Would you move to Cape Town?

[ZarZarGabor]

Sorry posting here for traffic.

A good job opportunity has come up to move to Cape Town with work, likely for 3 years or so. We have one pre-school age child and are aware childcare options there are more affordable.

We have spent some time there before and so are alive to some of the issues the country faces including crime, load shedding and bureaucracy. However we still absolutely love the place and want an adventure.

Would be grateful to hear the views of people who have direct experience living there, especially with a young child.

I know lots of people will have a “friend of a friend” who has had bad experiences in South Africa, but I’d really like to hear from people who actually live or have lived there about day to day life for an expat and the sorts of considerations we might have forgotten to factor into (we have already considered visas, healthcare, security, costly mobile phone data etc).

thanks for any advice.

Hello, yes we did move! Been there all year. There have been challenges but nothing we didn’t anticipate and we are really loving it so far.

Thankfully loadshedding stopped a few months ago (although I’m sure at some point it will be back). We didn’t find it too disruptive as the times are published in advance and our wifi, security systems etc still worked and we had an electrical outlet that was solar / generator powered so we could always charge phones etc

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I am not ignoring the negative posts, but rather the vast vast majority of them are anecdotal stories from people who haven’t been themselves. Many South African expats have scary stories to tell, but many who still live in South Africa do not.

My dentist in South Africa last week was concerned about my safety when visiting the UK because of the riots. This illustrates how stories and perceptions are very different to the lived experience on the ground.

there is no doubt South Africa is more dangerous and more unequal than the UK and many other countries and that some people of all races have experienced awful crimes. However I believe the risk to be overstated, especially as you can live in safe areas and pay for any security you consider necessary. there are also many positives and lifestyle, scenery, experiences and cultural interactions that could never be got in Europe. With the newly elected government and increasing international investment I am really hoping for positive growth and development in South Africa in the coming years. South Africans certainly deserve it.

Went on holiday with DH. Yes beautiful. But constantly being followed and hounded for money was extremely intimidating and tiring. Demanding money to “look after your car” for you at supermarket parking lot. You mention Camps Bay - trying to walk on the beach was one of the most awful experiences, followed en masse by beggars. You may live in a gated community but if you want to get out and explore you have to be very careful. People who say otherwise I think are naive and lucky not to have come harm. There are many South Africans living in my local area, there’s a good reason they’re here and not there.

Yes but to leave you need to be able to, not everyone can get an ancestral visa. And yes they may choose to stay anyway, but do so behind bars and gated communities. If that’s ok with the op then fine, but it’s not tolerable for everyone I guess and that’s why so many who can leave do.

I don’t know what the point of this thread is anyway since the op seems to have no intention of listening to people’s experiences.

Thank you. Its not quite fair to say I have no intention of listening to people’s experiences.

I am listening to experiences but the OP was about (i) advice from people who have lived there themselves (the majority of replies are from people who have never been but have heard a story) and (ii) anything else we may have forgotten to consider (I already acknowledged crime, loadshedding, security etc)

hardly any of the responses have actually been related to my original queries.

They moved! There are vast numbers of South Africans here. Wimbledon being very popular. My DDs went to school in SA. We did meet SA families. Many did leave. However as it was boarding, these families were well off. Constant worries about security was all they talk about! And sport. And finding competent staff when quotas were enforced. How their farms were attacked and in one case, DF murdered and in another an attempted kidnap of DC. It’s the topic at any SA dinner party! Every day someone tells you how to be safe in SA.

Look at the security around houses! You have a generator to keep your security going! Look at the razor wire, security gates, glass shards on walls and gated enclaves. Security staff in your grounds. Panic buttons. Private security guards. Security dogs etc. Some people don’t like living like that. Great for a holiday. Cape Town isn’t the worst for security - are you going into the shanty towns to have a look around? No. Probably not. Any SA person will tell you not to. No go areas are everywhere. Enjoy the sun, sea and sand, but don't be fooled into complacency.

