# What's the reality of Capetown??



## emmjaynerose (May 5, 2008)

Hi there

I am not quite an ex pat yet! SERIOUSLY considering a move with my partner & young children to Capetown (where he's from but been living in Surrey for 10years). I am here to ask & listen to views of all Capetonians in the hope I may get an informed view on life in Capetown as at the moment though I love my man I am pretty terrified by my partners Dad being held at gunpoint in own home, by local press reporting armed gangs burgling, raping & "pistol whipping" women & children in their homes in broad daylight?!
We stayed in Constantia & when I was left home alone for 6 hours with no keys to lock gates & doors I felt quite vulnerable & if this is the state I have to be in permanently to keep my boys & I safe-then I obviously can't contemplate such a move! On other hand I saw Keltic Knights post on here & he is a Londoner who moved to Capetown & seems quite comfortable there! PLEASE HELP! I SO want to go live happily ever after but my man & I are being held back by my fears!! THANK YOU for all your thoughts!


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

Welcome to the forum! I moved your thread here, where it is more likely to get a response.

I'm curious about how you got left without keys to lock up? That would frighten me anywhere.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

MJ, I have neve lived in CT so my comment is flawed at the outset, however, CT has'nt yet succeded in declaring itself a separate Republic so a lot of what happens in SA follows through.
Anywhere in SA you could spend 40 years and never be a victim of more than what is considered petty theft,ie Burglary,Car theft,handbag snatching etc, which is fine if you are not in "Contact"
If,however, you do come into Contact it tends to be life threatening and life changing.
South Africans tend to be optimists and will say"If you take care...." That is a fallacy,.
If you have children, you need to ask yourself wether you are happy living with the tension of the constant 360 degree vigilance,locking and unlocking everything you are in a hundred times a day,teaching your kids that a blood nose or an interesting scab on someone else could be very bad,always being aware of whee your kids are and who they are with etc etc
On the other hand, you could sail through and spend 40 years there.

I love SA, would love to be there, I have a Daughter.
If I won the Euro Millions lotto tomorrow and could live anywhere in the world with the best security money can buy, SA would be the last place on my list.


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## mvvermeulen (Jul 17, 2008)

I'm originally from the Netherlands and have been in SA for almost 4 years now. I lived in Cape Town for the first two years and I loved it, I now live in Johannesburg.

I can't deny that crime is a hot topic here, but to say that if you won the lottery SA would be the last place to live makes me quite sad. In fact, Cape Town would be the first place on my list to move to.

There are numerous areas that provide for an incredible quality of life and safety, although they will be more expensive (Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno, etc). At the same time, I lived in a 3000 rand a month apartment in Gardens for two years, which is right in the centre of town (apart from the townships supposedly the most dangerous area) and I've never had any problems whatsoever. Better yet, I used to walk the 3kms home from whatever bar or club I was at that night.

The other ‘burbs up the mountain on the city bowl side (Tamboerskloof, Oranjekloof, etc) would provide a similar atmosphere.

In either case, life in Johannesburg is considered 100 times less safe and in that sense “worse” but I’ve been happy here for the last 2 years as well, without feeling like a prisoner or being 360 degree vigilant so it’s all relative.

Oh, and my house got broken into in Rotterdam and I had my wallet pick pocketed in London while nothing like this happened to me in SA.

It’s an endless discussion and much of it depends on the person moving there, i.e. some people will feel unsafe just because of all the stories they’ve heard, which doesn’t necessarily make it an unsafe place.


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## Daxk (Jan 20, 2008)

" some people will feel unsafe just because of all the stories they’ve heard, which doesn’t necessarily make it an unsafe place."

Yep, when I was young and stupid I hitchhiked and lived in places that were in the midst of a civil War,took chances like you cannot believe, survived getting shot and considered myself invulnerable.
Could not understand what people were on about.I could take care of myself.
Took 54 years to teach me a lesson.

give me a call if you learn something one day, vermeulen.


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