Leaving South Africa Part 2

What will I miss about South Africa?

In no particular order

Freedom

Choices

Way of life

Empty open roads

People

Calmness

Safaris

Cost of living

Friends

Volunteer work

Meals out and always being able to get a table and not being rushed out the retaurant

The Gym

Medical Aid

What I won’t miss about South Africa

In no particular order

Internet speed

Power cuts

Fear of crime

When people say Now or now, now and just now and you have NO idea of what they mean

When people walk away from you when you ask a question (Government departments)

When does an assumption become racism?

As a visitor in South Africa, despite being in my 4^th year of living here, there are many things I still do not understand.

I understand racism; I spent 2 years working for The FA in Child Welfare and on the RESPECT campaign. I dealt with issues of racism on a professional level.

I’ve been at the receiving end of racist abuse; I ended up with a cut forehead as a result. I was British, he was an Afrikaner. He objected to me being in his country, because I was British. We were both white, we both lived in the same estate.

But what is racism? Is it an assumption? Is it the use of the word ALL? Is it when you call someone black/white/coloured/foreign/immigrant? Or is it when those words and many more are used to describe something negative?

If anyone wants to challenge me on this blog post, please feel free to do so, but nicely. I can reference this if you want, but it’s a blog post NOT an essay.

There are many assumptions I’ve heard since I’ve been in SA, let me list you a few, but please understand, these are not my views. These are assumptions I’ve heard from South Africans white and black, South Africans living in the UK and people from other countries.

All black people will rob/rape/hijack/murder you

All black people are uneducated

All black people live in poverty

All black people work in the service industry.

All black people live in shacks

All black government officials are corrupt

All white people live in security estates

All white people are rich

All white people live in fear of being robbed/raped/hijacked/murdered

All white people if they own a dog will set it on a black person

All Afrikaners hate the English

It makes me sad to hear these things being said, it makes me sad that people have such a view of South Africa.

Maybe some of these assumptions are correct in the minds of some people through personal experiences, from experiences of family and friends. But if you are hijacked by a black person, what right do you have to say ‘ALL BLACK’ if you are unable to express a want to a black person because the language you speak isn’t understood, what right do you have to assume all black people are thick and therefore uneducated.

We live in a security estate. The house at the bottom of the garden, to the left is owned by a black family. Two years ago he was murdered in a hijacking.

The house a few doors down was robbed at gunpoint by a white man.

A black man at a place I volunteer at held a gun to the head of another black man during an armed robbery.

We had a white maid when we first moved here; the cost of a cleaner was included in the rent.

There are white people serving in restaurants, white people begging on the sides of the roads, white people living in areas I volunteer in, in townships.

Today I visited Maropeng at The Cradle of Humankind. I asked at the security, a black man, if I could bring my dog in with me I just wanted to have a coffee and use the toilet. I was told it was OK to go in. As I walked into the open space with Bob on a short lead, black people scattered, quite literally. I tied Bob to a pole and ordered coffee; people were looking at him and me. As I drank my coffee a white woman, who was visiting, petted Bob a white child said ‘look doggy’ After a few minutes a black man who introduced himself as Head of Operations told me there was some concern over my dog being there and I would have to leave. I told him that I’d already checked with security and that when I finished my coffee I would leave. I was watched the entire time, Bob sat quietly, no visitor complained, no visitor looked at me any differently. I was openly watched the entire time and made to feel very uncomfortable.

As I left with Bob on a short lead, close I passed near a black woman who was at least 10ft from me and not in the direction I was walking, swung her legs round to the other side of the bench and said ‘you won’t let your dog bite me will you?’ the car park attendant ran back into his hut and I returned to my car, very upset that people could have these thoughts about me and my dog, think that’d a) I’d take a dangerous dog out in public and b) think I’d let him lose on them and order him to attack.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had this reaction, it occurs almost every time I walk Bob around the estate especially in the mornings or going home time for the maids and the gardeners.

So can I make the assumption that ALL black people are afraid of dogs? Or is it that ALL black people assume that ALL white people will set their dogs on black people?

Our gardener is black; he isn’t frightened of the dog. Our ironing guy is black; he walks the dog and feeds him if we are away overnight. The Gardener is from Zambia; the ironing guy is from Malawi. The black woman on the campsite with her caravan and Toyota Fortuner said ‘your baby came looking for you, I gave him a biscuit, while you were in the toilet, such a lovely dog’

My friends here are black/white/English/Afrikaners. We are friends because we share common interests/experiences/views/beliefs. Not because of where they come from, not because the colour of their skin.

What do you think? Do you have experience of racism, based on the previous actions of others that now put you in a category where you must be feared?

