Eight years ago we arrived in South Africa to begin our expat life. The country was poised to host the Soccer World Cup, the first on African soil. I remember that at the time there were heated debates whether tourists would dare travel to a place so notorious for the crime on its streets. Here is a look at how South Africa has changed since then in terms of crime and security.
So You’ve Been Held Up By South African Traffic Police? You’re Not the First One.
Last week, I told you how to go about transferring your foreign driver’s license to a South African one. Or how to just go ahead and use your foreign license if you’re only a temporary resident and can’t get a South African license.
Today, we’ll take a look at what might ...
The Price Tag of Safety
If you could do everything in your power to keep yourself and your children safe, wouldn’t you do it?
Duh, you will say. Of course!
But not so fast. I’m going to show you that there is a price you pay for safety. Or, conversely, that you get unexpected benefits when easing up a little on ...
Should I Bribe South African Cops?

Not much can be so anxiety-inducing as being stopped by the police in a foreign country. Especially in a country such as South Africa, where there is no shortage of horror stories about crime and corruption. I know I may have fueled that fire with my many blog posts about traffic stops, though I tend ...
Meet Our Woman in Johannesburg
“Meet Our Man in Tehran.”
I was intrigued by the article behind this headline in the New York Times. It sounds a little “John le Carré” to me, suggesting intrigue, spies, and perhaps some exotic food.
It occurred to me right then that “Meet Our Woman in Johannesburg” ...
Corruption in South Africa
Anybody following this blog knows that I absolutely love South Africa. It has a lot of great things going for it, and I have told you about most of them, repeatedly. To the point that some might accuse me of wearing rose-tinted glasses.
Well, let me tell you about one thing I absolutely hate about ...
Christmas For Criminals
The following is a guest post by Barbara Bruhwiler.
Everybody knows the Festive Season is a dangerous time. We’ve all heard about Christmas trees catching fire, for instance. And undoubtedly we are all aware of the jeopardy that lurks in refusing to meet the rest of the family. Even though the prospect of spending yet another five days in overcrowded quarters can be disheartening at best, we all know that it is far more dangerous to stay away when the clan’s matriarch has issued an invitation for the festivities. Driving to the family gathering has its fair share of unsafe moments, what with the howling, crying and shouting that comes from the backseat of the packed vehicle, causing the most diligent driver to be prone to sudden swerves – or at least sudden swearing. Once we have arrived at said quarters, there is the danger of cat fights between sisters and rows between brothers, while Mums spend hours slaving in the kitchen with pursed lips, preparing the turkey and its trimmings. All the participants at the family gathering take on the risk of never having a single moment, one single calm minute, to themselves.
Strike While The Iron Is Hot, A New Madam & Eve Collection by Stephen Francis & Rico. |
Barbara Bruhwiler lives in Johannesburgwith her husband and two children. She is an internationally successful author of five books. One of them is the ...
Joburg, Capital of Crime. Excuse me, Kindness.
Once you’ve got a reputation, it’s so incredibly hard to get rid of it. So it is for Johannesburg, our home for the last two and a half years. It’s been stuck with the “World’s Crime Capital” label ever since the post-Apartheid years of the early 1990s, when indeed ...
It’s Not Stealing – You Don’t Need All That Oil in Your Engine Anyway!
I’ve told you before about getting your car serviced in South Africa and the need to remove all your valuables from your car before dropping it off, but recently I encountered a whole new dimension to this.
We were driving back from the Kruger Park, through beautiful landscapes on roads winding ...
Moving to South Africa and Terrified of all the Bad News?
Having lived here in South Africa for over one-and-a-half years, it seems hard to believe that we were once prospective expats who knew next to nothing about this country and who were not at all sure we should even come here in the first place. I remember being pretty excited initially and going ...