How safe is it ?

[Greg796]

I'll be in Johannesburg at the end of June/beginning of July on business for 2 weeks and then in Durban for 1 week. Here in Australia we can go anywhere no matter how remote and be reasonably safe. The nature of geocaching takes you to out-of-the-way places and therefore, I guess, one is potentially vulnerable / "unsafe".

 

Is this a hinderance in South Africa ? Is this why there are only a few caches in Jhb and Dbn ?

 

Can anyone offer any comments on general personal safety and geocaching in SA ?

 

[This message was edited by Greg796 on June 07, 2002 at 08:14 AM.]

[Syn]

Even though I have never been there, I watch countless programn on animal planet, learning channel, etc. about the wildlife in South Africa.

 

Yes it can be very dangerous, even life threatening.

 

You have multiple species of poisonous snakes, and a heckuva lot of predators that are fully capable of killing a human.

 

Yes it is relatively safe hunting for caches in any more populated area but even then there can be life threatening animals that come into that area.

 

Animals usually steer clear of largely populated areas but I know around here (Portland, OR) there was recently a cougar that was on top of Powell Butte.

 

Powell Butte area can be found at this link (there is a cache up there)http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=7181

 

Even though this area is in the heart of Portland and surrounded by miles of Suburbia, there was still a cougar sited up there several times.

 

In Africa, if you go out and see the country, you should have a trail guide with you and be in those goofy looking jeeps they have on the learning channel.

 

Let them know what you are doing and they should be more than happy (since you are paying them) to take you around and keep watch for the animals while your planting a cache or looking for one.

 

Plus be careful of the Tsetsie flies over and the Mosquito's can carry deadly diseases too.

 

Not to mention the high aids rate.

 

ummm.. on second thought I think I will stay home.

[+Jors]

If you want to see predators, you will have to go to a Game Reserve or Game Park looking for them, and for snakes, they are very sluggish in winter, if you are lucky to find one, which I have never seen in my 10+ years as land surveyor, so no trail guides or those funny looking vehicles are needed, thus I would hardly agree to stay inside.

 

Safety in a big city (like Jhb an Dbn) is a worldwide problem, but that anyone should know. Do ask the locals first, before you perhaps unwittingly take a dangerous route, as the crime rate in Jhb is rather high.

 

As for out of the way places, you should have no real concern, I do not believe that personal safety is the reason for the few number of caches in the area. Normally the cache info does give some indication of what can be expected.

 

Welcome to South-Africa!

[Greg796]

I have not had such a good laugh in years. Tsetsie flies, predators, snakes, mosquitos .... ?

 

I should explain. I lived in South Africa for 31 years before emigrating and settling in Australia in 1986. In all those years of living in suburban Durban attending school, studying computer science, working in finance and manufacturing, I did not once encounter one "wild animal" especially a predator not to mention the Tsetsie fly. I didn't even see a snake ! Of course I went to (enclosed) game reserves, hundreds of kilometers from the city. In all those years I never once had to, nor in my wildest dreams thought of, using a trail guide.

 

I have been to the USA a number of times but would refrain from making comments on that country. I watch TV too. As a general observation (from my personal experience), I find Americans have a view of the world presented to them by their media and government that suits them even though the reality is often very different. The rest of the world knows this. In many respects the cities in South Africa are as well developed (and in some cases more so) than they are in the USA. The difference is that South Africa has recently undergone a major political change.

 

With the change has come some challenges for South Africans. My family in South Africa (none of whom are geocahers !) barracade themselves in at night, engage "armed response", don't travel at night, lock their cars while travelling, don't walk on the street etc in fear of their personal safety. By comparison in Australia we often don't lock the house even when we leave the house. My kids walk in the street at any time of night and its relatively safe (compared to SA). This is the personal safety I was referring to and its in this context that I was asking the question.

 

(And no, we don't have any wild flesh eating kangaroos nor marauding aboriginies stalking around the Australian cities no matter what you're told on Animal Planet !).

 

Comments are still welcome on challenges faced by geocachers.

[Syn]

Then why do you need any type of advice at all.

 

You should be the resident expert on that area.

[Royfamily]

Is this a joke. An American who judges the world from what is on wildlife documentries. Please get out and see the world before you judge. If we had to judge america by what we see on TV then I would never even consider going there. South Africa is a built up country and the wild animals can only be found in game reserves. The crime is high in Jhb but there are still many open areas that are safe to explore. Geocaching has only caught on here in the last year, so its still a very young and growing sport.

[4x4offroad]

Hey Greg796, I hope you enjoy your visit. With regard to the safety, why not hire a 4x4 and go and check out our 2 cache's - private land, beautiful 4x4 trails and AS SAFE AS ANYTHING.

 

If you do spot something lean and mean, take a pic and post it here for our bush watching SA expert from the US of A.....

 

The cache's around the greater Gauteng area (Hartebeespoort Dam, Irene etc.) are all safe areas, given that you take a friend or two along. I have not physically gone to seek any yet, but as a 1 year old Gautie, ex Cape Town, these types of places are as safe as any place in the world.

 

Enjoy your visit to SA - life is what you make of it, and how you approach it, and boy are we having fun up here. Good luck with the TRI - you gonna need it!

 

Go for it!

[+team travel pig]

hilarious answer - ex-south african here now living in texas...

 

get some advice from outdoorsy people you encounter during the business side of things - bet you can get at least one of them interested enough to go along with you!

 

enjoy!

 

___________________________________

 

there is no knowledge, only things, which is really old knowledge.