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Safety and Crime in South Africa

In European newspapers one can often read reports on crime in South Africa, where a depressing picture of this society is painted as of a country teeming with murderers and a police force withdrawn in complacency. South Africans, on the other hand, particularly those promoting tourism, tend to paint too rosy a picture of a safe South Africa and play the crime topic down.

It is a fact that a large part of the South African population still lives in great poverty, on very little space in corrugated tin shacks in townships and squatter camps, with hardly any income. These places are breeding grounds for crime and violence, the more so since many illegal immigrants dwell there as well, who don't have a work permit and largely rely on organised crime for sustainance. The majority of all crimes occurs in these slum areas, e.g. the numerous rape cases and murders or homicides. The numbers of violent crimes are many times higher than in European countries. The police is often powerless because of the difficulty to access these areas, and so the detection rate for violent crime is much lower than anywhere in Europe.

The tourist is generally not affected by the high crime rate, if he acts reasonably and stays away from townships. The risk of falling victim to assault is not higher in a South African city than in other cities of the world.

The crime rate in South Africa has over the last years been continuously on the decrease, if only by a few percentage points.This is not a reason to relax yet, but it shows a positive development. The government has invested considerable sums into the police force resulting in a higher number of officers and better equipment, motivation and training. In the city centres surveillance cameras were installed which drastically reduced the rate of break-ins, thefts and assaults. In the residential suburbs, Neighbourhood Watches were organised, groups of unarmed citizens who patrol the streets at night and report suspicious movements per radio to the local police station.

Safety hints for travellers

1. Don't enter townships
If you would like to gain insight into the life in a township, join a guided tour and don't venture out on your own.

2. In the evenings don't go for walks through parks, dark parts of the inner cities or at beaches.

3. Never give a lift to a hitchhiker.

4. Keep your handbag closed when walking over market places or through shopping malls.

5. Don't leave valuables (or coins) visibly lying in your car.

6. Keep the windows of your car shut and the doors locked when driving through towns and stopping at traffic lights. This is particularly important in Johannesburg, where still many car hijackings occur.

7. Be on the alert if entering a petrol station late in the evening.

8. Don't stop, if suspicious persons at the roadside indicate that they need help. It might be a trap.

9. If possible, travel with a cellphone switched-on.

National Emergency Numbers:
10111 Police
10177 Ambulance