Whether johannesburg is safe to live and work

I live in Bryanston , in a gated community. I thought it would be weird to get used to the security bits but actually it's quite comforting . Good area but to be honest not the cheapest but the reassurance is worth it .

Brian - Bryanston is one of the most expensive areas, and not everyone can afford it.
Believe me - you can get the same security for a lot less.
People live in Bryanstone because they want to live in Bryanston, not because it's the only safe place in Johannesburg.

Hi Sa11y,

Can you please recommend some other areas close to Bryanston that are nice and cheaper?  I will be working in Bryanston and would like to have as short as a commute as possible.  Our budget is about 10K ZAR for an apartment, 2 bed/2 bath unfurnished.

Thanks !

Morningside and Gallo Manor is usually cheaper if you want to be in that proximity.
If you move a bit further, then you can try Rivonia or Sunninghill/ Paulshof/Fourways - just outside the ring highway.
Where will you work? There might be some areas not far from there too, there are a lot of gated complexes in Johannesburg, you don't have to look only at Sandton area.

Thanks Sa11y,

I will be working in Bryanston near Cumberland and Grosvenor Rd.  I have seen some places online in Douglasdale which doesn't look too far, though I have seen other people recommending to stay inside of the ring highway for a quicker commute (really tired of 2+ hours per day now).  I also have Morningside and Rivonia on my list to check out, I will go have a look at the others you mentioned.

Thanks again !

If you work close to Bryanston, you can also look at Sunninghill.
The issue with Fourways and Douglasdale is that you will have to take William Nicol to cross the highway, which gets very jammed in mornings.
If you stay in Sunninghill, you cross at Rivonia Road, which is not as bad.
But yes - it's better to stay within the ring.

Thanks Sa11y. I was looking at the map and it seems Grosvenor Rd crosses the bypass as well ?  Is that just as bad as William Nichol ?  I will have a look at Sunninghill as well.

Thanks !

Grosvenor is a link to M1, it's not as bad as William Nicol.
You will probably need to take this road if you live in Rivonia/Sunninghill/Gallo Manor/Morningside from Rivonia Road.
Area on the other side of M1 is not good unless you move down south towards Houghton (which gets expensive again) or east towards Linksfield and Bedfordview (a bit far to drive to Bryanston)
I think Rivonia/Sunninghill/Gallo Manor/Morningside are best bet for you. You can also look at Paulshof (close to Sunninghill), but don't stay too far from Rivonia road, as Wittkopen Road can also get busy (especially part from Fourways to on-ramp, as this way some people try to avoid William Nicol).

Thanks once again Sa11y, great information.  We arrive the end of October, can't wait to check these areas out.

[off topic]

Hi Vineet - depending on your level, but 63 000 is a good offer.
Taxes are as per attached table on my blog (the rest of the blog is in Polish, so probably not very usefull...)

http://wkrainieteczy.wordpress.com/2013 … nia/taxsa/

Other than that you may need to be asked to participate in medical insurance and/or pension fund (this is actually negotiable, many companies will pay those expenses for you, so check).
If you have kids - check if company covers schooling - private schools are expensive in SA.

Also - to compare the salaries in Johannesburg look at the sample table below - those are gross.

http://wkrainieteczy.files.wordpress.co … ssions.pdf

Enjoy!

hello Reillusioned .. i noticed you are very active in the forum ... i am planning to move to joburg soon, would you please tell me some nice and safe suburbs for rent ? also i am planning to start my own hardware store, do you have any idea about it ?
thanks 

Hi itsvirgo

Funnily enough I left Johannesburg for the coastal beauty of Cape Town at the start of this year, but I reckon I can still give you some useful advice.

Like I think I've already stated here it's not so much about what suburb you live in (suburbs vary a lot from one side to the other), but what your accommodation is like in that suburb. A security complex (anything with a guarded gatehouse, foot patrols and secure electric fencing) in Roodepoort (a pretty distant but cheap working class suburb) will ultimately be a better place to live in than a private house in Bryanston (which is seeing more and more house robberies although it used to be a reasonably affluent suburb).

