Saffers

[OomStruisbaai]

Lived in Paarl for 1997 to 2016. Best schools to select from.

[Sards]

Yeah not always the case, here in Joburg there are loads of private schools/colleges in some districts that cost a small fortune to keep kids there. So if you live there you either need to try get your kids into a school on the other side of the city or cough up the money. Academics wise they tend to be pretty good but they normally do not offer much in the area of sports with few or no sporting facilities yet easily cost more that most schools. My one friend has a kid in one of these colleges, luckily for her she earns quite a bit of money as a lawyer. I think she pays in the region of 15k/month if I remember correctly. But yeah it is basically a British school and once you are done you have your British A-levels I believe on top of your SA matric. They are filled with a lot of expat children though.
These private colleges seem to pop up like mushrooms all over Gauteng though and there is always a new one advertising enrollment every year.

I would have hated going to a school like that though that does not offer any competitive sports as competitive sports where a big part of my life until my early 20's when a brain operation cut my sports career short. So being in a school where I could not play any sports would have been torture for me.

Oh no. Getting whacked as easy beats every time you play. No thanks at all.
Sports is the best way to keep the kids out of trouble and in a good crowd. Kids are so impressionable and they can't go walking the streets like we used to as kids. Playing pac man at the corner shop

[assfly]

Your nearest school is your best school.

Nonsense.

[assfly]

Are those fees per term or annual?

[OomStruisbaai]

Are those fees per term or annual?

annual. It include boardingfees

[Deepsouth]

Listen to you. Still fighting over the scraps. It's over.....

[assfly]

Are those fees per term or annual?

annual. It include boardingfees

Interesting. The most school on that list is still considerably cheaper than an international school in East Africa, but a long shot. Probably explains why some Kenyans send their kids to SA for education.

[Slick]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

[assfly]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

Cape Townians in 3, 2, 1....

When it's described like that, it sounds worse than it is. In Joburg you're unlikey to catch many middle-class people walking to the shopping centre largely becuase the city has been built for people with cars and distances between places are great.

Also, there are lots of (middle class) townhouse complexes that contain shops, swimming pools, lots of neighbours and they're much safer for kids to run around in.

South Africa also does have a large, poor, unemployed population which has caused crime be very high, as in many other developing countries.

But on weekends you'll still see people out and about, doing Parkrun, heading out into the bush, etc.

European cities are designed differently and have evolved in a much more "socialist" way due to a ver different history. Safe public transport is also a major difference between the two.

[OomStruisbaai]

Country towns are different. But yes I won't let my kid walking freely in the bigger towns and cities. You get use to this. Visiting Korea it was something that catch my eye immediately. Kids travelling at night in public transport, people leaving their phones on table when going to the toilets, ext. Crime only catch you when you get confronted with it.

[Sandstorm]

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

It's been like that for 25+ years. Just like many other large cities like Mexico City, Detroit, Rio - there's loads of crime and having a stroll Edinburgh/Tokyo/Stockholm-stylee just isn't recommended.

[Chilli2]

My kid has 800 ha to play on.


Just be careful of the snakes.

[assfly]

My kids would get eaten alive by kids their same age in the UK. Kids seem to grow up faster there.

[Calculon]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

Cape Townians in 3, 2, 1....

When it's described like that, it sounds worse than it is. In Joburg you're unlikey to catch many middle-class people walking to the shopping centre largely becuase the city has been built for people with cars and distances between places are great.

Also, there are lots of (middle class) townhouse complexes that contain shops, swimming pools, lots of neighbours and they're much safer for kids to run around in.

South Africa also does have a large, poor, unemployed population which has caused crime be very high, as in many other developing countries.

But on weekends you'll still see people out and about, doing Parkrun, heading out into the bush, etc.

European cities are designed differently and have evolved in a much more "socialist" way due to a ver different history. Safe public transport is also a major difference between the two.

In Stellenbosch it's still very much the case of kids cyclng and walking to school, walking to the shops, playing in the parks

[assfly]

In Stellenbosch it's still very much the case of kids cyclng and walking to school, walking to the shops, playing in the parks

I think Stellenbosch and parts of Cape Town are definitely the exception to the rule. Not just from a crime point of view, but how these areas were developed.

[Slick]

Well I'm glad its not quite a s bad as was being portrayed, it didn't quite tally with thousands of folk being out at the rugby every weekend etc, although I'm sure that is probably a bit of a bubble in itself.

[Sandstorm]

Well I'm glad its not quite a s bad as was being portrayed, it didn't quite tally with thousands of folk being out at the rugby every weekend etc, although I'm sure that is probably a bit of a bubble in itself.

I think yes. Also many Saffers on their travels love to tell their hosts how horrifically dangerous the country is and how brave they are just getting out of bed.
It's a lot of bullshit.

[OomStruisbaai]

In Stellenbosch it's still very much the case of kids cyclng and walking to school, walking to the shops, playing in the parks

I think Stellenbosch and parts of Cape Town are definitely the exception to the rule. Not just from a crime point of view, but how these areas were developed.

