Reality of Crime in South Africa: Is It Truly the Most Dangerous Travel Destination?

① The world’s worst crime level, South Africa

South Africa has been designated as the most dangerous travel destination in the world.

In July, the American security company ADT released safety scores. South Africa scored 0.81, not even reaching 1 out of a perfect score of 10.

The world’s second most dangerous vacation spot was the United States, with a score of 2.17. While the scores from the second place onwards had a minimal difference in decimals, the score difference between the first place South Africa and second place U.S. exceeded 1 point.

This signifies the severity of South Africa’s crime situation. South Africa, with a population of about 60 million, sees more than 20,000 people killed each year, making it one of the countries with the highest violent crime rate in the world.

According to statistics released by the local police in May, the number of victims of murder cases in South Africa in the first quarter of this year reached 6,289.

The number of victims of sexual crimes exceeded 10,000. For these reasons, a travel advisory has been issued for South Africa.

In July, a Korean resident in South Africa appeared on the JTBC entertainment show. He candidly shared about the crime situation in South Africa.

First, he warned that one should never wander outside after sunset. He advised me never to stop at a red light if there is an urgent matter and I must go out in a car.

This is because if you stop your car, robbers could attack you. Since robbery incidents occur more frequently than traffic accidents, moving your car slowly at a red light is better.

In South Africa, wedding rings are such common targets for robbers that no woman has lost her wedding ring. Because of this, the guest on the show wore a rubber ring instead of a valuable one.

In South Africa, it’s estimated that there are about 4 million illegally circulated guns. Not just in South Africa, but one of the biggest concerns when visiting any country with poor public safety is illegal gun issues.

In 2005, actress Kim Tae-hee also made headlines when she was robbed in South Africa. She was denied by a group of five black men while visiting South Africa for a photo shoot.

Kim Tae-hee and her party were invaded by a group of five armed black robbers while having dinner at the house of a local Korean guide.

Fortunately, aside from having their valuables stolen, there were no casualties. However, having experienced a life-threatening situation, Kim Tae-hee canceled the rest of her vacation and returned home.

② The lingering aftermath of racial discrimination

South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation. This is because various races, including 81% of the total population being black, 8% white, and 11% Asian, live together.

South Africa has a diverse range of languages, with 11 official languages. At the opening ceremony of the 19th FIFA World Cup held in South Africa in 2010, the South African national anthem, composed of five languages, was played.

The national flag, decorated with six primary colors, represents the history of South Africa. Red symbolizes the blood shed for black liberation, black represents Africa and black people, and white signifies white people and peace.

Blue represents the open sky and sea, green represents the land and agriculture, and yellow represents underground resources such as gold. The horizontal ‘Y’ in the center signifies the integration and harmony of black and white people, tribes, and the nine provinces.

As such, the colors of the national flag not only represent the culture of South Africa but also reflect the pleasant climate and abundant underground resources of South Africa. However, in the past, these favorable conditions were the reason for the mass immigration of European whites to South Africa.

The old South African flag was a simple orange, white, and blue tricolor. This symbolized the South African National Party, which openly advocated white supremacy.

They implemented a racial segregation policy for about 50 years after taking power in South Africa in 1948. South Africa’s racial segregation policy is called apartheid, which initially meant segregation.

This system classifies everyone into four categories: white, black, colored (people of color), and Indian. These racial classifications were legal grounds to designate restricted or separate residential areas.

Black people could not visit areas other than their residences without a pass. They were immediately handed over to the court and arrested if they did not have a pass.

This apartheid continued until Nelson Mandela, elected President of the Republic of South Africa, declared its complete abolition in 1994.

South Africa’s independence can be considered achieved at this time. South Africa is a newly independent country that has only been freed from oppression for about 30 years.

The remnants of apartheid remain in South Africa, where wealthy whites and Asians inhabit the core urban areas of major cities, while blacks live in slums formed on the outskirts.

The current unemployment rate in South Africa is said to be 30%. In particular, it is said that the unemployment rate among black youth exceeds 50%.

They believe that foreigners have taken their jobs, leading to intense hatred and resentment towards foreigners.

The social atmosphere created by the remnants of discrimination in South Africa has resulted in dangerous public safety. Not only tourists but also locals are worried about the public safety in South Africa.

③ If you must go, be cautious!

If you are planning a trip to South Africa, there are several things to be cautious about. First, there are types of robbery that tourists can easily fall victim to.

Here, robbers observe tourists’ clothing and luggage sizes from the airport. If they target a tourist, they continue to follow the tourist’s car from the airport.

The moment the car stops at a traffic light, the robbers threaten the driver with a gun, steal their valuables, and flee.

When moving from the airport to the hotel, if a car continues to follow the same route, the destination should be changed from the hotel to an embassy or police station.

Also, there are major danger zones in South Africa. First, Alexandra, located near Johannesburg, South Africa’s industrial city, is known as the most notorious slum.

Roodepoort, located northwest of Johannesburg, is also dangerous. Pretoria West, the administrative capital of South Africa, is also a danger zone.

In particular, car robberies frequently occur here. Avoiding these areas by referring to signs and navigation when moving would be best.

Finally, the South African Tourism Board has warned that robbers are more rampant during the end of the year, so be careful. Especially during the end of the year, many robbers are trying to save for their holidays. Please be cautious when traveling.

By. Kim Min Jae