With that in mind, it's recommended to stay as close to your work as possible to reduce the amount of traffic you have to sit in, and if you can find accommodation 'inside the ring' of the N1/N12 it will make your commute a lot shorter than if you stay even just outside it. Fourways/Lonehill are popular 'northern' residential suburbs (I lived there myself) but you can easily face a 30 minute or more gridlock in the mornings just to get onto the highway (William Nicol congestion in the morning is a nightmare you have to see to appreciate).

Because you're not going to be familiar with the areas, I recommend you try to find a six month lease in the most expensive accommodation you can comfortably afford in your budget, and play it by ear. The six months' part will give you the flexibility to move sooner if you don't like the area, and the 'most expensive' place usually factors in decent security to start off with. As a general guideline, you're probably looking to spend around R5 500 to R6 500/month for a middle-class one bedroom apartment in an average security complex ... as soon as you start paying north of that you're paying for 'snob value' (on-site gym and luxury finishings in the apartment). Conversely, as you start paying less than that you end up making concessions on your neighbourhood, your security, the quality of your amenities etc. There are some very tight margins and R1 000 will really buy you a lot more or a lot less in the same segment of the rental market ... going into a whole new segment (like the luxury segment) and you can just throw away the calculator because prices are only affordable for the mega-rich (e.g. R20 000 for a one bedroom apartment in the heart of Sandton).

On the topic of hardware stores I hope you've done your market research. Most 'regular' people visit one of the Builders' Warehouse franchise stores (http://www.builders.co.za/), and there's not a lot of room in the market for the old 'neighbourhood store' any more simply because they cannot match the franchises' affordable prices or range of selection. Also, people tend to not do a lot of their own repairs because they stay mostly stay in rented places, so there aren't strong localised markets in the first place. That's a trend you'll see all across Johannesburg: stores are concentrated in mega malls and their satellite shops which serve a few surrounding suburbs, just to retain the volume they need. However, if you've got a new model of hardware store - e.g. one which is hip and trendy, with stellar customer service (e.g. Builders' staff often aren't the friendliest) and an attractive store layout then you may well set yourself apart, because the Johannesburg crowd sure do love having a good story to tell about this amazing experience they had where they never expected it.

Hope all that helps you, and good luck with Jozi (as Johannesburg is colloquially known)!

thank you so much Reillusioned .. can i add you somewhere else like skype or fb, have some queries in mind ?

Hi Team ,


I have few queries:

*can my dependent apply for jobs here ? or do we need to have work permit only to apply/search for the job ?
* how are the schools here, are they safe for the kids ? and how is the education system? what about pre-nursery schools?
* How much is the fees of the school and if we need to put our kid in day boarding or crèche  , are they safe and how well they take care of the kids?
* Do we have good job opportunities for a person who have a finance background and have 8 -10 years of job experience ?
* what's the opportunity we have for a non - it person ?

I am really looking forward to the earliest response.

Lol Arjun, what is a non-IT person? A chef? A gardener? A stamp-collector? If you're asking whether there are jobs for somebody who doesn't like or isn't able to work with computers, then yes ... generally these would be unskilled positions though, with low salaries.

I believe that dependents would need to apply for work permits of their own through the normal procedure (very restrictive - the company has to prove that they're unable to fill the position with any South African) - only the spouse of a South African citizen receives lighter restrictions as far as I know.

Talking about job opportunities, I recommend that you visit www.indeed.co.za - it's a useful website that searches all local South African job sites for whatever title you plug into it. That will give you a good idea of the experience level required and salary scales.

To answer your question directly, if you're asking whether there are high-paying job opportunities, then yes, there are. A lot of the big finance houses and banks are however governed by the country's Black Economic Empowerment recruitment policies, so just check whether you'll qualify. These institutions also tend to be more conservative employers, and do bear in mind that South Africa has a massive shortage of jobs at all levels (like pretty much any country these days).

