Be alert when walking/driving in Soweto and other Soweto, South Africa Warning Or Danger Tips

Some parts are not safe and it is a maze in many parts.

Unfortunately, as unemployment is so high here, petty (and worse) crime are rampant in many parts of Soweto, and tourists are seen as easy prey.

The majority of people living here, even though they might live in squalor and conditions well beneath that which we are used to, are good, honest people.

But it only takes one bad egg in a thousand to change things… and there are many burglaries, rapes, gun shootings, car hijackings that take place here.

Be alert, take precautions (not wearing expensive jewellery, showing your purse etc.), be friendly and enjoy it. But don’t go in alone, go with a tour group or a local that you know

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I had some hair raising experiences when I wondered where the driver had bought his licence, but I have had far more good experiences, they are friendly and drive fine, albeit too fast and stopping anywhere they like, which can often be very dangerous.

My husband once saw a taxi driver driving a taxi using a crowbar, as it didn’t have a steering wheel! He was shocked. Many taxis are not roadworthy.

BUT they are a necessity in the township, the only way many can get around, as buses aren’t flexible with routes, and dont come often enough.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of people commute to and fro Soweto and the outskirts of, to central Johannesburg, going to work.

And, giving the huge volume of taxis that ferry people to and fro, few accidents actually do happen.

BUT we wary which taxi you get into, see if it looks roadworthy on the outside etc. If the steering wheel is missing, do not get in... and if the bumper is held on with a piece of rope... don't get in there too...

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