Originally Posted by letiole

[B]Into Jo'BeOur drive to Sandton might as well have been called The Crime Tour. Our driver kept a running commentary: “This off ramp we’re about to take is the most popular for carjackings.” “See all the barbed wire around the houses? Crime here is worse than you’ve probably heard.” “See all the buildings of Johannesburg – it’s not safe to go there. The businesses have all moved out and they’re filled with squatters. There are 18 murders a day. I don’t go there.” You develop strategies for staying safe, he told us. Those who get caught in it usually make a “mistake” such as actually stopping at a red light or doing as a visiting reporter from Cape Town did a few months back: pulling over to use her cellphone when she was lost, rather than driving while phoning. I didn’t tell him I’d arranged a driver to take us downtown shortly.