In terms of schooling, South African schools are reasonably safe. The bigger concern is about the quality of schooling, but that's mostly in low-cost Government schools. Private schools are a lot better, but you can pay unbelievable rates (by South African standards) ... think R50 000+ / year easily. There is a fair middle-ground to trace, but you're going to want to ensure that you meet the school's enrollment policies (so get started on that early). In the end your choice will be limited by how many schools are within a driveable distance on your home-work commute.

Obviously I can only speak from my personal perspective, but I don't think that boarding schools are that popular in South Africa. It's probably largely a cost factor where education is expensive enough, but also it's probably to do with the culture ... very few schools offer boarding experiences, and from what I know the ones that do aren't particularly special. Especially if you're adjusting to a new country it's probably better to save the money and support your kids through the adjustment phase, but you'll know what's right for you.

You can tell I don't have kids, but I hope some of that helps you anyway!

thanks for your quick response.

I know I should have been more specific and really appreciate your response timing its really amazing.
I am not sure how we can describe a person , who is working in an IT company , but in support function of Sales / Finance.

Need one more help , how does the other couples manage their kids if both of them are working ? taking house help would be a good option then , would that not be costly ?

Hi Arjun - I have known people who've relied entirely on live-in help, but you'll find that in urban centres the cost of rented apartments is so high that it tends to discourage that arrangement. Domestic workers also tend to not be too sophisticated, and there's a lot of concern about safety ... if domestic workers don't steal valuables themselves, they might open up for thieves. All that said there are people who really rely on domestic workers and have long-lasting relationships with them, and the minimum salaries are extremely cheap (you can see that here: http://www.mywage.co.za/main/salary/min … ember-2014). I'm NOT recommending that you underpay your domestic worker (in fact that's likely to increase unhappiness and your risk of theft), just saying it's not completely unrealistic.

There are a growing number of companies through which you can sub-contract domestic services, and the idea is that these companies will be responsible for background checks and resolving any disputes. The other tried and trusted method is just to ask somebody you know if they have a domestic worker they trust, and then see if they have some extra capacity to work for you (part-time) or can refer you to somebody else they trust (e.g. a friend or family member).

There ARE a large number of daycare centres across every end of the financial spectrum, so that's another alternative.

  Thanks a ton for your help and advise. will look for the day care options along with pre-nursery school.

I have my office in Sandton, so hoping to get the right place to live in  and also finding secure place for my child's Schooling. I hope its safe place then the other areas ?
What about driver's license , how much time it would take to get the driving license or there is specific rules for it?

No problem Arjun, I'm happy to help - and hopefully it helps others too.

People always talk about 'Sandton' because it's the more prestigious commercial centre of Johannesburg, but I'd be a bit cautious about it. Like I've said here before, any suburb in Johannesburg has its 'nice' and its 'bad' areas ... people also tend to stretch the truth in Johannesburg a bit, calling pretty much anything in the northern half of Johannesburg 'Sandton'.

Because this is the 21st Century, you can ask your employers for their exact street address (if you don't know it already) and then enter that into Google Maps: www.google.co.za/maps. After your location has been found on the map, you can right-click and select 'What's here?' and then click on the Street View preview icon. That will open up Street View - all of Johannesburg has been captured in it, so you can virtually 'drive around' to get a feel for the areas.

This is obviously important to see whether the area is as nice as your new employers are claiming it is You can also get a real feel of the distance between your work and some residential suburbs. The biggest rule in Johannesburg is that the closer you can live to your work, the better (you will easily spend over an hour in traffic each way in rush-hour otherwise). Conversely, the rents are cheaper further away from the commercial centres, so it's a balancing act.

As for getting a driver's licence, I think it would be more difficult to do that in South Africa than in your home country. Here's the procedure though: http://www.services.gov.za/services/con … icle/en_ZA

Just be aware that waiting times can be months, and you'll first need a learner's licence (which you get after writing a theoretical test) and then you apply for a driver's licence after that (which is a practical test). The 'normal' car licence is a Code B.

I askng for someone to guide me on college in Johnessburge

Hi Reillusion,

What is the living cost in Johannesburg? I will be living in midrand and travelling to sandton for work.

