New posting in Johannesburg - any advice?

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 24 April 2012 - 09:59

Like a previous poster mentioned Joburg isnt the best that SA has to offer but it is still a very nice place People are very freindly Drivers in JHB is considered to be the craziest in SA but compared to Dubai - its like driving miss daisy - people are curteous There's quite a few long weekends - so lots of oppurtunity to explore the country Generally good customer service There are places in SA where people dont lock thier doors some dont have locks on thier doors but johannesburg isnt one of them Thier are 9 pronvinces and each one is like a country on its own one of the best things about south african - your not tied into a one year rent contract - so once you get there you can get a feel for the place and what suits you before you decide for certain where you are going to stay etc my recommendation is to find a nice gated community near to your husbands place of work - traffic can get crazy every neighbourhood has at least one golf course estate or similar . These places are usually enclosed and entrance is monitored - within these estates thier are usually nice parks pools walking trails etc that are reserved exclusively for the residents (and the heavy security gaurding the estate hopefully keeps the criminal element out) E.g in Midrand you get blue valley golf estate - a beautiful estate where the houses dont have fences or gates nice sqaush courts etc in Kayalami and carlswald you also get alot of nice complex's as we call them Closer to fourways is a very very nice and popular amoungst the expats estate called DAINFERN Every single neighbourhood regardless of where in SA you go - has at least one of these "posh" estates where you can get a nice house or in dubai language a nice big Villa with nice facilities for you and the kids for the fraction of the cost in dubai check out this website for sales and rentals www.privateproperty.co.za (3 years ago someone i know rented a gorgeuos and big house in a very nice complex for approx 120aed per annum) a 3 bed family house / villa in a gated community not security estate would cost approx 60aed per annum The crawford schools are similar to the Gems schools in terms of qaulity etc crime - it is a problem - most of it is poverty driven so the criminals want your possesions more than anything else so simple things like dont leave your Ipad's phones bags etc in you car in the parking lot - at traffic signals be weary of people hanging around the traffic lights - unfortunately when driving you have to always be alert and public transport is not the best and probably better if you avoid it - the new gautrain (metro) and buses along the cape town coast arent too bad there is really so much more i could tell you i love south africa - its a beautiful and diverse country and someday i will return I hope you have a lovely stay there and if you ever have any questions id be happy to answer them but i am quite certain once you get to SA - you will make freinds who will happily show you around in no time

RATE IT

Aryanwynn8474

355

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 23:52

Hi Rach I lived there for many years. Joesy is a great city, very diverse and one of the prettiest because there are so many trees for such a large city. Traffic can be horrific so it will depend on where the work is - Jhb is huge. As a general rule the Northern Suburbs are "better" , but there are some nice ones South too. At a time the crime was worse there because of the so called affluence. For crime, I would avoid any area close to a township or on a direct highway route to one; gated communities are very popular and many roads to suburbs have been closed with communities paying private security companies to patrol and boom off areas. Unfortunately crime is still a factor to bear in mind. Forget public transport for the kids or the possibility of walking to parks or school or shops alone, it is just not worth the risk. I would also bear in mind schooling - private or public? The East Rand has become quite popular so housing is not as affordable as it was, but the traffic is shocking. Not sure about the West Rand. Public schools are subject to zoning; there are still some good ones around. Elliot and Pickfords are good SA companies - the problem with moving is that the staff this side is of course completely different to the unpacking staff and we found that UAE is better in this respect. On the SA side they tend to be less attentive to detail, so I would check on the SA side - (look at hellopeter dot com for complaints and praises to give you a good idea). Not sure about pet transport: I would think the companies here would be better to ask. Here is a site giving some pet immigration info .http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/SouthAfrica.cfm. Oh you will have a wonderful life there, congratulations - when I think of all the culture, the wonderful education, those stunning highveld thunderstorms you get nowhere else in the world, the amazing people, the fantastic wildlife not far away and diversity of birds even in the city... hope you have a wonderful wonderful time there :)

RATE IT

burnsie000

149

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 23:43

My first comment is WHY ? Joburg! :) Just joking!! but, Not really :) um where are you originally from? Joburg is definitely not my first choice when it comes to SA, but I guess you maybe didn't have a choice in that matter. Sandton, Bryanstan - I have friends who are really happy in those areas. But depends where work is for you? Have you got kiddies? Look it's going to be a major culture shock and different way of life. Locking your doors and looking over your shoulder are going to become second nature to you. SA is BEAUTIFUL! Thankfully you moving there just at the end of winter... and that's a beautiful time of year!

RATE IT