Problem with Stellenbosch and Paarl is the amount of vokking Bergies.

[assfly]

Well I'm glad its not quite a s bad as was being portrayed, it didn't quite tally with thousands of folk being out at the rugby every weekend etc, although I'm sure that is probably a bit of a bubble in itself.

I think yes. Also many Saffers on their travels love to tell their hosts how horrifically dangerous the country is and how brave they are just getting out of bed.
It's a lot of bullshit.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

[Blake]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

It's more a case of SA not really having walkable cities. Most upper-middle class people (that can afford to go to Europe for rugby) live in suburbia where urban planning is very car-centric like it is in the USA. So everything is sprawled out and parents drive kids back and forth and have long commutes to work and back.

Older European cities are much better designed to be walkable and I've always enjoyed visiting them and not needing a car to get around.

[OomStruisbaai]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

It's more a case of SA not really having walkable cities. Most upper-middle class people (that can afford to go to Europe for rugby) live in suburbia where urban planning is very car-centric like it is in the USA. So everything is sprawled out and parents drive kids back and forth and have long commutes to work and back.

Older European cities are much better designed to be walkable and I've always enjoyed visiting them and not needing a car to get around.

Towns like Franshoek & Hermanus is great tourist towns

[Slick]

I come in peace.

I'll start this by saying I've spend a fair bit of time travelling in SA, although not in the last 10 or so years, and absolutely love the country. If circumstances, both mine and of the country, had been a little bit different I'm 100% confident I'd have moved over.

Anyway, I spoke to quite a few Saffers over the weekend and had a great time. All very friendly and polite - to me at least, maybe not their wives . One thing that kept coming up when I asked if they were enjoying Edinburgh was "yes, it has taken a time to get used to the freedom and just being able to walk around the streets" and " It's amazing to see so many kids walking around, playing in playgrounds, out on their bikes". Literally everyone I spoke with was saying that things had got to the point where it was pretty much home - school/office - back again, with hardly any opportunity to get out and about.

Has it really got this bad? The majority of folk I spoke with were from Jo'burg/Pretoria (and still lived there) but the picture they painted was frankly, hellish.

On a lighter note, almost to a man, the second thing they wanted to talk about was meat, which I found very amusing.

It's more a case of SA not really having walkable cities. Most upper-middle class people (that can afford to go to Europe for rugby) live in suburbia where urban planning is very car-centric like it is in the USA. So everything is sprawled out and parents drive kids back and forth and have long commutes to work and back.

Older European cities are much better designed to be walkable and I've always enjoyed visiting them and not needing a car to get around.

I'm sure that's true, but it wasn't really their point which was that even if you wanted to, you couldn't

[Blake]

I'm sure that's true, but it wasn't really their point which was that even if you wanted to, you couldn't

You can, it's just ill advised because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When everything is far and nobody walks or cycles, then there are more cars on the busy throughways making them dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists and because there are fewer of those in general, the side roads are very quiet making people easy targets for muggings.

If more people were walking and cycling there would be more witnesses and fewer opportunities for muggers. At least that's the way I see it, but unfortunately, like with many other cities, unless there is an overhaul of urban design with a focus on walkable public spaces it is unlikely to change for the better.

[Sandstorm]

I'm sure that's true, but it wasn't really their point which was that even if you wanted to, you couldn't

You can, it's just ill advised because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When everything is far and nobody walks or cycles, then there are more cars on the busy throughways making them dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists and because there are fewer of those in general, the side roads are very quiet making people easy targets for muggings.

If more people were walking and cycling there would be more witnesses and fewer opportunities for muggers. At least that's the way I see it, but unfortunately, like with many other cities, unless there is an overhaul of urban design with a focus on walkable public spaces it is unlikely to change for the better.

You can't solve a city's safety issues with new parks and bike lanes. You have to tackle the crime and poor policing in South Africa, then the streets naturally become safer and people will venture out again without their cars.

Of course this won't ever happen, so change is impossible. Sad, because SA is a country with great weather and lots of lovely places to walk in a city.

[_Os_]

I'm sure that's true, but it wasn't really their point which was that even if you wanted to, you couldn't

You can, it's just ill advised because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When everything is far and nobody walks or cycles, then there are more cars on the busy throughways making them dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists and because there are fewer of those in general, the side roads are very quiet making people easy targets for muggings.

If more people were walking and cycling there would be more witnesses and fewer opportunities for muggers. At least that's the way I see it, but unfortunately, like with many other cities, unless there is an overhaul of urban design with a focus on walkable public spaces it is unlikely to change for the better.

Slick said he was talking to people from Joburg/Pretoria. We can assume a high probability they're living in the gated communities built in the last 30 years (they're rich enough to tour Europe, we're not talking Brakpan), and it's exactly like you describe. The people that move to those places do so because of real concerns (rational), fear (rational/irrational), paranoia (irrational), racism (irrational). The suburbs/towns they or their parents come from are designed in a more normal way, the places they move to are laagers and not normal at all. It's more a Gauteng thing, not enough economic success in Durban to build an entirely new city around the old city.

