The problem appears to be that for a lot of people the mere presence of a black person leads them to conclude that a place is not safe!!
Bullets, sledge-hammers and knives speak louder than skin-colour !
Look, let's just agree to disagree, this is going nowhere.
But my point of view is that although SA is fine on a day-to-day basis, there is a very dangerous criminal undertone that pops out from time to time, and if you are in the way you are dead or injured. And you have to take care and avoid dangerous areas, and be circumspect in your behaviour, for example don't stop next to the road to take pictures, especially in isolated areas.
And don't roam around Melville or visit a shebeen in Alexandra because it sounds like fun. You may recall the young woman who was murdered in broad daylight in Alexandra just a few months ago. She was white, it probably happens to black people every day, but is not reported in the headlines.
And all of this also applies to WC tourists. If they are in a tour group with a tour leader they will be fine. It's more the couples who hire a car and roam the country that will be at risk, especially if they get adventurous in the entertainment that they seek - sure you can have a jol on the Cape Flats, but you can also end up dead.
All of the above are reported in the papers on a daily basis, and we often come across these situations in person. I can't believe how anybody could possibly be in such denial as to not see the wood for the trees - I find it absolutely flabbergasting when the evidence is right before your very eyes.
The one thing that I find really scary about South Africa, is that it is one country where a flat tyre or car breakdown, especially at night, can easily and quickly lead to your death - there have been a number of instances of this in and around Johannesburg.
And LancelotSA is going to prove me wrong by taking a stroll through the Wilds in Joburg at midnight this coming Saturday ? Not ?
