If you want to go to S. Africa, go soon.
The Govt wants to take away the white owned ranches.

I went to Kei River Safaris to hunt with Andrew Renton, in 2010.
He was excellent! I would go again without hesitation.

While there, he pointed out several white ranches that had been taken away and given to black owners--- they were run down, abandoned, with no game nor farm animals.

Did he take you to the tribal area? That was done decades ago.

There are looming issues that are so serious right now that I'm absolutely heartbroken over what has happened to family and friends in RSA.

Land values are falling through the floor because nobody with money would dare invest in a property. The violence is being ignored by the government and the stress among the smaller farm operations is devastating.

Medium to large ranch operations are still safe and have enough presence to present a very difficult target. The smaller 1000-5000 acre mom and pop operations are falling by the dozens a month, actually a week in some places.

If you don't hunt RSA in the next 3-5 years I feel that the country will be difficult or worse to visit and hunt in. It's headed down the path of Zimbabwe with Mugabe in a hurry now. The difference being that the government in RSA is far more wealthy and can hold off longer without being bailed out by the EU as Zim was.

I don't know what the future holds for RSA, but it's falling faster than anyone could believe and it's not going to be pretty over the next decade. My family and friends send me news paper and links to news reports that seem almost fictional in the level of violence and mayhem taking place.

This whole scenario kills me. It was once a great place ruled by law and order.

Been there once on business and twice on safari.
Sure is sad to hear this.

Tis a real pity....RSA has the land, resources and people to literally be a Super Power...but when " Majority" rule takes over...they start circling the drain.

You knew it was coming.....




For any of those people Ive met that wanted to go on more than one safari, or get to know 'Africa' better, I always warn them..When you experience and learn just enough..Africa will break your heart.

Say what they will, ultimately the situation is hopeless over there...

Yes, it is a shame. And yes, hunt as soon as possible. I was fortunate enough to have hunted in Zimbabwe back when the land grab started. Best safari,best time of my life. That property was seized and decimated. It truly was a slice of paradise now gone forever. I heard the family moved to New Zealand with their shirts on their backs and nothing more. With RSA crumbling, Namibia will see an upswing in business hence higher prices,more people and sweet cull hunts a thing of the past. I kicked the crap outs a thug in Cape Town who pulled a straight razor on me once. And yes the Jo'burg airport just plain sucks.
Think of this one. Someday, maybe in 10 or 20 years when its all for naught, and there is no elephant,buffalo, hippo or lion on license, all of those beautiful double Nitro's and magnum bolt guns that will be dumped onto an empty market or die away in some safes. As well as finally African ammo is now available at the best its ever been.
I will always at least keep my .375 to shoot rocks or jugs.

Very sad to hear, the .gov animals will indeed be their very own downfall.

The talk is just death bellow of the ANC as they try to maintain relevance. Just look at the Western Cape and what the DA has done there. The ANC is loosing elections to the DA, lots. Is the DA sliced bread, no but it's the next best thing. All is not lost, law and order will return, just not to levels of the western world.

I hope and pray you are correct, but I have my doubts. I believe SA in on the same course as Zim, and the whites are slated for extermination. Too much hate and agitation amongst the blacks in power, and the violence has the tacit approval of Zuma and his minions. Even though the ANC is losing influence, the EFF is gaining in popularity. The EFF is essentially the ANC with another name, and has equal malice towards the whites. The DA, IMO, has very little chance of becoming a real political force in SA.

AB,
No, just to local places.
My fear is that the practice will spread to many other areas, and farms.
These folks have been there for many years.
I fear for their future.

IIRC, Namibia is also in the process of turning land over to native peoples. The family ranch I hunted on was at the tail end of the white owner's career and though he wanted to sell and move he couldn't just to anyone he wanted to. This man's father earlier was key in the movement to bring back the cheetah to healthy numbers in Namibia.

Again, this is from memory but before he could sell "on his own" five prospective black buyers needed to be given the opportunity. So while there was no confiscation or outright loss, and the process was more orderly and controlled, it meant a slow but inevitable land transfer from whites to blacks.

