johannesburg

6 BASICS
Crime and safety
Joburg has a poor reputation for safety – sometimes
deservedly so. The police force (the SAPS) isn’t always as
top-notch or as present as it needs to be, and the city’s Metro
Police often seem more intent on meeting targets for issuing
speeding fines than on bearing down on other dangerous
driving habits, like flying through red traffic lights, not wearing
safety belts, and driving on sidewalks or in emergency lanes
(a quirk of minibus taxi-drivers now emulated by impatient
drivers, often in four-wheel-drive vehicles). The truth about
safety is a shifting reality. A lot of opportunistic crime
takes place in dense city neighbourhoods and in suburban
neighbourhoods, where homes are targeted. You’ll notice the
ubiquitous guard huts, electric fencing and private-security
patrol cars in the wealthier northern suburbs, and the razor
wire in less affluent areas. Over the years people have
become unselfconscious about adding security features to
their homes. Our advice is to be aware rather than paranoid.
As in any other modern metropolis, you need to use your
head, know where you’re going, and not flash your cash or
valuables around. Consult a local to get a head’s up, but walk
away if they’re the type to tell you that the city is a no-go
area – you have just chosen the wrong local. When you plan
your first walk around the inner-city, consider a tour with one
of the many knowledgeable guides who offer them, or a City
Sightseeing Red Bus hop-on, hop-off tour to get the lay of
the land (see Tours and Getting Around).
24-hour city
The relentless pace slows in the evening, and many
restaurant kitchens close well before 22:00. Sunday nights
are quiet, and many restaurants, galleries and museums are
closed on Mondays. The city’s nightlife is scattered so plan
your night out in advance and call restaurants to check on
kitchen closing times. Convenience stores at petrol stations
are the most likely places to be open after hours if you need
basics like airtime for your cell phone.
Basic supplies: Caltex Petrol Station Cnr 4th St and 17th
Ave, Oaklands, tel. +27 11 483 3233. Pick ‘n Pay Express
BP Petrol Station Melrose Arch, 116 Corlett Dr, Birnam, tel.
+27 11 786 8644. Engen Petrol Station 270 Rivonia Rd,
Rivonia, tel. +27 11 803 0935. Engen Oxford Convenience
Centre 120 Oxford Rd, Rosebank, tel. +27 11 327 2448/9.
This branch has a Woolworths grocery store.
Pizza: Andiccio 24 3 Corlett Dr, Illovo, tel. +27 11 447
4603. Closes 02:00 most weekday nights and open 24
hours at weekends.
Fast food: McDonald’s, 157 Rivonia Rd, cnr Grayston Dr,
Sandton, tel. +27 11 883 0712. Drive-thru open 24 hours.
Restaurant 05:00–23:00.
Melville and Greenside are traditionally late-night haunts,
but staying out until the early hours doesn‘t deter Joburgers
from rising with the birds. Car traffic increases soon after
dawn, and you’ll see joggers, cyclists, domestic workers
and dog-walkers making their way through the suburbs in
the early morning.
Climate
Joburg has sunny days and, less frequently, not-so-sunny
days. The seasons mostly blend into each other, with
summer stretching from November to March and milder
temperatures setting in from April to May. Winter starts in
June and lasts until August. Spring (September and October)
is brief, and you’ll know it by the distinctive purple haze that
the blooming jacaranda trees cast across the city’s northern
suburbs. Summer temperatures average 25 °C (77 °F), with
winter days dropping to a low of around 15 °C (59 °F). Winter
Johannesburg In Your Pocket
nights can dip to 4 °C (39 °F), and each year you’ll hear
locals complain that it is the coldest winter ever. The reason
Joburgers feel the cold so intensely is because homes and
hospitality establishments generally are not designed with
adequate insulation and winter weather in mind. Summer
is when it rains and Joburg has its trademark afternoon
thundershowers, with spectacular lightning displays and the
occasional rainbow to match.
Climate
Safety tips
• If you’re staying in a hotel, lock up valuables in the
room or hotel safe
• When driving, always keep valuables in the boot of
the car rather than on the passenger seat. Keep the
windows up and the doors locked
• Don’t leave valuable items visible in a parked car
• Don’t stroll down a street talking on your cellphone
• Pay attention to what is going on around you
• Don’t show off expensive jewellery, watches or
cameras
• Never accept help from strangers at an ATM
• Opt for using an ATM inside a bank or mall
• Areas such as Alexandra, Hillbrow, Yeoville and
Joubert Park should only be visited with a tour guide
Emergency numbers
Police emergency Dial 10111 to contact a national
call centre that can assign a patrol vehicle to attend to
a crime incident
Fire and ambulance Dial 10177
Cellphone networks Dial 112 from any cellphone to
be connected to a 24-hour emergency-service operator.
This is a free call
Medical emergency Dial 082 911 to connect to Netcare
911’s 24-hour operations centre, or 084 124 for
ER24. Both are private emergency medical services
The telephone code is +27 11, or
011 from a landline.
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