Moving to durban sa

[Daxk]

"All he can say at the moment is that what bits he has seen did not look bad and the hype that is said about the airport did not seem to be the case.

Many Thanks

Clare"

News - South Africa: Lost and stolen luggage costs SAA 'heaps'

Clare, the luggage theft is mostly for luggage Leaving.
Gangs do target people arriving and there have been instances of Armed robberies happening when people arrive at their destinations.
Please dont try and minimise the risks.

[Chantal]

Hi there. I'm a single white female currently living in ort Elizabeth. I have lived in various cities in South Africa - I'm proud to say that I know my Country. Of all the cities in S.A i would choose Durban. Weather can vary a lot in this country. I prefer the following situations: humid rather than dry, laid back rather than rushed, friendly rather than stereotyped, constant weather rather than temperamental weather, safe surroundings rather than gangster town, scenary rather than industry. Durban has all this and then some. You are more likely to get a better salary package living in Durban. Durban has plenty to offer. I fell in love with Durban, but then i am a beach babe that needs to be entertained. Port Elizabeth is incredibly windy and boring. I am leaving to go to Dubai as i have found myself at the tender age of 32 completely bored with P.E. It is beautiful in many ways but lets not forget that it is a city built on Industry and this is very evident when arriving in P.E. It is not tourist based so lacks many of the touris type attractions. I can count the number of good clubs to got to on one hand. If you are wanting a really easy life with driving distances of about 20min to any destination and can put up with gale force winds and not many good restaurants with very little entertainment available but a good safe city then P.E. is for you. HOWEVER - Durban is safe, beautiful, has plenty of entertainment and good restaurants, offers better job opportunities by far with much better packages. Is very relaxed and enviting. The reason I'm not there is because Dubai appeals to me more... go for it, you will love it.
Prices per month:
Private Schooling: R 50000 per child per year - depending on schooling
Petrol: R 20000
vehicle repayments: R 3000 e.g. VW polo
rent: R 10000 for a house in a good area like Kloof
Food R 4500 for family
entertainment: 5000 for family
any other questions that i can answer for you just let me know - always glad to assist - by the way - crime is not as bad as you think - allis dependant in what area you will be residing.

[Chantal]

Sorry - correction on the price of private schooling - it is actually per child per term, there a 4 terms in the year. This is for a medium classed Private school based on the private school in Grahamstown "St. Andrews College" and this is jus tthe tuition fee. School uniform can be quite expensive. I have 2 baby brothers, one in first year University at Rhodes University (excellent univesity) and one in Public Schooling grade 10. I also have another brother living in Cape Town and Family up in Johannesburg. I would like to clarify about the crime in S.A. Two family members of mine have been hijacked (car theft while in the car) at gun point. BUT they were also doing the stupid thing of driving in the poor areas otherwise known as the townships doing their good to society and helping at AIDS havens which you will not be doing. My family in Cape Town have never experienced crime and neither have I. Stay in the middle class areas and you will be fine at the same time do not invite situations i.e. keep your car doors locked and handbag next you and NOT on the passenger seat, watch your back when drawing money from an ATM basically the same as anywhere in the world.

[clarewood931]

Daxk

Im not saying the airport is safe or not high risk all im saying is what my husband had to say and for all the storys he had heard he was expecting it to be really bad,

BUT he found it to be on par with Egypt's airport in fact he thorought it was much better.

[Daxk]

Apogies Clare, Misunderstood you

[clarewood931]

Thanks chantle

It is still very early days regards me and the children moving over to SA but i will say i am looking forward to seeing the country even with all the bad that has been said.

I think you take on board what people say and view it with your own eyes and then make your mind up.

My Husband has been there a week today in Sandton temp accomadation and he said that hes been going out every night with 3 other blokes for meals and beer and is enjoying it so far.

He has said he has seen some rough places and he dose not like to see the children on the street he finds that hard as we have young children our self but at the moment he feels its not to bad and keeps to his safty notes that was advised

Clare

[clarewood931]

No Problem

You know more than i do i only get to hear what people write on this page and what my husband can tell me from his own experiance.

Clare

[Chantal]

Hey Clare - your husband is staying in one of the most upmarket areas of Johannesburg. Very safe, lots of entertainment, beautiful, expensive in Rand value. You will love Sandton, i don't know of anyone that does not. Check your do's and don'ts list and you will be fine but you will have to become accustomed to always been vigilant and aware. One thing you must do is stick within your community and don't go for Sunday drives into areas that you don't know. You might get a shock at all the security like fences, electronic gates, guards etc. they are there to prevent crime in your area and I can say that you must embrace these measures as it will add to our peace of mind as they are prevetative measures more than anything else. Also make sure that your property security gate has closed before you unlock your car doors and get out. These are little things that make a huge difference. It's good to hear that your hubby has been given a list of precautions, they certainly will assist with your safety.