Am a single person not with family. I prefer staying in a individual furnished room not sharing. I love traveling and exploring SA whenever i get change. Please help me with the minimal & maximum cost of living for a single person.
I may hire a car.


Regards
Mani

Hi Mani

If you're going to live in Midrand and travel to Sandton, you're going to have to get a car ... public transport is not an option. You *might* be able to take the Gautrain, but unless you're extremely lucky to be living and working on its station's doorsteps you'll be needing your own transport (or getting a lift with a co-worker - not ideal long-term).

I can tell you that long-term car rental is NOT cheap. For a basic car from a reputable company (Avis) you're looking at R6 000/month, for a rental! That's more than you'd pay to buy the same car over a standard 60 or 72 month loan (think half that), but then again banks aren't going to give you a loan that's longer than your permit (normally two years).

So, let's think of a few basic expenses here:
Rental: R5 500/month (cheap apartment in a security complex)
Electricity: R500/month
Groceries: R2000/month
Car rental: R6000/month [if you buy your own car you'll need to budget for car insurance - R1000]
Petrol (assuming at least 40km daily commute return): R2 000 (more if you want to go exploring)
Highway E-Tolls (not sure of cost): R1 000
Prepaid cellphone: R400
Prepaid cellphone databundle: R400
Entertainment: R2000
Clothing: R1000
Health Insurance: R2 000

And what do you know, you're already over the R20 000/month marker (a higher-than-average salary in South Africa). That means you'll need a gross salary of at least R25 000/month (R5 000 of that will be taxed).

What's the bottom line? If you're single in Johannesburg, you suffer with nobody to help share the expenses with you.

Then again, many foreigners who come to SA do so with high-paying IT related jobs, so they get by quite easily. It will all depend on your job and quality of lifestyle you want!

Hope that helps! Good luck.

Hi Reillusion,

Thanks a lot for your quick reply.

I just want to know about medical insurance... Is that medical treatment expense is very high in RSA? Will that cost me R2000 a month?

Medical insurance is to cover you in case you need to go into a private hospital. In South Africa - like most developing countries - the state hospitals provide a basic level of service, but you're much better off if you receive prompt treatment in a private hospital (primarily over-crowding and equipment reasons).

With crazy costs in a private Intensive Care Unit of R30 000+/day, you better bet you'll want medical insurance! Like pretty much anything else in South Africa, you take insurance against the worst happening so that you have peace of mind - especially useful in Johannesburg, where you do face a real risk of being seriously injured in a car accident (for example), or having your car stolen/hijacked (less of a problem if you're careful).

A nice thing about a medical aid scheme like DIscovery Health's Classic Saver package is that you get a certain amount (around R5 000/year) in an annual savings pocket, so they'll reimburse you for over-the-counter medicine or GP doctors' visits you make throughout the year (at most places you'll still have to pay upfront though and then submit the expenses to the medical aid to be repaid within a week).

Hi Reillusion,

Thanks for clarifying...

How much clubbing cost in the weekend..
Traveling to different location during the weekends... May be 1 or 2 night stay

I've got no clue of the clubbing costs, lol. I guess that depends how much you drink, right? It's not really my scene.

As for travelling away, I think you're getting ahead of yourself a bit. My guess is that the average Bed n Breakfast during off-peak times costs between R600 to R1000/night, so you'd have to add that to your petrol and sightseeing costs.

Rather focus on maximising your expendable money so that you can absorb any regular unforeseen costs, and then once you've got a few thousand saved you can go and do whatever you want. It's not the sort of thing I'd put in a fixed budget.

