was shot in the arm.
Edited by Iaine Harper
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-442_1622800,00.html



More on cops being afraid of crime (unfortunately, it is still funny to me) :-

Cops 'buy protection'

Private security companies are paid R45m a year to guard police stations
December 8, 2004

By Angela QuintalNational Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi has never been a fan of private security companies.Some of them, he has said in the past, are nothing more than vigilante groups and he has criticised their use by affluent communities.It has also concerned him that they have more "men and women under (small) arms than the South African police and the SA National Defence Force" combined.However, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula disclosed in parliament yesterday that the South African Police Service is spending a whopping R3,8-million a month, or R45-million a year, on private security companies.A total of 145 police premises countrywide have contracted private security firms. These include police stations, police headquarters in Pretoria at R186637 a month, VIP protection offices in Pretoria and Cape Town, the Commercial Crime Unit in Johannesburg, several training colleges and even a shooting range in Graaff-Reinet.Nqakula said there were two contracts for security services, which would expire in March next year. More than 20 private security companies were involved, including one called the Die Hard Youth, contracted to the police's Crowd Management Unit in Hazyview at a cost of R15070 a month.Other companies include Chubb Protective Services, Protea Security, Anchor Security, Impala Security, Secuforce, Security Wise and Coin Security. The average cost was about R30000 a month.The minister disclosed this information in a written reply to a parliamentary question from DA MP Roy Jankielsohn."In light of this fact," asked Jankielsohn in a media statement, "how can the public be expected to have confidence in the SAPS?"Jankielsohn said that because the government had failed in its responsibility to resource the SAPS properly, "our country's official protectors cannot even protect themselves from criminals"."There is clearly little hope for the average citizen to secure him/ herself against the onslaught of violent criminals if even the VIP Protection Service has to rely on private security companies for protection," he said."Furthermore, the fact that millions of rands are being spent on private security companies means that precious resources are being diverted from where they are most needed, which is to take the fight to criminals on the street," he said."If the government had prioritised the proper resourcing and funding of the SAPS, this ridiculous situation would never have been able to develop.""In order for the government to restore public faith in the SAPS, it needs as a matter of urgency to ensure that the SAPS is afforded sufficient resources to protect itself and the citizens it polices."However, the SAPS has denied that it hires private companies to guard its members or its premises. Police spokesperson Lazarus Tlomatsana said these companies dealt only with access control to premises, freeing up police to do the job they were trained to do.Some of this access control was 24 hours a day, such as at police stations, while some firms merely did access control during office hours, such as at police headquarters.Tlomatsana said there had been a brouhaha in the past about the wastefulness of using trained police officers to do access control.Mpumalanga safety and security spokesperson Mpho Gabashane yesterday said the SAPS's aim was "to have all 1 200 police stations in South Africa protected by private security companies".The province has put out a tender for a private security company to guard 13 police buildings and compounds so as to free up police officers for police work. In Pretoria, more than 100 police buildings are already under the protection of private security firms. Nqakula is overseas and could not be reached for comment. His spokesperson said the ministry would be in a position to respond to media enquiries today. - Group Political Editor.




My niece passed me the following “joke”:-

You Know You're From Johannesburg When...

* The person in front of you in traffic this morning was hijacked and you got irritated because you missed the traffic light.
* While eating dinner a news item comes on TV about a family of six slaughtered in their home, and you ask someone to pass you the salt.
* You never think of taxis in terms of 'public transport'.
* You have a minimum of five worst taxi stories.
* While waiting at the ATM the bank is robbed by armed gunmen, but you'll be damned if you're going to lose your place in the queue.
* You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you.
* The last time you drove your car without swearing at someone was when you took your driving test.
* Every time you find your car parked where you left it you are genuinely surprised.
* You've seriously considered shooting someone.
* You have more barbed wire around your home than Diepkloof Prison.
* You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.
* Being truly alone makes you 'go for your gun'.
* You don't hear gunfire anymore.
* You get a call at 4am in the morning from your buddy asking you for directions to @115... and you explain it to him not with streets, but with "landmarks"
* You're sitting in your car, gunshots go off in the middle of the street and everyone just casually looks around and continues their daily routine.
* Even the police pause momentarily at a red light before driving on late at night, so as to avoid being victim of hijacking.




The American State Department had the following entries in its site about South Africa:-

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Although South Africa is in many respects a
developed country, much of its population lives in poverty. All major urban
areas have modern, world class hotels and tourist facilities. Game
parks and areas most often visited by tourists have a wide range of
facilities. Food and water are generally safe, and a wide variety of consumer
goods and pharmaceuticals are readily available. The capital is
Pretoria, while the seat of parliament is Cape Town and the Constitutional
Court, South Africa's highest court, is located in Johannesburg.

SAFETY AND SECURITY: Areas most frequented by tourists, such as major
hotels, game parks, and beaches, have generally been unaffected by
political violence. Nevertheless, travelers are encouraged to be vigilant
and avoid any large gathering, particularly protests and demonstrations.
The possibility of violence, including threats against American
interests, should not be discounted, particularly in times of heightened world
tension.

