Lita I was just in South Africa, specifically in Cape Town, and while I'd love to say that it's no more daunerogs than any other big city, that's not really true. The city does have a very high crime rate, an unfortunate byproduct of the huge disparity between rich and poor. Tourists who wander into the wrong areas at night have a high risk of running into trouble. My husband and I were mugged on our first night in the city (the thieves didn't get anything, and we also realized after the fact that we were certainly not in the right area to be in at night another couple staying at the same guesthouse was also mugged in the area we were). But I don't think that's a reason not to visit. The same common sense precautions that we really should take anywhere (but often don't, with no consequences) should be taken in Cape Town:when in doubt, take a cab (always a metered one) as in any place, don't carry more cash then you need at night know where you should and should not go at night ask at your hotel or guesthouse and travel in groups when possible on busy streets in Cape Town like Long Street and Kloof Street, you'll have no problems, just avoid dark, quiet side streets at nightI also think that the city is working really hard on making sure that it presents its best face to the world. The influx of people may mean that more criminals will be looking for their chance to make some money, but I also think it will mean a greatly increased security presence. I don't think the safety issues should keep anyone from visiting (lots of people go and have no troubles at all), but visitors do need to be a bit more vigilant than they might need to be in other cities.