@reillusioned
Dear Sir, You look very informed and wise. Can i ask You to help me making a resonable budget for my moving to joburg? We are a family of 3, my baby is one year old, our montly income after tax will be R50000. How much should i consider for housing and general living?
How much for 2 secondhanded cars? Nursery school? Food? The new work will provide Med Aid.
Is it a decent money for a middle class non extravagant life style?
Thanks a milion for all the advice!
Italian mum

Italianmum1 wrote:

@reillusioned
Dear Sir, You look very informed and wise. Can i ask You to help me making a resonable budget for my moving to joburg? We are a family of 3, my baby is one year old, our montly income after tax will be R50000. How much should i consider for housing and general living?
How much for 2 secondhanded cars? Nursery school? Food? The new work will provide Med Aid.
Is it a decent money for a middle class non extravagant life style?
Thanks a milion for all the advice!
Italian mum

Hi Italian Mum

I reckon that R50 000 *after* tax will be very good for you! It's well beyond the average household income in South Africa, so you'll easily be able to make it work if you live a 'non extravagant lifestyle'.

My wife and I share a single car, and it might be something you'd like to consider. It will halve your fuel, insurance and car maintenance costs right off the bat, and give you valuable social bonding time in the car as you sit in Johannesburg's peak gridlock traffic Just figure out which one of you will be likely to need the car during the day, and the other one gets dropped off and picked up ... trust me, it works.

Another great reason to do this is safety: you'll feel safer in Johannesburg with your husband driving, and be less likely to be a victim of a hijacking or opportunistic smash-and-grab (single women drivers are like bait for criminals).

A final great reason is the up-front cost: you're better off buying a single good (i.e. more expensive) secondhand car than two cheap ones that'll give you both headaches. I'd personally recommend the Imperial Select range of used vehicles: http://www.imperialselect.co.za/used-cars

You can also look at www.carfind.co.za, which has a vast range of filters. As a rough rule of thumb, I'd say you're looking from a minimum of R90 000 for a secondhand hatchback (Polo Vivo or Hyundai i10 or Renault Sandero) and from R120 000 for a secondhand sedan (e.g.Toyota Corolla or Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent). One of my foreign co-workers arrived in South Africa and bought himself a used old Saab sedan for 'only' R35 000, and every single part of that car is already breaking down after only a few months ... saving money on used cars is always a decision you'll regret.

If you can't afford that sort of investment up-front, I've heard that foreigners do manage to qualify for bank loans, but normally have to pay really high deposits (I've heard of figures up to 50% of the cost) and higher-than-usual interest rates (an 'average' interest rate is probably around 12%). Visas are also only valid for two years at a time, so that's another issue to consider ... normal car loans are for 60 months, so for a much shorter period you'll be paying a LOT more per month.

Maybe a short-term solution will be a long-term car rental from Avis for six months, while you settle down and explore your options: http://www.avis.co.za/car-rental-specials/unbeatable-monthly-rates/MiniLease3to11Months.aspx (get the SuperWaiver option - you'll need it in the event of an accident). That will add R6 500 - R8 500 for a six month lease, but on your salary it'll be affordable.

Nursery school costs I've got no clue of, I'm not a parent. I recommend you locate a couple of options which will be close to where you live/on the way to work, and e-mail them for a better idea.

Rental costs in Johannesburg are limitless: my guess is that you'll want a two-bedroom apartment in a security complex to start off with, so you're probably looking around the R8 500/month option to start off with (look at www.privateproperty.co.za for some ideas). Try to avoid dealing with estate agents' formal listings in newspapers: they'll try get you to take an apartment for R15 000-R20 000/month, but for what benefit? Rather go with online listings, and be prepared to face some competition. I recommend you deal with a reputable agency for a starter apartment on a six month lease (just ignore estate agents who insist on pushing you into a one year contract). If you stay adamant on six months, you'll then have the flexibility to move to a better place once you are settled down and know what you want.

Don't forget about medical insurance: in South Africa you'll need that, because the public hospitals aren't up to your standards. Going with Discovery Health on the Classic Saver Plan (you won't need anything more expensive), you're probably looking at around R5 000/month for two adults and a child.

Your biggest expenses will be: Car, Apartment, Medical Insurance, Groceries. Get those budgeted for, and all the rest of it (the minor costs like prepaid cellphones and 3G data bundles) all fall into place easily.

