Johannesburg Travel Forum

Because of the perceived danger of Johannesburg, my wife is quite hesitant to venture beyond the security of our inn while we layover for a day. To alleviate her fears (and my desire to explore), I'm hoping to get information concerning the the real threat to safety in the Kempton Park, Montecasino and Sandton areas of Johannesburg. I'm sorry to say, I hear lots of bad things about Johannesburg, and now want to find more positive - and realistic - accounts of the city.

You don't say where you are from. I am from a very small town in Canada and have visited Johannesburg three times. Had I been afraid I would not have returned the second and third times. Johannesburg is no more dangerous than most big cities if you use your head and take the usual safety precautions.
Don't flash cameras or money or anything else that makes you look like a tourist. Lock your car doors when driving and always be aware of your surroundings.

Stay out of areas that don't look safe. Have a great time.
You can check out my pages about Johannesburg on this site.

Yeah !
Stay out of areas that don't look safe. Have a great time. : )

Mate, the sad reality is that violent crime does pose a real threat to people living in and visiting South Africa, including Johannesburg. Last year the South African Institute for Race Relations found 575 out of every 100 000 people in Gauteng fall victim to armed robbers. They base their figures on Statistics South Africa. The concern is that many experts believe crime in South Africa is massively under-reported due to a variety of reason. Crime figures could be much higher than is publicly reported. Open any South African newspaper and you will be saddened and surprised by the extent and scope of crime.
Having said the above, many people still visit South Africa without falling prey to criminals. The message is to take every step to minimize your vulnerability. Do some research on crime prevention strategies: both my sisters-in-law recently returned from South Africa and having taken the necessary precautions had a good time - with the exception of Durban.
Not meant to frighten – merely to inform.
Good luck!

I live in Pretoria, which is about 40 kilos from Jihannesburg. The area's mentioned, namely Montecasino and Sandton are great areas to visit and explore. Both these areas have world class shopping centres, and exploring them during the day is perfect. At night, if you dont know where you going, can be a risk, as I think it is in any other part of the world.My wife works in Sandton Centre and it is the busiest shopping centre in South Africa.
Dont believe everything you read, as you dont read the "good stuff"or the retractions of "false reporting". This counntry has just gone through one of the most peaceful democratic ellections in the history of the country, and while you will always get people publishing stories about the dangers of the country, the numer of ex pats returning to the country is the highest since 1994.
The IPL cricket is presently on the go in South Africa, and has been a major success, with no incidents that I have heard about. We have the Confederation Soccer Cup starting next month, and the World Cup next year...These sporting codes have made 100% sure about the safety of there players before awarding these events to South Africa..

If you need anymore info,e-mail me and I will try and give you 100% info, but it will be info from a person living in this country, and not from people who left it some time ago and have not been here to experiance the growth and development over the last few years.

Regards

Mike

I recently had the same situation as you an extra day in Jo'burg waiting for a flight home. We are two mature(!) ladies and did not fancy roaming around this notorious city. Not wanting to waste a day we searched the net and came up with a company I totally recommend -

http://www.tasteofafrica.co.za/Default.aspx

Cedric collected us from our guesthouse and gave us a mini tour by car, including some of the no go areas of town! He then handed us over to the delightful Charmaine who gave us an excellent tour of the centre of J.burg then out to Soweto by local taxi. We felt so safe with these people and they gave us a wonderful insight into a side of this glorious country. There are problems to be resolved, but with people like these I am optimistic for the future.

Please have a look at their site you may be very pleasantly surprised if you see the 'real' South Africa. Enjoy.

Thanks Cathy, that was a very useful tip.