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You see , there is a middle path here that is more accurate. I like your courage at speaking what you see as the truth, missingsa, and I think you do have some valid points there. We need to sit up and take notice instead of just accepting the crime around us. And there are people doing this, but not enough yet.
Yet, BB has a valid point that crime is rife mainly in big cities. Of course there is crime elsewhere, but much much less, and often of the petty variety. You must also remember that small towns know everyone there, so a thief would find it difficult to hide from anyone.
The crime is high in South Africa, but as many people overseas will tell you, other countries - and first-world ones, at that - often also have high murder rates and other crimes in certain areas. The Bronx is one that comes to mind as an immediate example.
I come into contact with people on a regular basis who have experienced crime, but it's not every day, and sometimes several days go by without seeing such a person. It is a problem, but it is also dramatically blown out of all proportion, as is the whim of human beings.
Crime in Kruger, I suspect, will be a non-entity for many decades to come. It is only a gut-feel, but I'm mostly right with my intuitions.

Most of us living in cities in South Africa have learnt to live defensively and take it for granted. It is important to let our tourists know of the potential dangers and how to avoid being a victim.

I am not a paranoid person, but I use a lot of common sense. I avoid certain areas and travel at safer times. I often travel alone and I have never felt unsafe.

One of the problems we have at the moment is a very mobile population with "no fixed abobe". This means policing can be very difficult and this compounds the problem. Crime is highest in any country where there is a fast moving population.

As far as reaction to crime... it is an enormously difficult situation needing a thorough upgrade of both our legal and policing systems. It is however happening. When I left Berg n Dal yesterday, there were two very official looking oficers stopping cars and checking ID's close to Afsaal.

As far as Kruger goes.... yes, I have been robbed blind The perpetrators were working in a gang and determined to gain access to their most desired treats, "woolies nut bars".

Now I live defensively in Kruger as well.

Well Lucy, As I said elsewhere, I lived in South Africa for ten years by choice, so to some extent I do know it. It is a wonderful country but because of unemployment and poverty in surrounding countries, South Africa is a more than a magnet for desperate people, there are problems.

When I visited four years ago, my friends had a doberman in the house, they did not drive on the road from Cape Town - Hermanus - Cape Town after dark and they are determined to stay and they fully support South Africa's future.

But me, as I had lived there in the past, I noticed all the changes.

The Kruger's safety is very important because it is respected and recognised as in the forefront and leading conservation area for African Wildlife.

In fact, there are only two thousand lion in the whole of Kenya.

I just wish the international aid SA receives, was more direct and that if the government tackles the crime, they then give special tax breaks for companies to settle in SA and provide employment.

Really, I think the whole crime thing has become a bit of a hype. Sure, there is crime but the hysteria is excessive and damaging towards overseas visitors and South Africans alike.
Most South Africans hopefully know that not every second person they meet are out to rob, kill or rape them. Getting overseas visitors believing this is in fact close to the case, is doing them and us a great disservice.
And the park is one of the safest, most beautiful places in South Africa. Please come visit it and us.

Just curious here, it has been mentioned before of old days and no keys for untis. Today we have keys, my curiosity is, were the locks and keys installed because people requested them or felt more comfortable with them or because the park felt it necessary.

At night when you sleep,
a)do you lock your unit?
If you do, do you lock the unit because of habit(because you can) or because you feel unsafe?

b) Do you feel unsafe in the safari tents, what about campers who cannot lock up tents?

So do we lock out of fear or do we lock because the lock is there and we are programmed to lock locks.

I have often slept without locking.

Robert, I lock the door because of habit, I think most of us are so use of locking that we do when we have a lock!

I don't feel unsafe in the Safari tents at all, but I do put the latch on. The reason for that is to prevent animals from entering!

RobertT I suspect the locks were put there because there were asked for by visitors.

I lock the door. I think its sends out a signal - "This is private, if you have no business here please do not come in". We all have a need for personal space and privacy.

I totally agree. I've been going to Kruger for 20 years now, and the only belongings of mine that were actually stolen, were taken by the resident baboon troop at Berg-en-Dal

you know.....I thought very long and hard before posting this..and it seems that the voices in my head will not let me be at peace until I put in my 2cents worth, so here it is :

I have lived in South Africa my ENTIRE life.....without Incident. I have lived in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Plettenberg Bay before settling down in Cape Town again, and I can honestly say not once in my life have I had an unpleasant experience, I have never had a house robbery, I have never been Hi-Jacked, I have never been mugged.
(perhaps I am just lucky)

That said and done, by regular trips to ALL of SA's Nature reserves have also gone without incident. I am often up in Johannesburg for work, and try to arrange it so that I can have a weekend in Kruger, or a few days.