The bottom line is: avoid any big commitments, keep as much 'free' money in your budget as possible for unexpected expenses, do have the necessary car and health insurance, and stay flexible.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions

Thanks! That was more or less what i figured . About the house i have to find a furnished place with 3 bedrooms( we are italian, can't avoid having a good turnover of family members visiting.....) so it might be more expensive. R13000 ? About utilities (electricity, water...) R1500? No need to consider MedAid because it's a benefit from work.
But Insurance, house + car ?????
Armed response????
Goceries for a family of three R7000????
Do You Think it's a resonable budget?
Thanks thanks thanks!!!!!!!!
ItalianMum

Furnished with three bedrooms? Italianmum, I have to advise against it.

I've been down the 'furnished' road myself, and regretted every minute of it. The sheer headache of having to account for somebody else's furniture at all times makes it not worth it, and the cost premium that is charged for furnished apartments is disproportionate.

Maybe you'll find it easier for the first six months as you arrive, but personally there's no substitute to putting your feet up on the couch and not worrying about damaging it because it's yours If you decide to go down the unfurnished road, you can check out http://www.makro.co.za/ for most of your appliance costs, and then beds will be your next biggest expense (try Dialabed for cheap options). A company like Economoves - who I faithfully utilised for like ten removals all over Johannesburg, with perfect service at all times and no breakages - will only charge you around R2 000/move, which is a fifth of what a more established removal company (the ones with the big trucks) will charge you. I'm just sharing them here because they might help somebody else reading this, even if not your family.

Insurance ... I recommend http://www.outsurance.co.za/. They've been very good for me. Remember to add the Car Rental option to your car insurance, because this will cover you with a free rental car in case your car needs to go in for repairs after an accident or is stolen. It's normally very cheap, but saves you a lot down the road. Also normally ask for a cheaper excess payment (an excess is the amount you'll be required to pay when lodging any claim - unscrupulous insurers try to offer you low premiums but then charge high excesses). Trust me, you don't want to be stuck paying R8 000 as an excess when somebody else has crashed into you, and you need to claim with your insurance! My excess is only R1 000.

As for how much you'll be paying, that's going to depend on your risk profile as an individual, and most importantly the areas where your car will be parked at work and at home (from security to the crime levels in the general area). You need to notify your insurer every time you move, so that they can update your policy. My 'guesstimate' is that you can expect to pay around R1 300/month for a single car's comprehensive insurance and household insurance. If you're staying in a furnished apartment I guess you won't be liable for covering its contents, only your own valuables, so that's fine. Outsurance covers from a minimum of R50 000 worth of household contents, which is normally more than enough. If you want, by the way, Outsurance can even offer you life insurance at the same time.

Armed response ... this will depend on the apartment you rent. If it comes with an alarm system in it, you should be able to get it activated. In my experience most apartments didn't come with an alarm system though (then again I wasn't renting in the R13 000 bracket lol, for just my wife and myself). We never had any problems at home. It's the whole point you stay in a security complex - there is an anonymous form of safety in numbers, and you can always phone the security gatehouse in an emergency and they'll call in their own armed response. It's not too expensive though, I believe around R1 000/month. Whatever helps you sleep at night! Rather look out for an apartment with burglar bars on all the windows and a security gate across the front door - that will give you a far greater sense of security, and will reduce your household contents insurance as a side-benefit.

Groceries: this will depend on where you shop and your taste in food. Are you a 'Woolworths Food' (higher prices, best quality) or a 'Pick n Pay'  (more mainstream) sort of family? For the latter, I'd say R7 000 is perfect for a family of three.

There you go ... hope that gives you some more peace of mind. Again I have to stress: Johannesburg is a city where you can be charged anything you like for anything .. simply due to the vast range of salaries from very low to super-high in the same city. Congrats on doing some research now, it's going to save you a lot of money later!

Thanks a lot for the advise. I will surely Think about the cars as You suggested.
I wish You a Happy new  year!
ItalianMum

You too Italianmum, let me know how it goes If you have any questions, I'm always around by messaging.

As for 3G - 8ta has prepaid deal for 1800 ZAR (60 GB day + 60 GB night), data valid one year.
http://www.telkommobile.co.za/plans/pre … 60gbpromo/
The only issue is coverage (needs to be checked before buying the bundle).

