Originally Posted by
simon50
My apologies Cheetah_SA, it was a callous and unnecessary remark and one I am totally unqualified to make.
My friend managed a bank in Durban for many years and only felt the need to move his wife and young children after being held up at gun point three times (twice by the same person). He sold his main property ten years ago which gave him enough to get a foothold in the London property market. He has been trying to sell his remaining South African property for some time now and has dropped the price twice.
While he has advised me to avoid JNB and DUR, he always sings the praises of CPT as a must see.
Simon
Oh, I wasn't at all offended by the remark! I work in asset management and hear both pro and anti opinions from the analysts all the time. I was just sounding a word of caution not to bank on the direction of the rand - it has a tendency to fluctuate widely. I've long since stopped trying to time the purchase of foreign currency. Given that I travel regularly it seems to even out over time if I just buy it when I need it.
And as for personal safety: sadly, as much as Cape Town is a delightful place, it is not without violent crime.
It's all a matter of degree, I'm afraid.