Shewolf48

Hi all

My dilemma is moving to South Africa with hubby and two very beloved pet dogs.
Hubby's work will be based in Johannesburg, but i refuse to live there as i won't feel safe, especially when i heard that an expats dogs were poisoned! OK, so work in UK is bad and husband has been offered a UK contract to work in SA (all over Africa). I am looking at Cape Town, is this a good area to live and safe, or is there better area options? Is there anywhere that is good for me to take the dogs, or is crime everywhere?
Also, what kind of pet food, vets are out there? Is it relatively easy to bring them back into the UK again? I would like a country or beach area house, is that a good option, or is it better to be in a secure complex?
Any advice would be most welcome, thanks x

alansnow

Dear Shewolf,
How well you settle in when moving to South Africa (or anywhere else for that matter), is a mixture of:
1:What is happening around you, especially things that are new to you, and,
2: How you react to this.

Some people have great difficulty accepting things that are different, such as:
- houses with barred doors and windows, or electronic gates to control entry.
- Overcrowded public transport,
- even different fruit or vegetables….

Others can take all this in their stride, and regard it all as an exciting and interesting enrichment to their lives…

The question is not so much: ‘How things are in xxx’, but more: “How do I react to new things”. Your happiness in a new environment is largely down to how open-minded and adaptable you are.

If your husband is going to be based in Johannesburg, it would be more convenient, of course, to live in one of Johannesburg’s pleasant suburbs. Here you will find a similar environment to a pleasant suburb of any UK town, except the weather will be much better. In the pleasant suburbs, your neighbours will most likely be at a similar level of affluence, and will have a life-style and set of values approximately similar to your own. You can initially evaluate a suburb by the kind of houses that are there, and the neatness of gardens, etc. Evaluate the street and the immediate vicinity, rather that the town.
Those of a cautious or nervous disposition may prefer the additional security of living in a ‘gated community’ where access is limited to those who live there and visitors who have a confirmed appointment or similar good reason to be there. Others may feel that this is an artificial and undesirable environment, rather like a sort of residential holiday camp.
There are equally similar suburbs in Cape Town, Durban and most other larger towns. Cape Town (where I have lived since 2007) has a pleasant climate (perhaps a bit windy on occasions), but similar to coastal Spain. Johannesburg, being inland and much higher than Cape Town, has a different climate: much dryer but also very pleasant. If your husband is based in Johannesburg, it will be a long commute to Cape Town (15 hours by car, 2 hours by plane).
Whilst there is more crime in South Africa than in most countries, it is largely occurring in the less affluent suburbs and townships, which you will probably not choose to live in.
Local estate agents can assist you here. Dogs will be safe, except perhaps those who live in the ‘rough’ areas of town or in townships, where violence against humans and animals, is more prevalent. Pet food and vets are excellent in South Africa.
I hope this helps

ededed

Ok - couple of things.

1. You heard 1 dog was poisoned, so are going to make a decision on where you live based on that? I don't know of anyone who's had a dog poisoned. My estate has 30 or 40 houses with dogs - and to my knowledge, none of them have been poisoned. If you live in a complex / estate this is very, very unlikely to happen to you. A country house (I'm guessing you mean a farm, as that's all we have) or a beach house (outside an estate) wouldn't be safe.
2. If your husband lives in Joburg and travels, and you base yourself in CT, then you will hardly ever see him. And you won't be safer in CT than you are in Joburg - especially once the bad guys know there isn't a man in the house.
3. Vets and dog food are readily available - just like in the UK. Even that special expensive crap the vets pretend your dog needs for his digestion.
4. Taking dogs in and out is straightforward. Talk to your vet - they know exactly what to do. It is expensive as I mentioned on another thread this week.
5. You can walk your dogs in local parks - lots of people do it every day. We have a big garden and ours runs around all day - but once a week we take him for a long walk and it's safe - and you get to meet lots of other dog lovers.