Thank you all for the infos, Just one more question; do you think is possible to live in morningside area and go to work in the center of Johannesburg? Is it the traffic maniac? How long can it takes? Thank!

Hi again ItalianMum1 ... Morningside is pretty much 'center of Johannesburg' already!

When you look at the map of Johannesburg on Google Streetview, so long as you're living 'inside the loop' of the main circle highway (the N1/N12) you'll be fine.

If your route will take you southbound on the M1 in the morning you can expect severe congestion, because everybody living in Pretoria comes in that way when they work in Sandton. The inverse is then true in the afternoons, as they all return back home.

For the best idea of actual travel times from anywhere to anywhere, I suggest you use Google Street View at the time of day (in South Africa - GMT+2) that you'll be looking at. It will tell you the actual travel times and delays from resulting traffic.

Another alternative is to use TomTom's Route Planner (which also shows you live traffic): http://routes.tomtom.com/

I think you should bargain at least 40 minutes in traffic if you're on the inside of the loop to travel to work, and one hour or more if you're outside it. That'd be pretty safe, anywhere to anywhere in peak times.

My personal recommendation is that you purchase a GPS like the TomTom Go 5000 Live (review on my blog). That has Live Traffic for life so it will help steer you around the worst of the traffic jams, and show you all sorts of short-cuts to help you at the start. It helped me a lot! It's a once-off cost of around R4000 in the stores here, but it's still the best deal for what it is (you get free map updates for life too).

Hi,

Myself and my partner have been offered jobs in Johannesburg, the office will be in Sandton I believe and the apartment they will put us up in is in Melrose & provide a driver to take us to and from work. We are keen to take the opportunity but I have reservations about whether a job is worth compromising our safety.

I can read the horror stories on the Internet and 'statistics' but I would prefer to hear from someone who has lived there.

Also I've been reading in the recent news about locals rioting because of immigrants taking jobs, again I don't want to put myself at unnecessary risk.

Any advise on the area and if we should be considering a short term move here will be greatly appreciated.

Brisbane123 wrote:

Hi,

Myself and my partner have been offered jobs in Johannesburg, the office will be in Sandton I believe and the apartment they will put us up in is in Melrose & provide a driver to take us to and from work. We are keen to take the opportunity but I have reservations about whether a job is worth compromising our safety.

I can read the horror stories on the Internet and 'statistics' but I would prefer to hear from someone who has lived there.

Also I've been reading in the recent news about locals rioting because of immigrants taking jobs, again I don't want to put myself at unnecessary risk.

Any advise on the area and if we should be considering a short term move here will be greatly appreciated.

The final call is yours but I have many SA friends and some who are in the security game in both SA and overseas and they tell me the situation is not good at all. Many SA are looking to get out now.
Tourism has dropped 70% in SA now. 
You can also check the Oz govt website regarding safety in SA.

Hi Brisbane. If you read older posts on this thread, you'll see a lot of practical advice I've shared that is still valid.

I lived in Johannesburg for three years and was never a victim of crime, so I think I'm qualified to say that it's possible.

There is a lot of crime in Johannesburg, no denying, but "a lot" is still relative to crime stats overseas. It is not like a war zone: you're not going to drive past gangs of armed thugs chasing innocent tourists, rest assured.

That said, crime is a numbers game and you don't want to make a target of yourself. Stay in a safe area (Melrose is luxury), in a safe security complex (never a private freestanding house) and minimise your exposure to driving at night, and you'll be just fine.

It just requires a change of mindset and some extra vigilance. Don't make yourself a target, it's that simple.

Once you get that right, Johannesburg is still a vibrant city with over two million residents, and they're all just living life. It has great career opportunities (just about every company has a head office either there or in neighbouring Midrand and Pretoria), and the best salaries in South Africa.

The one thing Johannesburg lacks is natural beauty. Sure, there are pockets of it, but it's mostly artificial compared to South Africa's amazing coastal areas. There's a reason I'm now living in Cape Town after all.

For a short to medium term stay, however, go for it. Just discuss your concerns with your employer.