Mercedes

Mercedes

oops pressed the wrong key.....Just interested as I was in South Africa last year in Durban and surrounding areas and Joburg and surrounding areas. Had the real plesure of meeting some lion cubs and was able to pick them up.........spoilt me, will never be able to have a normal moggy again, LOL.

melaniee

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melaniee

Several months. In Tzaneen, Phalaborwa and Jo'burg townships-mainly SOWETO working middle-end of last year.

DarrenD

Good luck to you MelanieE, SA is a beautiful country. Just make sure you get armed response security......

Just to let you know prices in SA are now higher than in UK in my experience.

For info, my brother in law lives in Joburg and has a holiday house in Natal, on the coast nr Durban.

There, coloureds are claiming whites invaded their ancient lands and are looking for land redistribution (Zim style) for land along the coast from north east natal down to Post Elizabeth (at a guess because thers so many holiday homes down there). So far, the council is taking R200 from each property for a legal fund for a lawyer to fight it for them. The concern we have is that if the homeowners lose the case, this will spark a flood of these cases across the country.

This info was provided by him, and is true.

Just make sure you dont lose everything in pursuing a retirement dream.

wombat42

Why not retire in Australia, its climate, secenery and beaches are just as good as South Africa if not better and does'nt have South
Africas crime and racial poblems.

capacity

Welcome to Africa - land distribution, crime, poverty - the lot!!

melaniee

Darren D I am years off retirement!!

Ah, Mr Wombat we meet again in another thread-shame that you posted that comment, very misleading. Perth, WA, Australia is full of crime and as much racial problems as SA IMO. Open your eyes-AGAIN!

All the SA's I know hear think crime is higher than they thought it would be. Lower than SA yes but still plenty of rapes, burgalaries, robberies, arson...............

But yes Australia has wonderful weather, scenery and wildlife!

You don't know until you try these things but please do not think you are escaping crime and racism-you are not.

TouristTrap

Nonsense.

Mercedes

I think Melaniee is a little bit naive and head in the sand. I certainly wouldnt put Perth in the same league as ZA.

melaniee

Mercedes and Izibear-where do you live exactly-you did not say!

Now, have you experienced the crime and racial attitudes in Perth or Australia? Have you lived here? I have heard and seen so much racism here it makes me cringe and makes me so embarrased. Believe me there is loads of it in Perth. Please do not tell me otherwise as I have seen and heard it for myself.

As for crime, of course it does not have the same amount as Jo'burg but compare it to other parts of SA and you will be surprised. I know and I have experienced it. Crime rates are high here and there is evidence to show that.

Please don't be naiive yourselves-Australia is not the rosy country people make it out to be.

Please don't knock me. I have experienced it and I know what I am talking about.

melaniee

By the way-cfmp are you still around? What did you decide in the end? You inital question caused quite a debate and it would be good to know what you decided to do! Please do let us know if you are still about.

Mercedes

Lived 10 years in Australia. Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin and Brisbane lived. Also been to Canberra and Adelaide for a couple of weeks, and Alice Springs. Yup there is racism there, the Italians and Greeks had a taste of it when they went over, English, in some parts they still hate them. Asians, my vietmese friend was often teased and humilated by white Aussie (usually had come from a British background) Aborginals, well they are vetrans of that, they were even shot at for sport not so long ago, and have seen how some of the Aussies viewed them first hand, especially up in the Northern parts of Oz. Crime, yup its bad, my whole street got robbed one week, my local licencee got shot, plenty of shooting. A little old lady two houses down from me got mugged in broad daylight by two 15 year old. Crime by children is a big problem especially under 10. Drugs yup, a big problem, knew a couple of people in Sydney who got mugged and held up at an ATM by a druggie with a syringe, saying he had Aids.......

So no Rosy tinted glasses on my eyes. There was alot of things I loved about Australia and there were things I didnt love. Met some fantastic people and have some top mates there and met the not so fantastic......I think Oz is very much on par with UK, apart from the weather but found them friendlier and more laid back in Oz. Liked the outdoor lifestyle.

Spent most of last year on and off in South Afica, my hosts were ex police officers, even met some officials from the Government. My hosts always carried guns, and they wouldnt let me explore on my own. I still have colleagues and friends over there, so am aware of what is going on there. I even saw a picture of a white woman who had been car jacked who was a friend of one of my friends, she was naked, had be raped amongst other things, and she had also be gutted whilst being alive. I also saw black children and babies who had been raped. I have a report of some car jackers in prison what they do to victims of car jacking and why. Yup they have call outs with Security companies and I wouldnt have half the security guards either looking after me or my home especially if I was white. Ive seen some of the security guys who are trained with guns, and how they get there certificates, ummm. 10 German Shepherds please........and some dog chow.


But I loved South Africa, and I met some great people also, but I wouldnt want to live there nowaday and as I stated before I don't think Perth is on par with South Africa in relation to its problems. From what I was told and observed, blacks get first choice in work, then a white woman and then if he is lucky a white man. I dont see People in Perth leaving by the thousands because of the crime there and they feel unsafe.

I see you are going back to UK, interesting that people are leaving there by the truckloads, because they no longer feel safe there and they are disalusioned. One of my best friends who lives in a very upmarket place in the Midlands, got held up in her own home, so know about the problems over there also. I gave it 2 years and personally didnt like it, hence now I live in Europe and commute from here, and have the other countries on my doorstep so I get the outdoor life, as well as cultured and different nationalities close by if I want and it is also laidback. So thats where I live for now......

TouristTrap

Do not for one minute be fooled into thinking that the crime is mostly confined to Johannesburg. The crime epidemic is a countrywide problem, from the very north to the very south. I lived in the Northern Province for many years before emigrating, so am very aware of the incidents of rape / murder / stabbings / carjackings, some of whom happened to either friends, friends of friends, or work clients.

Cape Town in fact, is the de facto murder capital of South Africa.

melaniee

I think we are all losing focus here-there is crime everywhere. Do you guys really think you are immune from crime in Florida and Europe? No of course not. There is plenty of crime all around the world but it depends on where you feel safe. Yes we are going back to the UK where I felt a lot safer than I do here in Perth. There is of course crime in the UK before anyone shouts me down (I know someone in Liverpool who used to wave to an empty house when she went on holiday so the taxi driver would not screw their house after he dropped them at the airport). There is crime in Perth. I live in a good area of Perth but I do feel more worried and more concerned at home than I did in England.

As for SA, I know people that live in Jo'burg that have never seen any crime (seen not heard of) and people that have never seen or experienced crime in the Northern province. That does not mean that there is none or that their head is buried in the sand.

It is all about where you feel comfortable. I felt comfortable in the Northern Province where I lived there and I felt comfortable in the part of England that I lived. I am not comfortable in Perth.

It is all about where you feel happy wherever that may be and whatever the public perception is.