# Moving to johannesburg



## tangy13 (Jan 25, 2010)

Hi, we are newbies to this forum so hello to every1...we were hoping to get some valuable and useful insight here and would appreciate any information....we may be moving to johannesburg from singapore, i think my husbands office will be in a place called sandton can someone please give us some advice about living in johannesburg we have a 16 month old toddler too. we would like to know about-
schools
healthcare
crime & safety
accomodation- houses or apartments which are safe, which areas
we heard crime is a big problem any insight on that

we would also like to know if we can sponsor our indonesian maid as we would like to bring her with us.
thank u in advance


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## zambezi.king (Oct 8, 2009)

Tangy,

There was a very similar request from another person not so long ago. Do a search for "Sandton" and you will get the info requested.


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## Debzomania (Jan 21, 2010)

Hi there. 

I work in Sandton..

Some areas are nice to live in here, others arent.. Morningside, sunninghill, rivonia are recommended.

Health care - U NEED TO HAVE A MEDICAL AID!!! Very important... Without medical aid (or health insurance) you ill end yourself up in a very dangerous government hospital, where they are likely to amputate your arm, if you tell them you have a headache...

Crime... Its quite bad everwhere in SA. JHB is a little worse.. Make sure you never keep a hand bag on the seat next to you, and avoid driving at night with your doors unlocked. Stay OUT of areas such as Hillbrow, or any parts of JHB CBD.... 

As for the schools.. There are loads of them every where!! And depending on which school you choose, the fees wont be that much..

Other than a few hiccups, JHB is quite nice...


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## LionKing (Feb 24, 2010)

tangy13 said:


> Hi, we are newbies to this forum so hello to every1...we were hoping to get some valuable and useful insight here and would appreciate any information....we may be moving to johannesburg from singapore, i think my husbands office will be in a place called sandton can someone please give us some advice about living in johannesburg we have a 16 month old toddler too. we would like to know about-
> schools
> healthcare
> crime & safety
> ...


Hi Tangy13,
Believe it or not, I was just about to make an identical request. We're also considering a move to Joburg (work would be in Sandton) from Singapore. I don't know whether I can contact you via private message, but will try...we should definitely talk! 
LionKing


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## F1A (Jun 3, 2010)

LionKing said:


> Hi Tangy13,
> Believe it or not, I was just about to make an identical request. We're also considering a move to Joburg (work would be in Sandton) from Singapore. I don't know whether I can contact you via private message, but will try...we should definitely talk!
> LionKing


Hi LionKing,

I believe you have already moved to J'burg. I also have the same questions you have especially related to bringing our local maid. Im an expat in Jakarta and will be moving to J'burg soon. Thanks


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## F1A (Jun 3, 2010)

Hi Lionking, let me know how i can contact you if possible. Thanks again


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## Cnf (Mar 17, 2010)

tangy13 said:


> Hi, we are newbies to this forum so hello to every1...we were hoping to get some valuable and useful insight here and would appreciate any information....we may be moving to johannesburg from singapore, i think my husbands office will be in a place called sandton can someone please give us some advice about living in johannesburg we have a 16 month old toddler too. we would like to know about-
> schools
> healthcare
> crime & safety
> ...


Let's see ...
(a) Schools
- Plenty of good schools in Sandton.
- I can recommend Crawford in Sandton or Lonehill (which is a private school).

(b) Healthcare
- Your husband's company should provide access to a private medical aid (like Discovery), which is important.

(c) Crime and safety
- Many threads on this topic.
- You will have to learn to be very vigilant.
- Essentially you have to learn how not to be a target ... 

(d) Accommodation 
- It is expensive in Sandton. 
- One popular option is to stay in Fourways and commute, but the traffic is very heavy over that stretch. 
- Look to stay in a small security village (house or apartment/duplex). The big security complexes have more problems as there are so many people move in and out that it is difficult to control.


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## tangy13 (Jan 25, 2010)

hi thanks every1 for the various replies, I just returned from a reci trip to johannesburg, my 1st impressions of the city were that is very beautiful lovely architecture, pretty good infrastructure, lovely weather and awesome food and very friendly locals...as for crime it exists for you can see it around you as people are not very relaxed always on alert watchful, accommodation was very nice i saw some lovely houses, all in all I am looking forward to moving there and see it a nice change after singapore there is lots to see & explore in terms of tourism, i still have not found any information on sponsoring a maid i believe it is very difficult to get a good house maid, many of them steal no matter how good you are to them....hope this info helps ...anyone can pm me for more info...meanwhile im still waiting to find out about the maids.


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## mam (Oct 5, 2010)

*hello from Singapore*

Hi Tangy13!

I'm moving to JB this year end and curious about the same issues you mentioned especially maid. I currently have thai maid and would like to bring her along. Is that possible? Thanks


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## Therooster (Jul 1, 2010)

Hi guys. My two cents.


Pretty much everyone slighly middle classed here has a maid. Most people have a "garden boy" too although the trend now is to hire then part time. Most people I know are very fond of their maids and go the extra mile. My family put our ex maids children through computer courses at technikon and they are now living quite well off their income. She no longer needs to work. Don't be put off by the negative stories. Like human beings world wide if you treat your maid well she will treat you well. 

A maid here costs around R3000 a month (if you're paying fairly, but if you're stingy you could get away with half of that). I couldn't imagine life without a maid to be honest and you only appreciate it when you move to some place where you don't have one. 

Just another little side story. I'm 32 years old. Ever year on ym birthday I still get punkin fritters and a liqui fruit from the maid who raised me as a child while my parents worked. Even though I havene't seen her more than once every few years since I was 15. She remembers they were my favourite. The last time I saw her after a 5 years absense (i was living overseas)she ran to me and gave me the biggest hug I have ever gotten. She's 70. She loves me like her own child. Again it comes down to how you treat people. Not everyone is out to get you. Wouldn't the world be a better place if people could drop the neurosis for a second ?


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## vegasboy (Apr 28, 2010)

Therooster said:


> Just another little side story. I'm 32 years old. Ever year on ym birthday I still get punkin fritters and a liqui fruit from the maid who raised me as a child while my parents worked. Even though I havene't seen her more than once every few years since I was 15. She remembers they were my favourite. The last time I saw her after a 5 years absense (i was living overseas)she ran to me and gave me the biggest hug I have ever gotten. She's 70. She loves me like her own child. Again it comes down to how you treat people. Not everyone is out to get you.


What a moving story, Rooster. I could almost visualise her excitement and joy when she saw you after 5 years (in slow motion). Love conquers all...


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## tangy13 (Jan 25, 2010)

please delete my thread as you say it is promoting advertising i am done here


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## Johanna (Apr 13, 2009)

tangy13 said:


> please delete my thread as you say it is promoting advertising i am done here


Please pardon my ignorance tangy13, where does it say you are promoting advertising?
You are most welcome to post here.


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