Safety in South Africa
South Africa has been making international headlines for years, and it continues to do so. More latterly, unfortunately, the ‘miracle’ of the Rainbow Nation has been edged aside to make way for other, less positive news. The big South African story today is the crime wave. Gory details are snapped up by both the local and the international media, with daily offerings appearing everywhere, from local “knock-n-drop” newspapers to dedicated internet sites, aiming to feed a seemingly insatiable global appetite.
To deny that South Africa has a crime problem would be self-defeating, therefore we should take an honest look at the situation, what is being done to improve it, and how it is likely to affect someone visiting this country, for business or for pleasure.
Two of the most important factors regarding crime and tourists in South Africa are: a) tourists are not being specifically targeted and b) things are happening on the ground to improve the situation. The tourism industry and security organisations alike are at pains to point out that the situation in South Africa regarding crime against tourists is not political and tourists are in general not being singled out as targets.
Politically-orientated crime is evident in some countries, but not here, and although a mugger is more likely to go for the tourist festooned with expensive cameras (and by implication a bulging wallet as well), there is no noticeable anti-tourist trend.
The government stands accused of lacking the political will, or even the capability, of taking serious steps to redress the situation, but people and organisations like the police, the business sector, local authorities and even just local communities, are taking the initiative to secure their own environment, and therefore that in which visitors are likely to find themselves.
Not the whole of South Africa is a ‘red alert’ zone. As is the case anywhere in the world, it is the cities that have the big problem, and certain tourist areas and isolated spots. The major urban centres have taken the situation very much to heart. After all, apart from anything else, what affects tourism affects the city coffers too.
The Business Against Crime (BAC) movement is already scoring some major successes. Organisations like the South African Police Tourism Assistance Unit and local council initiatives such as the Tourist Support Units are beginning to make a mark. Nationally the Tourism Safety Task Group of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is creating awareness of the issues in both the tourism industry and among tourists.
The BAC movement was established to bring the management skills, partnerships and facilities of business into the fight against crime. A number of pilot projects in various parts of the country have already met with huge success. In the Western Cape, CCTV (surveillance by closed circuit television) systems are up and successfully running in the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl. In Cape Town, CCTV was set up at a popular tourist spot in the city and within weeks the incidence of reported crime had been reduced from 60 a month to zero. The system is now being expanded to cover much of the city.
BAC is also involved in projects like high profile patrols on horseback, motorbikes and mountain bikes (one small town even has a cop on a donkey cart); Rent-a-Cop; the street children issue, and the revamping of the criminal justice system. In Cape Town, South Africa’s most popular tourist attraction, the provincial government has already held a number of highly successful joint police and military anti-crime operations. It is setting up a ‘super task team’ modelled on similar organisations abroad and aimed specifically at organised crime syndicates.
In KwaZulu-Natal, “Where Durban is the gateway to the province, and the beachfront is the key to the gate,” (says a local city councillor involved in tourism), said beachfront is a hive of security activity. There are beach guards to watch the beach, car guards to watch your car, and flea market guards, presumably to watch your wallet. There is also a Beachfront Business Council to keep an overall eye on things.
In upcountry Gauteng, the South African Police Service (SAPS) is working closely with Business Against Crime and between them they are recording cautious gains in the fight against crime. Programme Johannesburg, a joint SAPS/BAC project, has identified police stations in hot spots, which the BAC support. At least 10 special training programmes have been set up, putting more ‘bobbies on the beat’, with civilian volunteers in the stations ‘pushing the paper’. The result has been a marked decrease in crime levels.
Similarly, the Effective Detective programme has seen a 99% increase in the number of cases actually coming before the courts. There are other organisations, like Sportsmen Against Crime and the CBD Initiative in central Johannesburg, which are also making a difference, and growing co-operation between hotels and private security companies is creating tourist-friendly zones.
Recently, an international Urban Safety Conference was held in Johannesburg, where the global experience was shared by city-dwellers from around the world. Gauteng, it would seem, is slowly turning the corner. As one senior official put it, “We have an elephant-sized problem here, but you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time, and that’s what we’re doing”.
The South African Police Service has issued a set of guidelines for tourists (and locals) to make life easier, and safer. These include:
- Plan your journey before you leave your hotel and, if in any doubt, check with the hotel to ensure the route or destination is secure
- Keep valuables in the hotel safe deposit box and do not draw attention to yourself by displaying large amounts of cash, expensive jewellery, cameras etc
- Do not take your hotel room key out with you
- Do not leave bags or anything else unattended when moving around, even on a guided tour, in a hire vehicle or taxi, and keep the doors locked and the windows closed when there are people around
- Keep an eye open at traffic intersections, when travelling at night, or in places that may not appear too salubrious
- Do not leave valuables (handbags, briefcases, cellphones) in view on the seat
- Never pick up strangers
- Park in secure areas
- If you are going to use a taxi, use a reliable service (check with your hotel)
- Always be careful of people approaching you in the street
- The police (Flying Squad) emergency number is 10111, and on a cell (mobile) phone that number is 122
All these projects, plans, initiatives and advice, from hi-tech surveillance to bobbies on horses, are designed for one thing and one thing only— to make the environment safer for South Africans and visitors. There is a crime problem in South Africa, but with a little common sense, and perhaps a little help from ever-friendly South Africans, you should be fine.
If you remain discomfited by the prospect of crime, you may wish to consider our Kruger2Canyons.com organised safaris where you will be accompanied by an experienced Guide throughout your visit.
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Published in Travel Africa Magazine Edition Six This edition and subscriptions are available via the Travel Africa Magazine website. |