Anti colonialism fervor is high from the U.N. to third world countries. It's too bad it doesn't equate to wise, responsible, and orderly management.

I have gone to the RSA twice for vacation and safari and I have no desire to go back. I have heard too many first hand reports and did not feel comfortable.

I also went to Namibia and felt that it was much better.

donsm70

Used to fish once a year with some guys from South Africa who came all the way to Port Eads, Louisiana, to spend a week on the blue water with us. Fine folks, hope they are doing OK.


Mike

"Apartheid was good for South Africa". That quote came from our black tour guide on my second trip to Africa (my wife's first). We have very close friends (I have hunted with them four times) that run a family safari operation in Zimbabwe and they spend a week or two with us every convention season. They have assured us that SA is headed down the same toilet that Zim did on a much quicker pace. Glad I made my trips when I did.

Mike

Wife and I are headed to the Eastern Cape in May. It will be our third trip in 2 1/2 years. I sent this thread to our friends in Port Elizabeth, he said most the agitation is taking place up north on Joburg and Pretoria. Time will tell I guess, in the mean time I plan scrimping here at home for our annual return trips. It has captured my soul, it's really all I think about anymore...

I lived in RSA from 1992-1994. I'm very worried for their future. I have friends that where very middle class and had a nice life that are now in absolute poverty. It's very sad to see the high crime and the farm murders. The worst thing is that many of them have had to hand in their guns to the local police because it's so different and expensive to keep them licensed. One family I know has had to barricade themselves in their bedroom at least 3 times while their home was robbed. The 70 plus year old father was just robbed by 5 guys while he was coming out of a grocery store and his face was badly cut.

A good friend of mine is now running his own operation as a guide and has offered me some incredible pricing if I bring a group over this summer. Hopefully, I'll get to go and get a feel for how it is now. I've always felt safe while with a guide and hunting but last time I spent a few weeks driving around by myself and felt nervous in a few situations. My Afrikaans and Zulu are not good at all anymore and my street smarts are gone with them. I always have to remember not to even be remotely nice to those approach me on the streets there. A quick Voetsak is my only reply now.

Bb

You would think most would have learnt how media sensationalize everything after your last election.

It's business as usual for me.

I was hoping Marius would give us a "boots on the ground: report. Happy all is good with you.

We are getting reports of greatly reduced foreign investment, and depression of land prices and lack of buyers. Marius, as you know my friends are investing in Woodlands, but I say that knowing they could have gotten triple the price for their former property 10 years ago. Sinking real estate prices is a seriously bad trend for Africa.

Foreign investment during the Mandela - Mbeke years was a blessing to your economy. Zuma is doing his best to kill it.


Keep up the fight!

Jeff,
I'm not denying that South Africa does not have problems. We've had problems for the past 60 years.

I wrote on another forum that I just got back to South Africa a couple of days ago after wrapping up our show schedule for the 2017 year. Obviously I read the news most days on what was happening back home, and I'll tell you that I was kind of expecting civil war when I got back. That's what it sounds like when you are on your side and it was what I believed.
I got back and was "shocked" to everything running as normal. People were going about their daily business.

We still have a moron running the country, saying stupid things, have a useless government doing nothing, , not speaking out against farm-murders,stealing more money but hey, they probably stole more money when the NP was running the country pre-1994.

What does it help to complain? You are only working yourself up.

What gets me more is the responses on this thread. I was lambasted when I said there was nothing to worry about in the Ebola thread, and that you were in no danger in South Africa. People said I did not know what I was talking about. Same thing happened in the thread of what would happen when Nelson Mandela died.

Do you blame me for not participating in this type of thread anymore? People believe news. What the media says has to be correct, right?

I WANT you to participate because you are there. It gives us a better real time look at things.

I'm not one who is freaking about travel to RSA right now. I'm sending my daughter and son in law over in 10 days for their honeymoon. Cape Town- Prince Albert, Knysna, George, Kenton etc. I'm sure they will love it! I love your country. My gripes are more pain for a place I've fallen in love with. I rely on people like you to give us real perspective, so please keep us informed.

