Caution: If you are Australian you may find this post hard to believe (apart from all you lovely Saffers now living in Australia who know how awesome South Africa is – and of course our beloved Aussie family who travel to SA regularly and know the truth). This is because a recent travel advisory from your government recommended the need for high caution when travelling to our land. It warned of – amongst other things – robberies on roads and in shopping centres, ATM and credit card fraud and spiked drinks. It said you should never drive with your window down.
I recently took a once-in-a-lifetime road trip through South Africa with my family. Over two and a half weeks we drove more than 3500km’s, we crossed 5 of our 9 provinces, we visited tiny dorpies (villages) in the middle of nowhere like Alldays, Messina and Komatipoort, larger towns like Makhado and Polokwane and major cities like Johannesburg. We crossed 8 borders into and out of neighbouring countries Botswana and Swaziland. We visited 2 major national parks, the unparalleled Kruger National Park and the mesmerizing Mapungubwe. We went through around 40 toll gates, filled up 6 times with petrol and stayed in accommodation ranging from 5 stars to no stars. We met dozens of people, we travelled with our windows down, we bought food off the side of the road, we got stopped by the police – and let go (without being asked for a bribe). We found world class shops and restaurants in the most unlikely places like Bethlehem and Tzaneen.
We didn’t get assaulted, robbed or scammed once. We enjoyed friendly service wherever we went. People often spotted our NT number plates and we enjoyed a banter about their days in KwaZulu Natal. We felt safe and welcome and we loved every minute of it.
Now you might say that our positive experience is because we are locals and that foreigners might be targeted. This may of course be true, and I suggest that when you do come and visit us you take the normal precautions you would when visiting any foreign country. Begin by asking a local where is safe to go and where isn’t. This will tick all the boxes of those alarmist travel advisories. But please do come.
And to us locals, there really is no greater adventure than discovering your own land. This trip reminded us that we live in a place of such diversity, richness and beauty.
We should travel it more.
So glad you had a wonderful safe and wonderful trip. I really enjoyed reading the story about your journey. I love this country and its diversity. Every Day I meet and chat to locals whether it be the petrol attendant or the client I have a meeting with and I manage to a get a smile from them which makes my heart happy!
Thanks Simone! This country has so much going for it…we need to tell the good stories more…
Last year we did two road trips with our kids – one to Eastern Cape, one to northern KZN – discovering new places in our own country we had never seen before. Have you ever visited Woody Cape? Tsitsa Falls? Ngome Forest? Thangami Hot Springs? Hogsback? These were all new to us, and wow, so stunningly beautiful! And all the wild animals we saw in Mountain Zebra Park, Camdeboo, Addo Elephant Park, Ithala… And the scenery!!! We camp everywhere. There is nothing better than sleeping with only a thin canvas between you and nature. In Ithala there is a sign on the camp site “beware of elephant hiding in the bushes”. Thank goodness there weren’t any, but there was a resident giraffe. And the shower has an open sky. I just love living in this country. You just get in your car and go somewhere for the weekend. I’ve been camping all my life, from one end of the country to the other, and beyond, and have never ever ever had any trouble. (Except from baboons and monkeys…). And the people are friendly everywhere. And to quote you Justin: “Fight crime, say hello!” Happy holidays!
STUNNING!!! I hope people read your story and come!! #CarryoncampingSA!
As one of your Australian family members (currently living in Singapore) who recently spent 2.5 weeks in S Africa I can confirm that everything you say is most certainly true Justin!! I live in possibly the safest city/country in the world and yet did not feel uncomfortable for one second in SA. The smiles that you get from people in the service industry are truly wonderful, but also the smiles and “hellos” from anybody you come into contact with, or just pass when you’re out for a walk really stood out for me. It was a totally wonderful holiday and one that I wish I could repeat much more often!! The Aussie travel advisory seems to have been written by someone who has never visited S Africa,
Thanks for posting your great SA experiences Rick. Its important that we counter this very negative narrative that so often dominates…SA is on the up and has always been a beautiful country to visit. People shouldn’t be put off by nonsense like this…
A while back, a youngish, attractive white girl, who lived in Zululand in KZN had an argument with friends as to whether “Ubuntu” still existed in South Africa. Ubuntu is a Zulu word describing community of spirit, it literally means “I am because we are” unable to resolve the argument she left her home on her own with R100 in her pocket determined to hitch round South Africa and test whether the people that gave her a lift would look after her – whether “Ubuntu” was alive and well. 325 days later she returned home having travelled through all nine provinces (hitching), stayed with 150 families, intermingled with 16 different cultures, and passed through 114 towns. She was looked after by humble township dwellers, by modest middle-class folk, and by wealthy millionaires. She never had a single moment of feeling unsafe. She returned with the original R100, her cell-phone full to the brim with photographs, and a backpack full of well-wishing gifts. Her book “The Ubuntu Girl” describes her journey. Maybe Australian government officials should read it before issuing false travel advisories.
I love that story Steuart! Thanks for reminding me of that….
The sad thing here is that ourselves as South Africans tend to believe, and help propagate, this negative perception of our country. We agree with those who tear us down, and fuel the misguided fear. I live in Durban and enjoy road trips within or outside the province many times in the year (one such trip last year was so enjoyable I wrote a letter about it which appeared in the Sep 2017 issue of Leisure Wheels). My biggest fear is being caught above the speed limit on our many excellent roads where it’s easy to rest the foot on the accelerator!! Thanks for writing your piece!
Love this!! We must counter this fear narrative at every opportunity! Keep enjoying our magnificent country!