Intermission From Boat Building: Part II

Living in South Africa - no longer a tourist

Crime:

Cape Town is a large city with about 4.5 million people, and like most large cities, crime can be a problem. It is wise to be aware of your surroundings and take precautions to avoid being a target. That being said, the apartment that we were renting as well as almost all buildings had gates and walls for protection. Security gates cover windows, patio doors, and entry doors. It took some time to really get used to caging ourselves into the apartment at night.

The front door had a gate and two key locks all requiring different keys. Plus the parking lot had a gate controlled by an electronic key fob limiting access for those not living in the building. Security lights also came on when the sun went down – but only when power was on.

As the summer began and warm weather rolled in, we left windows open at night (there is no air conditioning) but dutifully closed and locked the gates discouraging criminals from entering. The practice provided some sense of security at night.

Initially these things are a bit intimidating as it is completely foreign to our personal experience in the United States, but we discovered that the area is quiet at night – for the most part. Occasionally, as the homeless made an appearance dotting the street with makeshift sleeping areas an argument or two would become evident or motorbikes drag racing in the streets or criminal mischief that was addressed by private security guards. During the holidays, crowds of young people were sporadically boisterous. But mostly the area was tame and quiet. We were thankful.

Many residential neighborhoods and apartment buildings have also hired private security to deter crime and keep people safe. The guards we saw were heavily armed and wearing Kevlar vests. They appeared to be more heavily fortified than the police – interestingly enough.

Here at the Celtic Yachts building, security is responding to the building alarm going off. The building gate remains locked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is a manual process to unlock. That meant that a person needed to respond to every individual or company that arrives at the gate and due to load-shedding the alarm would sound when the power had been off too long unable to fully re-charge the systems battery. Another fun event related to load-shedding.

Occasionally these guards could be heard address criminal activity, especially at night, when the power is out. The city is very dark without street lights, or traffic lights, few security lights, until battery backups fade. Crime sees the opportunity and takes advantage of it. The good news is that South Africa appears to be taking crime seriously.

All that being said, there is a certain loss of independence, as the consensus is clear it is not advised to go anywhere alone. No jogging or trips to the store solo, especially for white females. It dampens the experience and becomes confining. When the topic of doing something independently comes up the story is always the say, “you might be ok, if you do this and that”. This advice was typically followed by the usual things: don’t be out at night, be aware of your surroundings, don’t go to this place or that place, but also things like, don’t wear jewelry, keep your cell phone out of site, don’t carry your purse.

Favorite South African Pass Time - Braaing

Grilling, called braaing, is very popular here – perhaps more so because the power is out so often. We were surprised to learn that we could use a braai right on our second story patio. Americans know this is a big no-no due to the fire code in the United States.

Second story window looking down onto neighbors fire pit.

Open flames were allowed, but that didn't seem to deter anyone. We were also surprised to know that those people living on the ground floor apartments had fire pits. It was quite surprising to see a flame under our window in the evening and the smoke wafting into our apartment. We were so glad that the building was not on fire, but disappointed to not be able to leave the windows open as summer began to warm things up.

Speaking of fire, the unit has security gates to deter crime. Interesting enough the gates are on the inside of the windows and our real estate agent made a specific point to indicate a key hanging on the wall next to the electrical panel.

“In case of fire, this key should be used to open the gate to get out of the unit.” Our realtor dutifully told us. Hmmm – good to know. It also got me to thinking about the fire safety . . . . NO fire alarm or smoke detectors. No sprinkler system. And flames so close to the building. . . Interesting. We speculated that the construction was poured concrete which works as an effective ‘fire wall’ (as it would be called in the states) at least for a little while.

The power supply when it works is also a 220v system.For those familiar with the United States, it is known the that power provided there is 110/115v. It is a safer lower voltage.

A shock from an outlet in South Africa is likely to cause serious injury or even death. We discovered that the button above each outlet is to de-power the outlet, which should be done prior to plugging or unplugging any item. Oh! Good to know. By the way, no Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI), for plugs near water like in the kitchen – there are no outlets in the bathroom. No chance the toaster will electric you in the bath! 😊

South Africa is making a change in the outlet types. Traditionally, it was this 3-prong with the large plastic prong for the ground. The change is being made to a 2 prong plug. For our, devices to work, we needed TWO adaptors AND to make sure that the devices can handle the increase to 60htz from the 50 htz used in the states. While the global economy has made it so that many items can function in either 220v/ 60 htz or 110v/ 50 htz systems. Some items do not! It is important to check to avoid fires.

People

The people we have met here have been so nice. From the front-line workers, realtors, business owners, boat owners, neighbors, healthcare providers, you name it. We have shared Christmas dinner with the family of the owner of the apartment we rented. We have toured the countryside with other boat owners that live in Cape Town. We have dined on mountainsides with other tourists treking in the same direction. These Cape Townians will share their hopes to leave the country, their love of all things with a face (except fish), and their take on the craziness of American Politics as well as their own.

However, as we have said before: 'people are people everywhere'. There is little accountability when people say they will do or provide something. The business atmosphere here is hampered by a lack of accountability.

For instance, we have learned that when they say:

• "We will aim for next week", means you will not see it next week and they don't know when.

• "Listen here my friend," means they are done listening and you are NOT their friend.

• "I am doing my best", means they will not do anything different to correct any problem.

• "We will be there", means they will not arrive and have no idea when they will be back.

It is truly a beautiful country. From mountainscapes and seasides, to braaied wild meats and fresh fruits, cheap liquor, and friendly dispositions; it really is a beautiful country. But you may want to re-consider doing business here.