[Juliet]

Chantal,

I have been reading your viewpoint on S.A in several different areas. You seem well versed in this particular area. As a single woman it sounds like you prefer Durban...What about for those of us with children? I have twin 13 year olds and am looking for the "safest" area we can live in. My plan would be to send my children to a private school.
I will admit my PURE IGNORANCE when it comes to life in S.A. My husband will be working in Cape Town, so we don't want to be to far away; however I don't like the idea of living IN Cape Town.

I am trying to compare places and figure out what the best place for us would be.

Thanks,
Juliet

[Chantal]

Hi Juliet - I love Durban more because of the weather more than anything else although it is quite safer than Cape Town. You would hat eliving in Durban if your husband was living in Cape Town. The distance is too far. Durban is about 19 hours drive away from Cape Town and about 2.5 hours flight between the two. I would seriously consider you stay in Cape Town where you will have your support system of your husband. Cape Town is much prettier than Durban and has a lot more to offer with over the top entertainment and the best of the best that S.A. has to offer. You have the wine lands, the mountain, the beach, the malls, the restaurant, the harbour that is so beautifully done etc. all you have to do is google Cape town and you will see that it has an entire library more than the other cities, apart fom Johannesburg (which is out of the question due to the crime rate).
Understand that I love the beach and warm weather. Cape Town is rainy in winter and icy cold. In summer the weather is great but the sea is so cold that you can't even swim in it - well you could but not comfortably.
Cape Town has plenty of great private schools but be prepared to pay BIG. The traffic is not as bad as Johannesburg and the roads are clearly marked and in my opinion easier to find your way around. Cape Town has great shopping where you can even get name brand at really great discounted prices. Do you have any idea where your husband will be working? Newlands is a lovely area but does get more rain than the rest of the area. If you can let me know where abouts he is going to be working then i can give you ideas for areas to live, shopping, schools ect.
Cape Town is a very young and happening city and progressing at an alarming rate. Please don't do what everyone else does and read up on statistics. Read up on the statistics of the AREA and not city in which you plan to reside as there is a big difference between the two. Everyone loves Cape Town there is not much to not like. As far as crime goes - it's all dependant on your movements in the city. Here a couple of pointers but please look into the do's and don'ts of safety in S.A. and you will be fine.
1 don't leave your hand bag unattended - they steal them to get your visas and passports more than anyhting else so when your'e in a restaurant put your hand bag on the floor by your chair but put the leg of your chair through the arm of your handbag. 2 always make sure your car doors are locked and windows are up at traffic light intersections. 3 Be aware when drawing money from an ATM and don't let ANYONE assist you if you seem to be having a problem, make sure that you in turn do not help anyone else as they themselves are likely to be part of a scam. 4 Lock your house up when leaving and make sure that your doors are also locked after entering. 5 always park where there are plenty of other cars and try stay in areas that are busy and well lit at night time. 6 stay away from the surrounding areas of the locations or townships (where the poorest of the poor live). Never walk around with plenty of cash in your handbag. 7 Cell phone theft is on the increase and people are being mugged for them so only use your phone indoors or in busy areas. Cape Town has many alluring things in bad areas, do not go there, rather stick to your community no matter what. 8 don't go to the beach alone or at night. 9 don't take walks in the evening, rather wait for the weekend. There are plenty of great gyms should you want a good work out. I have family all over S.A that I visit regularly. We do live the high life and are able to pay for security and nothing has happened to any of my 42family members but then again we are fortunate to live the high life and reside in expensive areas where money buys safety. The other aspetc is that we have grown up here and the rules of safety are embedded in us especially as we have grown WITH the transition of our country. If you are vigilant to your surroundings and aware of the "could happen" then you will be fine. It's not as bad as everyone makes out, it all depends on the area you're in. Do I think you will love Cape Town? Absolutley. Do I think you should live in Durban thousands of km away from you hubby? No. Will you be bored and lonely in Cape Town? No. Will your children possibly have better schooling and more job opportunities in Cape Town? for sure. If all goes according to plan for you, will you want to return to your home country? I don't think so.
But remember this is only my opinion. Should you make the leap to this breathtakingly beautiful city? Absolutley - go out there, make it work, do your homework, remeber your safety tips, should you need more then let me know.