Dizer27

Hi All,

Just joined the forum as my husband and I are relocating to Cape Town from Scotland in March, with our two year old son. We visited in December to get a feel for the place and see property, etc and we really liked it. There are definitely crime issues to be aware of there and also there are places that you should or should not go!!

My husband is relocating for work and I will not be working whilst we are based in Cape Town.

I would be interested in any advice that expats can give me in relation to living in Cape Town. We are going to based in the Northern Suburbs, in what we have been told is a good area to stay!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

garytreez

Hi and welcome,

I too am going back to South Africa next year. As you are aware, South Africa is not the wild west where serious crime happens to everyone contrary to the belief of some.

Enjoy it and good luck to you

newshoney

Introducing myself as someone who joined BE when trying to find answers regarding immigration to Canada. Currently based in London UK I have a keen interest in Southern Africa. I lived and worked in Angola 1989-1992 and have taken assignments and travelled independently in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, inter alia.

I am hoping to make contact with British expats in Zambia and Zimbabwe ahead of a forthcoming trip and will post my enquiry shortly.

shiftdelete

Hi- my name is shift delete. I like food.

Sometimes I have these wierd and wondeful dreams that I used to live in Africa- those kind of dreams that break apart just when something sinister starts to happen...
ah well, enough of me then...howzit everyone ag ja, nee.

AudsFrmSA

Hi Donna,
Know the feeling going through exactly the same thing right now, and my fears are rubbing off on my kids too, my 5yr old grabbed my hand and said to me the other day while walking past a group of gardners standing around doing nothing, 'are they going to kill us?' I was so sad, that at 5yrs old she is feeling this anxiety too. How are things going with you now? What stage are you at? We too, have put our house on the market (just last week) and will move as soon as it's sold and the passports and spouse visa is in order.
Let me know what stage you are now at.
Thanks

AudsFrmSA

Hi, Im Audrey. I am Scottish, but have lived in South Africa, since I was 13yrs old. My Mum and Step Dad left in 1993 and are now back in the UK. I married a South African, and have had two children. We have just put our house on the market as I'd like to return to Scotland with my family, due to the obvious reasons.

Pugsy

Hi new to this forum. Born to SA parents in UK, lived in SA most of my life, returned to UK 8 years ago, after attack at our home. Final straw, you know. Now living in Sotogrande, Spain, which is really cool. We've got Gibraltar nearby for the UK supermarket, my diesel fuel is 54p a litre and for those of you who remember Bryanston in Jo'burg, Soto is just like that, but with very little crime, no carjacking, no raping, no shootings, so definately an improvement!

milly123

Hi, All

We lived in South Africa, From 1993 - 1997, Hubby , me , 2 children.
Living in a suburb just outside of Joburgh, In a secure complex . Hubby had a great job, and i worked p/t.
We toured SA at every chance we got , Durban , umslanga, St Lucia, cape.
In the 4yrs we were there, the change was to much. Working in the house rental industry, the crunch came after a phone call from a man that needed a rental straight away in secure complex, Due to his previous night being robbed, his wife and 12yr old daughter being raped. We made the decision to move back to the uk.
We left behind many good friends.
We went on holiday back to SA, as we did every yr for 5yrs. Each yr becoming less enjoyable, with less freedom to travel about. The final yr we had booked a very expensive game lodge and drive, for the new yrs eve. We were staying about 60kms outside St Lucia, When on the game drive, returning back to the camp we were Hyjacked, Sitting ducks really when the driver called in to the garage 7pm new years eve for petrol.
We finished the holiday by driving to suncity and staying there till the flight home.
We have never returned, We know of people that have been shot dead, we talk with friends that are trying to find a way to leave.
The bigest shame of all, The beauty of the country. The pleasure in its people. Like no other, gets in to your blood.
Oh to just sit at leopard creek and watch the wild life again, or to shop at santon, or eat at spur.
But as realality sets in ,
So we did 10yrs back in the uk making the pound. To have now move to OZ, and all its offerings.

janinekidd

My partner was born in SA in 1980. He moved to England when he was 15. He is now thinking of goin back to take me and our daughter. We want to build a life out there he has nothing but good memorys, but is scared with whats going on at the moment. Is the country safe?

Tegwyn

No!! He/you should go back for a visit and take a good look around before considering something as significant as that. Memories seem to get better by the year.

Campbells

Hi there, would suggest you read some of the posts, that should give you an idea of what folk think / know re SA being safe.

Good luck

PS: maybe if you expand on your intro folk could offer inout to alternatives to SA, e.g. what does your partner do ?

Cheers

janinekidd

he is a mechanical fitter. We went to Oz with that trade. Is thre much scope for work out there as a mechanic iv heard its all computers lol

Campbells

I,m not sure, has your hubby checked it out ?

There are plenty of online recruitment agencies

bridgetpretoria

Hi folks

born and bred in South Africa, had a wonderful secure outdoors childhood, didn't miss television, remember "Squad cars"

We live in Isle of Man from South Africa, more jobs than people if you are interested, lousy weather.

I was hijacked iin JHB at gunpoint with both kids in the car at 9.00 in the morning at a friends house in Houghton, we had countless previous burglaries, muggings petty thefts etc.

We eventually left our huge house, pool, court, 2 domestic servants,private schools, country club to do our own cleaning, ironing, cooking, mowing, laundry in peace.

My eldest sons best mate was shot in their home and bled to death, my younger was at nursery school with Julian Lap.

We never intended to leave and stood in the elections ques for two days with our domestics, it was like a picnic all sharing food and drink with everyone in the ques. But the crime in South Africa doesn't happen only to other people.I wasn't too fussed for me, but I wasn't going to have a child die there or be permanently traumitised by an incident like the Laps.

Its been tough and financially crippling (I wan't to die when I see what our house price is now) but our kids have had a happy secure funfilled childhood as everyone deserves.

I am a bit sour when people enthuse about the local scenery and have to resist telling them they clearly don't get out much!

But the beauty of South Africa and the living standard aren't worth dieing for.

Moving has been really heavy going.
I was in for a bigger culture shock than I realised. At first I didn't think anyone was speaking English!And I never left a Doctor without offering to pay! It took months to stop being surprised that my car was still where I left it.

I eventually stopped treating strangers with suspicion and assuming any stranger striking up a conversation was up to no good, so don't make eye contact ever.Almost everyone and everything in South Africa is dishonest, corrupt and incompetent.I still can't get over getting everything safely in the post here and am still surprised that no-one has yet cheated me on Ebay.If I move now it will only be to a place with a decent postal service, South Africans don't know what that is.

shiftdelete

Mitzyboy- lets have somewhere where people can say goodbye

Goodbye everybody and good luck.