@ZarZarGabor wow, amazing! Am so glad you are enjoying it!

@Balletdreamer I appreciate you didnt like your time in SA but things like car guards which you see as "demanding money to look after your car in car parks" actually misses the point. It is completely normal and a good way for unemployed people to "earn" a living. Interactions with car guards are often extremely pleasant and fun - they tend to be high energy and genuinely make an effort to make parking easier. Crime is an issue so you do get to keep your car safe etc.

I think it was on this thread that someone asked about some of the cultural differences and this was one I highlighted but if you didn't see that it might have been in a pm conversation I had with a poster on here who was planning a holiday and did subsequently go (and enjoy it).

We were in SA in February and stayed in the Camps Bay area for a few days. At no point were we followed on the beach or harassed in any way by beggars.

Our best friends were out there ( but Durban area) for 12 years- they came back 2 years ago - she is South African - when they first went out they said it was a bit hairy but doable but since about 2018 they found it just awful- they had rioters within 500metres of the house, could never go out at night safely without the car and hadn't planned for having the kids in private school and health costs that totally rocketed. They did like the weather, the nice big houses, the pool- but they said that the other things just soured the experience and another big issue was no one actually wanted to visit them as it wasn't on their lists of places people wanted to spend hard earned holiday time and cash on given the shit going on- so they found it quite lonely. Friends they made early on were all leaving.

I wouldn't say don't do it- but just go into it well prepared . It's an experience that ended up costing them £40k .

Oh op I’m so glad you moved. I will say people seem very much hopeful with the new coalition government. I went back in July and started discussing moving back.

Also yay for no load shedding but as you say you get used to it!

Just sharing my experience. Thanks for sharing yours.

I think it can feel draining to even think about having to guard your car. I’m aware South Africans see giving employment to black people as a social service (car park guards are never white) but its also draining to see the vast difference in living conditions. Many South Africans employ cooks and cleaners and gardeners to keep black families employed. The schools are very keen on social service and employing families over decades who need some money is what happens. They helped these families through the aids crisis.It’s not a way of life most Brits experience.

I think it feels like a relief to come to other countries where there aren’t rough townships and the state has functioned sufficiently well to lift people out of corrugated huts with toilet blocks.

Great for a holiday when you can pass on by, but living there comes with greater issues to face up to. A new government really has its work cut out!

My dentist in South Africa last week was concerned about my safety when visiting the UK because of the riots. This illustrates how stories and perceptions are very different to the lived experience on the ground.

Exactly this. Some Americans believe parts of London are no-go areas.

Parts of South Africa are 100% no go areas! Have you actually seen some of the living conditions? It’s absolutely not London. We aren’t talking about Americans and London. Tourists 100% have no go areas in SA.

I’m aware South Africans see giving employment to black people as a social service (car park guards are never white)

The majority are not white but some are. It's common in Bloemfontein to have white car guards at the malls and supermarkets.

OP thanks for coming back and updating! I hope you're loving it there.

Glad it’s working out for you OP!

Never seen a white car park guard. Anywhere. Not been to the white capital though.

Never seen a white car park guard. Anywhere. Not been to the white capital though.

As I said, common in Bloemfontein. Unlikely in Southern Suburbs Cape Town as it's affluent.
What the white capital?

At the moment I'd be concerned about mpox spreading there. I could add positive and negative stories (sorry OP but more negative) but no point as OP is there now. If no-one mentioned the car jacking risk perhaps I'd cover that.

The OP is vanishingly unlikely to invite a migrant from Central Africa into her home to shag or share towels with so I reckon she'll be good on the mpox front.

Was SA having monkey pox surge when op asked for advice a year ago??

As of 5 August 2024, South Africa has reported 24 mpox cases and three deaths. Twenty-two of the 24 cases were reported between 8 May and 6 July 2024

@JudgeAnderson Afrikaner capital then. I’ve read decent research on attitudes here.

I know a few South Africans, love them, but what they've told me about SA, big no.