Shout if you have any other questions.

pomE

As above, I have never heard of any animal poisoning- certainly no more than I'd read about in the local UK papers anyway.

One thing to be aware of is quarantine laws may differ. AFAIK, there is no "pet passport", as adopted by most EU countries etc, so expect your dawg to spend the old, rather draconian length of time in quarantine both incoming and outgoing.

ededed

Not any more. If you have your rabies vaccinations certificate, there is no quarantine either in or out of SA to the UK and vice versa. This changed last year...good news! It's easier to get a dog in than a human!

pomE

Hahaa....So true!

Well, that's good to hear then

MartynK

I don't think there ever were any restrictions or quarantine periods for bringing animals into SA from the UK. We just picked up our cats at Jan Smuts and took them home. This was around 1990 - 1991.

ededed

True - but it was always in force going back to the UK. That's now been changed so there is no quarantine if your paperwork is in order.

Shewolf48

Hi there, it's me again! Thanks for the info on taking the dogs back into the Uk. You are right, there is no restriction, so long as the Rabies vacc is up to date.

We are progressing nicely here with Mike's contract and he will possibly be ready to move out to J sometime in March. I will then come over for a holiday to do some planning before i move out with the dogs.

We are looking at possibly Centurion to live? Do you know anything about this area?

Thanks

Sarah x

ededed

Don't sound so surprised that I knew what I was talking about!

Centurion is nice - there is a very nice golf estate - Centurion Golf Estate (as you would expect) and worth checking out. Very secure and not too badly priced...

VEROVITA

Cornwall Hill Estate is also beautiful and right next to an excellent school (Cornwall Hill We lived in Centurion for many years and were very happy there. Very friendly

AngelaV

I have been in SA since 2000. We lived in Johannesburg until September 2011 then moved to Hermanus. Oh my word, it is possibly the best move we have ever made in respect of quality of living! We are really happy here. I have a number of friends whose husbands work internationally or commute. They chose Hermanus due to the safety level (not to say there is no crime at all here).

Our house looks onto the sea and in whale season, we can sit on our balcony and watch the whales. All for only R6500 per month rental for a 4 bedroom house with pool!

We spend all our time in good or bad weather outdoors. That is one thing you should consider, it is not as hot in the Cape compared to Johannesburg but the lifestyle, scenery, safety and the DA make up for a few sunnier days .... lol

This being said, we were looking to going back to the UK as we have a daughter with Down syndrome and the UK has a better support system for her. Not going to happen though as we don't meet the visa requirements for a spousal visa under the new laws.

We actually moved here because of my daughter (3), she has PPH and could not survive without supplementary oxygen in Jo'burg. She was only given a few months to live so we decided to move her down to sea level to allow her remaining time in a more suitable environment. Hermanus is known for having champagne air. My daughter has just had her yearly tests done and her pulmonary pressure has reduced from 89 (grave) in JHB to 30 (almost normal) in Hermanus. She is now a healthy little girl and no longer takes any meds. For me, Hermanus was the best decision we have ever made in life and I would miss it terribly if we have to go back to the UK but as you know, as a parent, you will move to the ends of the earth for your kids (quite literally in my case)!!

kiwibok

Hi Shewolf48. Crime is almost everywhere. Look hard enough and you will find pockets of places that are "safer". I can recommend Clifton, Llandudno, Fishhoek, Camps Bay.

I'm from Cape Town and was an active member of Neighborhood watch, Southern Suburbs. Sadly I saw my fare share of dog poisonings. Ours were never affected as they were mostly inside dogs.

sheba88

Hi there------I lived in Joburg for 7 years [1980-1986] and have lived in Ontario for the last 25 years--Here we dont have to lock our doors and really do not experience all the security nightmare that you do in SA!--You really can get used to anything and from reading this forum it life in SA is very much like living in a prison and you dont realise this until you leave and you stop looking over your shoulder constantly--Yes it is beautiful and sunny but theres more to life--Sheba88

ededed

Because between 1980 and 1986 was a very peaceful time in SA....wasn't it?