Overall malls have been a terrible idea. SA now has 2000 of them, similar mall floorspace to the UK in a smaller economy. Long past the point of new malls competing with the old malls. It's an underappreciated reason for CBDs dying. Even in the UK they now talk about "the death of the high street (meaning the CBD)", the subtext being there's no reason to go there/high crime (in my experience a total myth)/high amount of immigrants (which in the UK is often used as shorthand for people who aren't white, which is visibly true). As you say it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, doesn't take many people to decide places designed to be walkable are shit/violent, for businesses there to become unviable.

I'll also say Saffas travelling through the UK often get a false impression. The usual for those that move to the UK is this: thinks the UK will provide a higher quality of life (total fucking madness), moves to the UK finds they can only afford to live in a bit of a shithole and everything is expensive even earning £, discovers what the local chavs are like (having previously thought white English speakers would be like those in SA, which are basically a single class/culture), never leaves the house (not enough money/shit weather/depressed/cold locals), if they have them the kids are not allowed out of the house at all other than planned activities (don't want them to become chavs), does not reassess how they see the world and re-emigrates to Aus/NZ rather than returning to SA. Seen it multiple times. Amusingly I've discovered it's similar for Indians, but they prefer Canada.

[Calculon]

I'm sure that's true, but it wasn't really their point which was that even if you wanted to, you couldn't

You can, it's just ill advised because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When everything is far and nobody walks or cycles, then there are more cars on the busy throughways making them dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists and because there are fewer of those in general, the side roads are very quiet making people easy targets for muggings.

If more people were walking and cycling there would be more witnesses and fewer opportunities for muggers. At least that's the way I see it, but unfortunately, like with many other cities, unless there is an overhaul of urban design with a focus on walkable public spaces it is unlikely to change for the better.

You can't solve a city's safety issues with new parks and bike lanes. You have to tackle the crime and poor policing in South Africa, then the streets naturally become safer and people will venture out again without their cars.

Of course this won't ever happen, so change is impossible. Sad, because SA is a country with great weather and lots of lovely places to walk in a city.

you only have to look at america to to see that is complete nonsenese

[Sards]

I just want to go fishing


Tired of this year. Had enough already.

[OomStruisbaai]

I just want to go fishing


Tired of this year. Had enough already.

We had the SA senior national shore angling this week.

[Sards]

I just want to go fishing


Tired of this year. Had enough already.

We had the SA senior national shore angling this week.

Saw that. A big event. Nice money spinner.
We are booked st Die Dam on the 20th , 21st and 22nd.

Just around the corner
Just 5 of us. Me my mate and 3 boys

I want to look at a boat that's housed at Pearly beach that weekend.
A well rigged 14.6 skicraft.
It's a las to get there just to see

[OomStruisbaai]

I just want to go fishing


Tired of this year. Had enough already.

We had the SA senior national shore angling this week.

Saw that. A big event. Nice money spinner.
We are booked st Die Dam on the 20th , 21st and 22nd.

Just around the corner
Just 5 of us. Me my mate and 3 boys

I want to look at a boat that's housed at Pearly beach that weekend.
A well rigged 14.6 skicraft.
It's a las to get there just to see

My son is doing volunteer work at the NSRI, station 20, Struisbaai. Now a trainer after a year. They got a 10 earlier this year. He really enjoy the NSRI. Learned a lot of the sea and super fit. Now this is his sport. By far the best team to play for, saving lifes.

[Sandstorm]

You can, it's just ill advised because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

When everything is far and nobody walks or cycles, then there are more cars on the busy throughways making them dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists and because there are fewer of those in general, the side roads are very quiet making people easy targets for muggings.

If more people were walking and cycling there would be more witnesses and fewer opportunities for muggers. At least that's the way I see it, but unfortunately, like with many other cities, unless there is an overhaul of urban design with a focus on walkable public spaces it is unlikely to change for the better.

You can't solve a city's safety issues with new parks and bike lanes. You have to tackle the crime and poor policing in South Africa, then the streets naturally become safer and people will venture out again without their cars.

Of course this won't ever happen, so change is impossible. Sad, because SA is a country with great weather and lots of lovely places to walk in a city.

you only have to look at america to to see that is complete nonsenese

Thanks for explaining your point of view, so eloquently. Twat.

[Sards]

I couldn't wait till late December. Took a drive up to Pearly beach this past weekend. The boat is a beaut. Remember I have been looking for a very long time and this one was on the radar. I just didn't have time to get there
I wanted a 15 foot. Had a 17 foot and it's great out to sea. But too big and heavy for river/ estuary fishing. I wanted a Ski craft because it's a boat designed for Cape conditions. Standard runs 2 x 30hp motors. This one has 2 x 40s which gives it about 38ks on water. To ski you need at least 30ks. It has a ski bar, boat and motor covers and a Bimini frame. Very neat layout with seating for 4. That was another requirement. Motors are in excellent condition. Hasn't got much tackle storage but I can sort that out. It's a neat and clean boat. I have seen some dogs. It's getting it's updated buoyancy certificate today and I will take ownership on Thursday


Bluey