# South Africa is Dangerous for Children, Don't post unless you agree or want Informati



## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

The first Question any Parent who has been offered, or whose SO/Spouse wishes to either emigrate to, or undertake a contract in South Africa has to be the safety of your children.

Over the next few months, I will post factual, fairly concise, unbiased reasons why your children are at risk in SA.

*Apart from stating at the outset that these are not statistical certainties, and apart from the obvious danger to the parents as reported daily in Sa Internet Media agencies such as IOL.co.za , News 24.com, Reuters and SAPA, I will deal with dangers to your children which could end or seriously alter their Future.
*
I will be factual as to the risks and I need your understanding that SA could be the most boring humdrum, good weathered paradise you have ever lived in, or you can curse the day you ever thought of going there.

As parent, its your choice and your responsibility to be well informed.

I spent 54 years there, am a parent who chooses NOT to raise his child in SA, have just returned from a 5 week visit where apart from some euphoria and some better Police presence, not much has changed.

So what I have to say is valid.

I have asked (as on another thread) that you dont post unless you agree or you have questions, which I will answer as fairly as possible and start you on a search.

I believe people should make informed decisions.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

*Health:*
Malaria in Children.
In Sub Saharan Africa its the major killer.
problem is treating your young child.
oral preventative measures cause lots of problems in Adults, they are NOT recommended for children.

But you are going to Cape Town!!
because of its weather Female Anopheles does not survive well in the Cape.

But you are in Africa, with SA's great game reserves, and they are slap bang in the middle of the malarial area.
as is the KZNatal Drakensburg all the way up the KZN Coast to Mocambique, which is a tropical paradise.
with lots of white beaches and lots of Diving.
But Malaria has been contracted even in Pretoria, the Capital.

according to the WHO, a child dies every 45 seconds from malaria in Sub Saharan Africa.

Teatment of your child has to be quick diagnosis and very quick, Good, professional,intensive care.
apart from Death,long term side effects are potential brain and or liver damage, affected immuno supressive problems from the Drugs etc.

Can you prevent it?

Nope, at night,long sleeves and mosquito nets will help.
but that means they can' t get out to go to the loo, whatever their age, and it kils all ages, especially cerebral Malaria.
Mosquito's also bite in the day, mostly in shade.

kindly Google Malaria, Children.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

The next major one is Tickbite Fever.
In Sub-saharan Africa, and specificaly SA, there are two types of tick Bite Fever.
The first is from Cattle and Game and is usually mild.
the second, which is transmitted mostly from Ticks that live on Dogs as hosts is Rickettsia conorii.

and there is a very virulent strain in South Africa.
it can be very very serious and fatal.

a Big yard with a Dog is part of SA's attraction.
Fortunately,both types do respond to treatment.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

It a bit of a dumb title!!!! Its not really a discussion if posters are only "allowed" to post if they agree with you!

I'm not arguing with what you have to say cos actually I havent read it, but it does come across as a little arrogant!

Jo


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

jojo said:


> It a bit of a dumb title!!!! Its not really a discussion if posters are only "allowed" to post if they agree with you!
> 
> I'm not arguing with what you have to say cos actually I havent read it, but it does come across as a little arrogant!
> 
> Jo


Not at all Jo Jo, its as arrogant as the other site on this Forum.

the difference is I'm purely giving information that parents of Children who are going to SA might find informative.

I am posting Factual verifiable information.
Not BS.

people who want information are welcome to post.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Daxk said:


> Not at all Jo Jo, its as arrogant as the other site on this Forum.
> 
> the difference is I'm purely giving information that parents of Children who are going to SA might find informative.
> 
> ...


I dont disagree with you, but you can bet they'll be those who do!! 

Jo xxx


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

I am sure there will be.
which is why I will post only verifiable facts that any Parent needs to take cognisance of and be aware of.
Not Arguments or Subjective opinions.
just facts.


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## Echotango (Jan 13, 2010)

Please talk about how we bring up our children, i.e. not allowing them out of our sight and why. 

In the eighties when I was home and my kids were small I could allow my son to wander around and see his friends, within the parameters that I knew where he was and who he was with and if he moved, he rang me first to tell me, but never my daughter. Explain that. 

Explain about always knowing where they are and who they are with and arrangements for sleeping over, so they get a feeling of independance, but without actually having any. Explain about the fact that all parents automatically co-operate with an unspoken system of lifts to movies or the mall, one drops, one picks up. And you just seem to do it on a rota, without thinking about it. Explain how if you pick up an extra, you immediately inform his/her parents where he/she is and corroborate his/her story, that they know where their child is going to spend the night. Explain how kids always go around in groups, its wonderful from the point of view that they create lifelong contacts and friends, but explain why this system of socialisation exists and always has , not just in the new SA.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

Thank you, Echotango, I intended to do that, but your post says it succinctly.
It was one of the first major differences I noticed "out if SA"
Its not just dropping the kids off to School, its a hands-on, eyes-on with your children every minute, even in a "safe" backyard.