Even my childhood Holidays of the 3x yearly trip to Kruger have never left anything but happy memories.

I agree with Bush Baptist, Africa is not for sissies, and as someone who spends my days convincing tourists to come to this great country, I feel that it is essential that they are informed of what they can do in order to enjoy their trip to the fullest. BUT....and its a BIG BUT.....I am not going to tell them unfounded horror stories and petrify them....its about balance and weighing the pros against the cons !

Any country you go to, will have crime, and will have its disadvantages, and having lived or at least spent a great deal of time in other countries, nothing, IMHO compares to Africa, Kruger and all the other wonderful things that we have going for us.

Call me an optimist, but I also believe in Karma, and what you think/say you will attract to yourself.

Saying that you dont know of any friends or family here that have not been DIRECTLY affected by crime is a superlative, but then again that is just my honest opinion.

So there you have it, my 5 cents worth by the look of things !

A warm welcome to you Kayth It's great to read a post so positive.

I do believe that there are some who are most unfortunate victims in some really horrible criminal acts. Unfortunately these acts send out lots of poison in terms of paranoia and fear. They cost us dearly in terms of trust, caring and hope.

I also believe that we are not helpless and can minimise our exposure to being a victim. Living defensively does not mean living in fear, but living with an awareness that each action carries possible consequences. It's that sense of resonsibility that needs to be taken care of.

Unfortunately for many foreiners, they live with a different frame of reference and might act in a way that exposes them to danger more than the rest of us. This is an area needing caution not panic.

I never carry a firearm and never will. In my mind it leaves you more a target, not less.

I am a pensioner from the UK who will make his 4th visit to Kruger in 2 1/2 yrs. I have also been to Cape Town and Knysna.

We have always been careful but to be honest we have never felt threatened. I have read posts about Bushbuckridge, we stopped for petrol there in February near the bus station on our way to Orpen gate, we were treated with respect, had a load of local kids on a school trip pose in the station area. I honestly think the conditions have improved for some but it may not be fast enough.

We stay outside the park and enter daily, I left about 1200 rand in the bedroom one morning of my hotel, money I got out for gate entry and normal expenses. When I got to Phabeni gate I realised, went back to our Hazyview hotel, the money was piled up in the centre of the bed with a note from the cleaner, it was all there.

I don't feel safe in London or in our local area. When I was young, no one locked their doors, now we do soon as we get home. Remember, a locked door only keeps an honest person out.

We also may have been lucky and I hope the luck continues as I intend to continue visiting as long as I am able.

Thank you so much for that.
Many times we shout about crime, but fail to honour honesty. That was very special.

We´ve been travelled about 15 times to South Africa an surrounding countries, and we never had any problems. We are from Austria and
at least one time a year we are there. Also we´ve been 10 times to the Kruger and travelled thousands of kilometers without any problem, we
accept the people and the country and can only recommand to be there.
We always found friendly, helpfull people and even we had problems with our car we found someone who helped without asking for !
THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA YOU GAVE US A WONDERFUL TIME !

"If you are at the wrong time, at the wrong place, it can happen everywhere in the world"

Lowvelder has got it wrong.

They report as follows:

"SKUKUZA - An elderly woman was robbed of her handbag in the Kruger National Park (KNP) by three armed men on May 20"

Then they describe where the incident happened "near the Phabeni/Hazyview turn-off"

This is about 50km from Skukuza and outside of the park.

At the end they write "At time of going to print, KNP's communications officer could not be reached for comment"

Please KNP communication officer can you please respond by telling this reporter where Skukuza is and where the boundaries are. The incident has got nothing to do with KNP and you don't have any comment and that they as reporters should be responsible and not write rubbish that will scare away tourists from KNP.

If you are a tourist reading this, please don't stop outside the park to buy wooden animals. This is where the incident took place.

The Kruger is the place I love to go to get away from it all. The only thing ever stolen were my eggs from the fridge at Pretoriuskop and that was by monkeys, and totally my fault.