While visiting game parks and reserves, it is dangerous to leave one's
vehicle or otherwise be on foot, even in the presence of a guide.
Several incidents of wild animal attacks on tourists in the region have
resulted in deaths or serious injury.

CRIME: Although the vast majority of visitors complete their travels
in South Africa without incident, visitors should be aware that criminal
activity, sometimes violent, occurs routinely. Notwithstanding
government anti-crime efforts, violent crimes such as carjackings, muggings,
"smash and grab" attacks on vehicles and other incidents are regularly
reported by visitors and resident Americans.

Crimes against property, such as carjacking, have often been
accompanied by violent acts, including murder. South Africa also has the highest
incidence of reported rape in the world. Foreigners are not
specifically targeted, but several have been the victims of rape. Victims of
violent crime, especially rape, are strongly encouraged to seek immediate
medical attention, including antiretroviral therapy against HIV/AIDS.
Questions about how to receive such treatment should be directed to the
nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Criminal activity, such as assault, armed robbery and theft, is
particularly high in areas surrounding many hotels and public transportation
centers, especially in major cities. Theft of passports and other
valuables is most likely to occur at airports. A number of Americans have
been mugged or violently attacked on commuter and metro trains,
especially between Johannesburg and Pretoria. There have been several
instances in which American travelers have been drugged to sleep by strangers
they met and invited to their hotel rooms. The victims' beverage is
surreptitiously "spiked" by the stranger. The victims awaken to find
their valuables have disappeared. In at least one instance, an American
traveler died after being robbed/drugged in this fashion.

In areas of Mpumalanga Province west of Kruger National Park, there
have been violent attacks on foreign tourists. In the Western Cape, police
resources have been strained by continuing gang conflicts and vigilante
violence in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town. Some portions of the
provinces of Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, such as the "Wild Coast,"
have significant levels of crime and inadequate medical services.
Travelers may wish to contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate before
embarking on trips to these particular areas.

Credit card fraud, counterfeit U.S. currency, and various check-cashing
scams are frequently reported. Do not accept "assistance" from anyone,
or agree to assist others with ATM transactions. Travelers should try
to avoid using ATM machines after bank business hours. There have been
reports of ATM machines retaining the card, the cardholder leaving the
scene since they cannot remove the card, and criminals later returning
to retrieve the card from the machine. When giving your credit card to
a store or restaurant employee for processing, do not let them take the
card out of your sight. Also beware of fraudulent schemes in which a
caller from South Africa (who usually is not South African) attempts to
win the confidence of an unsuspecting American, who is then persuaded
either to provide privileged financial information or travel to South
Africa to assist in a supposedly lucrative business venture.

MEDICAL FACILITIES: Private medical facilities are good in urban areas
and in the vicinity of game parks, but they may be limited elsewhere.

OTHER HEALTH INFORMATION: South Africa has one of the highest
incidences of HIV/AIDS in the world. Visitors to Kruger National Park and
other low altitude game parks should take malaria prophylaxis before
arriving and after departure. Only mefloquine (Larium), doxycycline, or
malarone are considered truly effective against malaria. Further
information on antiretroviral therapy against HIV/AIDS, malaria prophylaxis,
vaccinations and other health precautions may be obtained from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.

TRAFFIC SAFETY AND ROAD CONDITIONS: While in a foreign country, U.S.
citizens may encounter road conditions that differ significantly from
those in the United States. The information below concerning South
Africa is provided for general reference only, and it may not be totally
accurate in a particular location or circumstance.

Safety of Public Transportation: Poor
Urban Road Conditions/Maintenance: Good to Excellent
Rural Road Conditions/Maintenance: Fair to Good
Availability of Roadside Assistance: Good

Unlike the United States, where traffic moves on the right hand side of
the road, traffic in South Africa moves on the left. Care must also be
taken when crossing streets as a pedestrian.

Travelers should use caution at all times when driving, and especially
avoid nighttime travel outside major cities. Road conditions are
generally good. However, excessive speed, poor lighting on rural roads, and
insufficient regulatory control of vehicle maintenance and operator
licensing have resulted in a high and rapidly increasing number of traffic
fatalities. Special care should be taken when passing others vehicles.
A significant number of Americans have been killed in highway accidents
in recent years. Drivers should also take care to avoid pedestrians
crossing roads, including major highways.

Travelers are advised to carry mobile phones. U.S. mobile phones may
not work in South Africa, but rental mobile phones are widely available.
The nationwide number for the police flying squad is 10111, and the
nationwide number for ambulance service is 10177. It is not necessary to
dial an area code for these numbers, including from mobile phones.
Callers from mobile phones may not necessarily be connected immediately to
the nearest flying squad. The rate of response varies from to area to
area, and is generally slower than response to 911 calls in the United
States.

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While in a foreign country, a U.S. citizen is
subject to that country's laws and regulations, which sometimes differ
significantly from those in the United States and may not afford the
protections available to the individual under U.S. law. Penalties for
breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar
offenses. Persons violating South African law, even unknowingly, may be
expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or
trafficking in illegal drugs in South Africa are strict, and convicted
offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines.