Which city is better and safer to live in between Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Another day… another internet question answered!
An anonymous user posted the question to Quora, a platform used to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers. This empowers people to learn from each other and to better understand the world.
They asked the simple question, which city is better and safer to live in between Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban? And these we’re the top answers.
Onne Vegter, Founder and CEO of Wild Wings Safaris answered:
I have lived in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Of the three, there is no doubt that Cape Town offers a better quality of life and is safer to live in than the other two, provided you can afford to live in the suburbs or city bowl. Downtown Cape Town is also much safer than downtown Johannesburg or Durban. Cape Town is by far the most beautiful and cleanest of the three, and it is a wonderful city for tourists.
For the poor, Cape Town is as dangerous as Johannesburg or Durban, probably more dangerous. Cape Town’s townships are among the most dangerous in the country, with high rates of gang shootings, murder, robbery and crimes related to drugs and alcohol. Then again, Durban and Johannesburg also have some notorious townships where crime levels are terrible.
EDIT: Right now, it would not be wise to move to Cape Town, as the city is very likely to run out of water within the next 100 days (Day Zero is predicted to be on 21 April). Few people have grasped the enormity of this crisis, and how it will impact on the quality of life for every Cape Town resident.
This question does not have a definite answer as you will find people voting for each. I suppose Cape Town might be the most attractive but more expensive to buy a property. There is of course another city, Pretoria the capital that is also an option.
Cape Town positive
- Choice for tourists
- Beautiful scenery and mountain
- Wine farms and close by weekend holiday destinations
- Best restaurants
- The ocean and beeches
- Laid-back
- Town is clean and feels safer than the others
Cape Town negative
- Water shortages due to worst conditions in 100 years
- Windy at times
- Dreary winter rains
- Expensive to stay close to city bowl
- People are clicky, form groups, not as open and friendly as other cities
- Generally, slightly lower salaries than Johannesburg and Pretoria
Johannesburg positive
- More work opportunities
- Vibey
- Hip and happening events and locations
- Cosmopolitan mixed cultures
- Pretoria and Johannesburg are closer to different bush lodge holiday experiences and proper game parks
Johannesburg negative
- Dreary landscape
- Parts of inner city is messy and crime ridden, better now under new mayor
Pretoria positive
- Prettier than Johannesburg
- Perceived to be less crime than Johannesburg
- Close to neighbors like Botswana and Mozambique for awesome bush or sea holidays, as opposed to Cape Town
Pretoria negative
- Boring
- Perceived to be more conservative
Durban positive
- Laid-back
- The beach
- Nice winters
- Pretty and green
Durban negative
- Less job opportunities
Crime is everywhere in the world and there is not a city without crime. You will find good spots in any of the 4 cities. I have stayed in Johannesburg and Pretoria for 50 years and have never felt unsafe or that I have to move town or country. South Africa does have extreme unemployment figures and the gap between the rich and poor is higher than most places in the world and there is also some historical racial tensions.
Davis Sedick, C.E.O OF J.U.S.T Jozi Urban Skills Transfer commented:
Statistically speaking ,all three are equally safe.it is nor so much the city that makes you safe, but the “modus operandi” (method of operations) of that person.
It is how you conduct yourself,how you enact with the people and and how you carry yourself when out in the public.
So I guess the biggest question is; do you agree? Vote in the poll below:
I’m writing an article about a question posted to the internet & would love to know your thoughts. So… which city is better and safer to live in between Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
— Brent Lindeque (@BrentLindeque) January 29, 2018
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