Thank you Annemieke, that has made me feel much better.

Just use common sense and you'll be fine. Don't leave any valuables lying around or in plain sight in the car. Also if you can avoid carrying large amount of cash do so, you can use a credit card almost everywhere. Also don't walk alone in the evenings, better to take a taxi. As a tourist you will not go to the high crime areas. So don't worry and just enjoy your trip.

We are a couple in our mid/late 70's, have been visiting SA every year for the past 13 years. We book everything ourselves and self-drive all over SA. We have never had a single safety problem.

Of course there is crime in SA, just as there is in UK or any other country. Just act sensibly, stick to the tourist places and you will join the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit SA and have a fantastic holidays there.

Thank you so much for all your reassuring comments.

I have lived in and around Johannesburg for nearly 67 years.

I am often in the down town area... in fact, I take tourists there.

I have never been pickpocketed, mugged, burgled, raped, hijacked, or murdered.

I had a car radio stolen once when I foolishly left my car unlocked because I thought I "would only be a few minutes".

Oddly, I have a friend who has been mugged twice.... once in London, and once in Rome.

Stick to the touristy areas, go with someone who knows the area, listen to the advice of locals, and don't flash expensive jewelry, or wads of cash and you'll be fine.

In fact, behave as you would when visiting any unfamiliar city in your own country.

We had thousands of visitors here for the World Cup, in 2010, and there were fewer "incidents" than in Germany, during the previous World Cup !

Hi Somersetal

Like you we are about to discover the joys of SA next month at the age of 60, with our first self drive to the W Cape. We have spent many years organising our own self drives to the US and love the freedom it gives. I just wondered whether there is such a thing as a collection of your self drives anywhere on Trip? I always find this is a great way of putting together your own itinery and hope you don't mind me asking. I've really appreciated the confidence that you've given to the more mature first time traveller to SA and am already looking where to go next! Thank you

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Everden - Please don't cancel! Firstly you have headlined your post "Safety in Johannesburg" and everybody is confirming that as a tourist you will be safe - here are plenty more reasuring piosts from people who have benn recently - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g312578-i9273-k5992634-Safety_in_Johannesburg-Johannesburg_Greater_Johannesburg_Gauteng.html

But then, nobody has pointed out that, with the route you propose, you will never go anywhere near Johannesburg anyway! The airport is way out of the city, on the East side. If you are then heading for the panorama route and Kruger you head out of the airport onto a main freeway and head off further east! You will never be nearer than 20km to the city. Johannesburg for the tourist is fine. But if you are not even going there why worry!!

If you have concern about the rest of the country just read the following few recent threads. I can give you many hundreds more - with thousands of separate posts - all in the same vein!!!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g312659-i9466-k7068891-Self_driving_the_Garden_Route-Cape_Town_Central_Western_Cape.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g293740-i9186-k4256033-o10-How_safe_is_driving_in_SA-South_Africa.html - Read particularly the conclusions from post #15 onwards!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1722390-i15573-k5447832-Safety_in_cape_town-Cape_Town_Western_Cape.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1722390-i15573-k5707684-Safety_in_Cape_Town-Cape_Town_Western_Cape.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g293740-i9186-k6327948-Safety_in_South_Africa-South_Africa.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1722390-i15573-k6996586-How_safe_to_drive_in_Cape_Town-Cape_Town_Western_Cape.html

And then you may remember that three years ago South Africa hosted one of the best - and one of the SAFEST World Cups for many years. Maybe read the following couple of threads. Sorry that there's a lot of stuff by me - but hopefully you'll get the point!

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g293740-i9186-k3822727-Crime_and_Violence_in_South_Africa_how_safe_is_it-South_Africa.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i13435-k3768841-July_12_2010-World_Cup.html

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