South Africa: Grand Larceny & Great Anticipation

We were robbed of $14,000, but I'm delighted to be in Joburg & to discover a splendid hotel

My television crew and I landed in Johannesburg after 15 hours of flying--eight hours from JFK to Dakar, Senegal, where our South African Airways Airbus refueled, then another seven hours to Joburg.

Our shuttle from the airport to the hotel where we’d overnight before heading south for safari passed construction for a train that will link Joburg with its airport, a link that will be completed by 2010, when South Africa hosts the world largest sporting event, the World Cup. Modern highways and billboards gave the outskirts of Joburg the look of any other big city in the world, but the rows of small homes in a dusty, treeless township remind a visitor that this is a country still emerging from decades of enforced segregation.

The first township I saw was a mostly black community, and the second was a bit more upscale peopled largely by South Africans of Indian descent. Our driver told me that an Indian neighborhood is often the buffer between a black township and a more affluent, white neighborhood. He also told me that, residentially speaking, walls are a status symbol—the higher the wall, the more expensive the house.

Sure enough, after passing the Indian district, we soon arrived in Sandhurst, a wealthy suburb dotted with corporate offices of cosmetic and computer companies and homes with high walls and high security. Crime is a problem in South Africa (an unemployment rate of 25% doesn’t help), though a Joburg police report just released indicates a slight decline in violent crime accompanied by a sharp rise in the racket du jour, the blowing up of ATMs. (A bit more about our experience with ATM crimes in a moment.)

Interestingly, unlike most American cities where law enforcement officials release neighborhood-by-neighborhood crime rates, South Africa won’t reveal those stats for fear that such numbers would stigmatize certain sections of town. Which, of course, is true, though locals certainly know the difference between safe and unsafe neighborhoods.

The foregoing may suggest that South Africa is a destination to be avoided. That would be an enormous mistake. It’s a stunningly beautiful country with lovely people and a well developed tourism infrastructure. Locals and visitors who take appropriate precautions will be as safe as they would be in the US. The operative phrase is “appropriate precautions," and more on that in a moment, too.

Joburg is a common stopping-off spot for visitors headed to safari in other parts of South Africa, and lucky is the traveler who can stay in one of the 24 rooms at Saxon, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World where we spent our first night.

From the manicured gardens that line the drive to the reception area (Saxon was once a private estate) to the enormous, infinity-edge pool that fronts the open-air bar and restaurant, this is an intimate resort of the highest standard. Plush bedding, large bathrooms with generous showers and Molten Brown toiletries and unusually large, well appointed rooms help ease the aches of a long flight. (Though I’d add that movies-on-demand and friendly service on SAA in economy class make the flight more bearable than the thought of 15 or 16-hour flight might suggest.)

Staying at Saxon is like staying at a very comfortable, up-to-date English country home with an African accent. Dramatic public spaces and a décor that would please Ralph Lauren made it difficult to leave after only one night’s stay. We dined outside at night poolside on perfectly tender springbok and a rich salmon from Scotland. Only an early morning flight to Port Elizabeth and safari country prevented us from using the chic health club and the heated pool.

My next blog post will be on the glories of a six-day safari on South Africa’s Eastern Cape, one of life’s great experiences.

But first a discouraging word about crime, one of life’s less great experiences.

Every visitor to South Africa is warned to be careful while using ATMs, as robbery of people making withdrawals is a big problem. En route between the Joburg airport and the Saxon, we asked our driver if there was an ATM we might be able to use so we’d have some rands (the local currency) for tipping and small purchases. I hadn’t been able to readily find one at the Joburg airport after emerging from customs.

We pulled into a modern gas station where several of us withdrew cash from an ATM inside the retail part of the station. In retrospect, there were two strange things about that stop.

First, the ATM did not return a receipt after our withdrawals. And immediately after we stepped up to use the ATM, an unusually long line of locals stepped up behind us, as well. They were eager to show us how to use the ATM, and at that moment, we should have walked away.

I shielded my PIN number, but three members of our group were less successful in doing so. My co-executive producer’s bank account was emptied of $10,000 over the course of the next five days. (As we were in the bush on safari, we weren’t monitoring our bank accounts or making other withdrawals that would have revealed a sharply declining balance.) Our sound man’s account was looted of $1,500, and $2,500 was drained from a third crew member’s account.

Since the perpetrators didn’t have our ATM cards or account numbers, clearly the ATM was compromised, and a copying device recorded those account numbers. We’ll have to fill out affidavits with our banks swearing some $14,000 in charges and withdrawals weren’t made by us; meanwhile, the bad guys hit a big score.

These kinds of scams are not unique to South Africa, so please take our experience as a warning: If you’re not alone at an ATM anywhere, either take a pass on using it or let anyone lurking behind you in a suspicious way use the machine before you.

And a footnote: I often check the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s web site for warnings about other countries as I find the US State Department’s warnings and advisories overly alarming. The Aussies recommend not withdrawing cash from an ATM at the Joburg airport as criminals will sometimes follow passengers to their hotels to rob them. Don’t accept unsolicited offers for transportation at the airport. Assaults and robberies have also taken place on commuter trains between Joburg and Pretoria as well as on commuter trains in Cape Town. Hikers on Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town have also been attacked. There is luggage theft and pilferage at Joburg and Cape Town airports, so don’t put electronics, jewelry, cameras or other valuables in checked luggage—good advice anywhere.

I know, I know—by know you might be thinking, “Why would I ever want to go to South Africa?”

In a few days, I’ll tell you why.