Volunteer fatigue

I was feeling overwhelmed this week, even my 'to do' lists had sub lists. After blogging about it a friend at one of the places I volunteer at, suggested I take some time off before I start suffering with the all too common 'volunteers fatigue'

I've taken on too much, but in reality all I actually do is go to Viva once a week to train teachers, attend Kungwini twice a week to support disabled adults in the workshop and educational activities in the Children's home and tutor a grade 7 child two afternoons a week. Apart from swimming most mornings, daily dog walks and food shopping and coffees out, there's no real reason why I should be over doing things, especially since the kids left home in January.

Volunteering costs money, almost a full time wage some months. I can't teach without resources and although I have plenty of stuff left over from my the days when I had a career, it needs adapting, updating. I've already donated the stuff the kids left behind that they no longer wanted, such as clothes, toys and stationery. I'm also very imaginative and creative with making my own resources but it's become very time consuming. Do you know how long it takes to draw/write 46 worksheets or colouring in pictures? I make and sell buntings and bags to raise funds and blog to raise awareness.

But what happens is I see something, get an idea and run with it. This involves raising funds, phone calls, emails, writing proposals, visiting people, cold calling. I used to make medical rep appointments with Doctor's surgeries and hospitals so I'm not easily deterred.

The last 3 nights I've been burning the candle at both ends, up till gone midnight working on several projects, researching, contacting other charities, writing sponsorship proposals. It's almost become a full time job and I could do with hiring a PA.

What I really need to do is focus though on what I can do and do well. Pick a subject, a project, a facility and run with that and that alone.

I've decided that my 'thing' is education. Without education the other issues in South Africa can't be addressed, it's not just about educating the children in the townships in school, it's about educating their parents also.

Without education the issues of poverty, crime, AIDS, rape, homelessness, child abuse and exploration cannot be addressed. Throwing money and donations of food at people does not help in the long run, the more you give the less people do for themselves, the more they rely on handouts.

People need to learn to help themselves, it's evident after a visit to Mamelodi this week that no one helps these people and no one helps them to help themselves. The river flooded a week ago, there is no way to cross it, it has left people stranded, unable to buy food, get to work and earn money and for children to get to school, missing even more of their education.

I'm up to date now with my 'to do' list and I'm just waiting responses for my proposals, but in the meantime I'm going away for a few days this weekend to switch off and relax.

Oscar Pistorius and gun crime in South Africa

One of the main items the South African journalists are talking about in the Oscar Pistorius case is understanding the fear of crime that South Africans live with, the fear of having a gun pulled on you in the street, at lights whilst driving, in malls, the work place and in your own home. The reality is you don't have to live in a bad area, you don't have to be involved with drugs or crime, you don't even have to be rich to face a realistic risk of having a gun pulled on you at anytime.

The average daily salary here is R170, just under £10 so if someone can steal your phone/laptop/car easily, because you'll assume they have a gun even if they haven't pulled it already, then they will. A friend had his laptop stolen, they caught the guy, he'd sold it for R50.

There are plenty of view points on whether he is guilty of murder or self defence and he has never denied actually pulling the trigger and killing Reeva Steencamp. He has to live with that either way for the rest of his life but the difference in the judges ruling is 25+ years for murder or max 15 years in prison or no custodial sentance if self defence.

There is no 'trial by jury' here in South Africa. A judge hears the state prosecutors evidence, the defence, witnesses and Oscar himself and she will make the decision as to whether he faces a custodial sentence or not and how long for.

As a British expat, I arrived over 3 years ago in South Africa and I was scared. I lived in fear of a gun being pulled on me and/or my family, but like I said I live with it, we all do, it's a reality, not an unfounded fear.
I stopped being scared and fearful and became cautious. I heard the stories, nearly ever one has one to tell about violent robbery, guns, but I'm scared again when an armed robbery took place in a building I was in whilst volunteering for a charity a few weeks ago and I saw first hand the effects it has had on the staff and residents.

Even family and friends who have visited us here do not understand the fear, they come here on holiday we act as tour guides, keep them safe. We issue instructions on their personal safety yet they still leave the window down at the lights and junctions, open their purse prior to reaching the counter, leave their bag by their feet at a cafe and even sleep with the door open because they feel safe living in a security estate, despite us telling them how easy it is to get in and about the armed robberies a few years ago.

I volunteer with several charities, I was at one last month when 2 gunmen held the staff up, it involves me visiting townships and in fact I camped over in one last year and due to the same the weekend after next. I shop, I drive at night, I go out with friends, everything I did in the UK, but here I'm scanning the mirrors, reading situations, turning road if their is a road block ahead, wear my handbag over my shoulder, carry my cell in my jeans pocket, keep my handbag under my feet when driving, leave a hijack distance between me and the stationary vehicle in front of me.

I'm NEVER relaxed, I'm always on full alert and aware of people around me, if something doesn't look/feel right.....I'm out of there.