There is a very good inexpensive system in SA called E-Blockwatch, you subscribe for something like R5 and should you have someone missing, you text and once verified they send out a watch alert which goes to thousands.

The Shopping Centres and major Stores, if advised of a missing child immediately prevent anyone leaving with any child, no matter how dressed or what colour the childs hair is.

For the same reason, all registered good creches/Nursery Schools will have a security guard posted, not only for the children but also to protect parents while they drop off or pick up children.

One of the other major differences is the Childrens Birthday Party.
Here in Ireland, parents drop the kids off at the venue or home and return later to fetch them.
In SA, each parent watches their own children, so the parent stays for tea and cake and keeps an eye on his or her own kid.
especially at venues.



I will cover older children and teenagers further along.
But thanks, your input is appreciated.


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

There is also the problem of kids being kidnapped and murdered and their body parts being used for "muti" (traditional medicine / witchdoctors). A serious and well documented practise.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

Swimming Pools.
The majority of upper class and most middle class homes have one.
SA Kids learn to swim at an early age.
if you are moving to SA make sure your kids, especially Toddlers, are drown-proofed and can swim.
They are going to go and play at places where the parents, as most SA kids can swim, will assume yours can too.

If you happen to go to the lakes, such as Hartebeespoort dam, Witbank dam etc... it looks so inviting.
make sure its ok for the kids to paddle.
because of the fact that a large amount of Squatter camps and informal settlements are on the banks of rivers, the pollution, especially of fecal matter, has given many of SA's inland lakes very high counts of Ecoli and Salmonella.

even a small scratch can become infected or a small droplet swallowed in splashing around, can lead to severe illness such as Typhoid and Dysentry.

The lakes also used to be great for watersports such as Sailing and Water skiing.
most of them also have Bilharzia infections.
kindly google it.

If you do see signs that state "No Swimming" there is always a very good reason for it.
google waitress, Croc South Africa.
Although she will probally qualify as a Darwin Award, there are lots of other incidents not as well reported. 
my absolute favourite was calling a German Fly fisherman out of waist deep water and pointing out that the logs liying an a sandbank were in fact Crocs and they were watching him.
Another time I watched as a UK mother and two children went very close to a Hippo with Calf in the water to get a close-up photo.
Hippos kill more people than any other Big Game animal in SA.


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

I will second that people just drop kids off for parties...... Its just "normal" here.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

Now we get to the really scary parts.

The one thing every expat who has left misses, and the ones coming in look forward too, is the helper.
It is soooo nice to have someone come in in the morning, sort out the kids breakfasts, sort out the house, do the washing and ironing, look after the young ones and you come home to a clean house and clothes and kids , every day.

Its absolutely fantastic.

As you are bringing someone and their lifestyle into your "home" and contact with your kids, and for 90 plus % of the time Sophie or Beauty becomes a much loved figure in your Household you need tobe aware of a few things.

but there can be a few pitfalls.

According to the Police and Community Policing Forums a very large proportion of the Armed Home invasions are fueled by information provided by the Helpers for a slice of the take.

Unless you are getting or sharing with someone you trust, references mean absolutely nothing as its very difficult to fire a helper without ending up in front of labour arbitration.

which is expensive.

So, no-one is going to give a "maid" a bad reference, easier to sing her praises and if she has another job, there is less likely to be any comeback.

The next tricky bit is health.

you cannot have her checked for Aids, and if you did have it done sneakily by a friend who is a Doctor, you cannot fire her for health reasons.

The Govt figures say 26% but the Obstetric units say 33% plus of all pregnant mothers are HIV pos.
Now the only way to transmit HIV to your kids is going to be infected blood and an open wound on the kids, and that too would need a lot of blood.

thats not the problem, 

HIV means that the persons immune system is compromised, which means she is going to pick up everything that goes around, which means a constant exposure of viruses.

the only really scary one is the new resistant strain of TB, and that IS now a major problem in SA, it IS highly contagious, and it is easily spread through vaporised spray such as sneezing.

and HIV pos people contract it easily and infect others, in taxis, in trains, in homes, on food etc.

I have friends who ended up supporting two maids as once they are sick, they are your responsibility.
and you cannot ask for a medical report .

And the words every "Medem" fears is I am feeling sick.