Please continue to post here,this place needs a voice from South Africa! We need some one who actually lives there to give the straight scoop on what is going on.

Marius...we can often get a reverse of this here...tourists not visiting because of riots in Ferguson illinois, or Baltimore...

It a BIG country and the other 99.9% is running as usual, but all the outsiders get is the worst of the news...

I have a friend in South Africa that told me once. There are more people getting killed in Chicago every week than in all of my country in a month.

I'm on my way back over in May along with my oldest son. My favorite place to be.

Jeff, I'll tell you what, if Cape Town had more hunting, I would move there tomorrow. What a great place.

You have hit the nail on the head. The media needs to make a story interesting, and as I mentioned, not being here for three weeks and getting the same news as you guys, I was wondering what was happening to the country and how it could fall apart so quickly. Until I got back, and realised that everything was still standing.
Look, I'm not saying that everything is hunky dory, but if you understand Africa, you will know, big stories like what is happening at the moment, is always a smokescreen to divert the attention of the people away from something bigger. In our case, it is our President trying to divert attention away from his shady dealings, as well as trying to stop losing the support from the black voters. The only way he can do this, is to fuel the racial divisions within the country and get the people fighting among themselves. Although our main opposition party has a very intelligent and educated black African leader and many black members, the party will always be seen as a "white" party, due to its roots. It is the party that most white South Africans will vote for over here. By sewing divisions among the people, and creating the whole black vs white battle within the country, come election time, he hopes that other black voters will rather vote "with their own people" rather than vote for the opposition.

It's that simple.

Cape Town was the most beautiful place I've ever visited and I've been to some beautiful places

[/quote]
You have hit the nail on the head. The media needs to make a story interesting, and as I mentioned, not being here for three weeks and getting the same news as you guys, I was wondering what was happening to the country and how it could fall apart so quickly. Until I got back, and realised that everything was still standing.
Look, I'm not saying that everything is hunky dory, but if you understand Africa, you will know, big stories like what is happening at the moment, is always a smokescreen to divert the attention of the people away from something bigger. In our case, it is our President trying to divert attention away from his shady dealings, as well as trying to stop losing the support from the black voters. The only way he can do this, is to fuel the racial divisions within the country and get the people fighting among themselves. Although our main opposition party has a very intelligent and educated black African leader and many black members, the party will always be seen as a "white" party, due to its roots. It is the party that most white South Africans will vote for over here. By sewing divisions among the people, and creating the whole black vs white battle within the country, come election time, he hopes that other black voters will rather vote "with their own people" rather than vote for the opposition.

It's that simple. [/quote]

Interesting that you say the DA is a white party. My black Zimbabwean Uber Driver in Cape Town pointed to a banner of the head of the DA and flat out said that guy is the next President of RSA. That the Blacks all over RSA see what is going on in the Western Cape and want that too. Time will tell.

Not all RSA is the same,it's a big country. However as the population centers and northern regions struggle the direction is set

As far as the cab driver, a lot of people said Hillary was going to win here. Ha ha....

As far as the comparison to Chicago, Natgeo claimed more people were killed in joburg on average per day then Iraq during the war. They claimed it was the most violent city with the highest death toll in history during non war time I lived in RSA at this time. I watched this program in RSA

And finally the direction is the big problem not the current situation. For those who sit by and expect things to change they are correct. It will change. Not for the better.

This is my second home I live in both places. The fight is just beginning now that the white people all or mostly realize what is ahead. For those that are in denial that is the bigger looming problem

Good analysis and info. There are plenty of members here that want this type of info.

Have a Castle Lager and some Marula for me. Damn sure hope I can make a few trips in the next few years.

Glad to hear I wasn`t totally wet when I called BS on another thread about this subject..

Africa will be Africa. With the rate the Rand is falling against the Dollar, this will be more affordable for foreighn hunters. I do a lot of bussiness with ph's and game farmers. Most of them tell me they are fully booked for this season.