I've posted many blogs about safety, personal experiences, fear of crime, when I've felt safe, the wonderful opportunities living in South Africa offers us. It's not all bad, in fact life here is very good, but like I say, you need to be cautious 24/7.

There are very few places in South Africa where you can just go and have a walk. We found Art on Main and Zoo Lake, plus there's Groenkloof where you walk round a nature reserve complete with giraffes and zebras. I've also been for a coffee in Pretoria. I've just started venturing out on foot from the security estate to the local Spar shop and a lovely cafe, Birdies and of course you can walk freely around the endless Malls and Botanical gardens.

But what you can't do and I do miss is just leaving my front door and going for a walk, parking near a town and walking around the shops only worrying about the time left on your parking ticket.

Today I had to take my car for a service and also needed to pay a few bills. I was offered a lift home by the garage but I doubt they'd have run me around doing my errands, so after checking it was a safe area, I set off on foot, covering 2 miles of pavements, paid my water and electric bill, visited the post office, paid Telkom, had a coffee and some toast and did a bit of shopping.

I could have been anywhere, similar to the UK and America, typical streets, tree lined, flats, houses, business. The only noticable difference was the security and electric gates and fences and these....

A Brit's opinion on safety in South Africa

Last tuesday I was in Soweto...yeah so what? We went and did the tourist bits, Hector Pieterson Museum, Nelson Mandela's house, stopping off for lunch in the mall.

I drove myself there, armed with the GPS, following the same route we did when as a family when we were shown around by a former resident, a colleague of my husband.

It was safe. I felt safe on both visits. The roads are tarmac'd there are pavements, shops, markets, schools, hospital, soccer stadiums. (Don't forget it was less than 2 years ago the World Cup was held there. I've also been to Ellis Park, right in the centre of Johannesburg for the Vodacom challenge when Spurs beat the Orlando Pirates last July. I've sat in my car with the window open at a game reserve, unaware a fully grown lion was sat at the back of my car.

How dangerous can it be? with all those events and people around. Ievery person I've spoken to this week here says they've never been into Soweto and don't plan on going there either.

Well I've never felt threatened or scared since we moved here in January 2011. I tell a lie I was shit scared when we arrived here, based on the media stories, based on information from South Africans we knew in the UK. Every bloody person we've met has a horror story to tell us. Police robbing them, held hostage at gun point, car jacking, break ins. You name it and it seems every South African has been a victim of everything. However when you get down to details they admit that they were in an area they knew not to be safe, or were driving at night, or it was their neighbours, brothers, best mates, mothers cat sitter.

Yes some terrible things go on here in South Africa, but they go on at home in the UK also and other countries.

Since we've been here there have been riots in the UK, a massacre in Denmark, protests in Egypt and other countries, lives have been lost, a tsunami in Japan following the earthquake there last March and what about.......?

A country is as safe as you make it, you take extra care when you go away on holiday, more than you do with your house and belongings if you were just popping to the shops. You sling your handbag over your shoulder when you go into the big cities, but have it sat on the seat nest to you in the car when you pop to the local supermarket near home. Why? Why do we feel safe on our downstep but not when we leave our safety zone.
I had my handbag removed my shoulder in a crowded place 1 mile from home, just before christmas our neighbour in the UK was fast asleep in her bed when someone broke into her house, robbed her and used her car to take the goods away, burning the car out less than 2 miles away. The man in Kidderminster, 25 miles away, found dead after 3 weeks in his flat.

I'm sure if we all sat down together we could all scare one another silly with our 'horror' stories and personal experiences, but that is life I'm afraid to say. It's just not safe anywhere, anymore is it?

To demonstrate this take a look at the UK and some of the crimes that have happened in the last few weeks, no real difference from the ones you hear about here.

But before you do, do you remember the honeymoon couple in Cape Town where they were hijacked and she was murdered in 2010? Which turned out the husband brought her here so he could cover up the crime and blame the dangers of South Africa? Well he was British and lived not far from where we moved from. News story from the BBC on the day we arrived in South Africa.

Man shot in Canary Wharf remains in a coma. 27/03/2012

Kwame OFOSU-ASARE murdered aged 17. Lambeth. 03/02/2012

Man exposes himself to 13 year old in Hastings. 21/03/2012

Woman in attempted car-jacking in Belfast, badly shaken. 29/03/2012
I see Car Jacking isn't just a South African thing either, Crimestoppers have a whole page to protect yourself, the advice is the same here.

Armed robbery in Bangor. 29/03/2012

Asian homes being targetted by burglars for Gold. Leicester (on going)

BT announces new device to prevent cable theft. 26/03/2012

67 children were trafficked FROM Africa TO the UK, 29 of whom were from Nigeria, mostly female and were sexually exploited. 2012

Check out the Crime levels in your area in the UK .