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## vegasboy (Apr 28, 2010)

*MBABANE, 25 August 2010 (IRIN)* - The recent killing of two albino Swazi children within a few days of each other is raising fears that the practice of murdering people with the genetically inherited condition to sell their body parts for “muti” (medicine) is migrating southwards. 

Incidents of albinos being dismembered have been well-documented in Tanzania and Burundi, among other countries, in a trade driven by the belief that those suffering from albinism - caused by the body's inability to produce the melanin pigment that helps the skin protect itself from the sun's damaging ultra violet rays - have a special potency when included in concoctions that claim to bestow almost everything from political power and wealth to curing HIV/AIDS. 

Last week Banele Nxumalo, 11, was shot and carried away by a group of masked gunmen next to the Siguduma River in southern Swaziland's Shisweleni Region, in front of 20 adults and children. Her decapitated body was discovered a few hours later. The killing came a few days after another albino child of similar age was found murdered and mutilated in the same region. 

The child's father, Luke Nxumalo, told local media, "I wonder why albinos are targeted, because they are just humans like us, and a gift from God." 

Constance Dube, a child welfare councillor based in Manzini, Swaziland's second city, told IRIN: "We have never had these ritual killings specific to albino persons before, but we've never had an AIDS epidemic causing so much panic either." 

One in four Swazis between the ages of 15 and 49 is living with HIV - at 26.1 percent the world's highest prevalence - in a population of about 1 million, of which about two-thirds are in a state of chronic poverty. 

No longer exempt from albino killings 
IRIN Africa | SWAZILAND: Trade in albino body parts moving south | East Africa Southern Africa | Swaziland Tanzania | Children Human Rights | News Item

*Witchcraft Killers Want Body Parts *

It's a horrifying but lucrative trade, driven by the belief that human flesh has magical powers. Every year in South Africa several hundred people die in so-called "ritual murders". The victims, including children, are often killed to order and their parts sold for use in witchcraft, reports Sky News' Africa Correspondent Emma Hurd.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Witchcraft-Killers-Want-Body-Parts/Article/20061131240912?lpos=Home_Article_Related_Content_Region_5&lid=ARTICLE_1240912_Witchcraft_Killers_Want_Body_Parts


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

Daxk said:


> The first Question any Parent who has been offered, or whose SO/Spouse wishes to either emigrate to, or undertake a contract in South Africa has to be the safety of your children.
> 
> Over the next few months, I will post factual, fairly concise, unbiased reasons why your children are at risk in SA.
> 
> ...


Appealing to peoples natural paranoia and protectivness regarding their children now DAKX ? Do you know no boundaries ? 

And I can't for the life of me think of many cases of a middle classed child being the victim of a murder, or any child for that matter. They're not at all a target group ! Who would kill a child and for what reason ? Google it people. You will struggle to find many cases that don't fit the description of accident etc.


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

Daxk said:


> *Health:*
> Malaria in Children.
> In Sub Saharan Africa its the major killer.
> problem is treating your young child.
> ...


Malaria in South Africa ? WTF ????


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

South Africa Malaria Risk Areas


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

zambezi.king said:


> There is also the problem of kids being kidnapped and murdered and their body parts being used for "muti" (traditional medicine / witchdoctors). A serious and well documented practise.


Jesus christ ! WTF ??????????

It's like you're saying black people commonly follow a practice of wanting to eat children !

This is so insane !!!


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

Halo said:


> South Africa Malaria Risk Areas


Other than going into Kruger Park, who the hell ever worries or even thinks about malaria in South Africa ? It's just not part of anyones life ! You guys know how stupid you're making yourself look to other South Africans right ?


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

Look South African kids !






Strangely nobody is eating them ! What's going on !

lol


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

Therooster said:


> Appealing to peoples natural paranoia and protectivness regarding their children now DAKX ? Do you know no boundaries ?
> 
> And I can't for the life of me think of many cases of a middle classed child being the victim of a murder, or any child for that matter. They're not at all a target group ! Who would kill a child and for what reason ? Google it people. You will struggle to find many cases that don't fit the description of accident etc.
> .


And I'm not going to play your game and search through the press to cite incidents.
kids have been killed and wounded, mostly by stray bullets, its happened in shopping malls, it happened in a driveway to an Expat on Contracts child during an armed Robbery, kids have been stabbed for mobile phones.... 
like I said, just read the news, IOL: News for South Africa and the World or News24, South Africa's premier news source, provides breaking news on national, world, Africa, sport, entertainment, technology & more..
or are they also scaremongering in your view


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

Ease up on the truth Daxk................


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

This thread has gone past being of any use whatsover to would be expats.
It has just denerated into a slanging match.
I am therefore closing it.
Anyone who starts a new thread to keep up the arguments will get an infraction.


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