Over the past few weeks, I have spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I would describe Cape Town as safe. The hype surrounding Cape Town has not gone unnoticed by my circle of friends, and since I am the ‘Cape Town expert’ in my circle, I was naturally asked frequently whether Cape Town was safe. Most of the time, I probably gave a very general answer, saying that you have to follow basic rules, but that it is very safe during the day in tourist areas because the police and sufficient security personnel are present. However, I would probably have advised against going for a walk in the evening. I have to say that it also depends on what kind of crime people are afraid of. The likelihood of being shot because you get caught between two gangs is non-existent in tourist areas, but the theft of your mobile phone is all the more likely if you are not careful. Personally, nothing has ever happened to me, nor to the vast majority of tourists. So it doesn't seem to be that unsafe?

I am not dissatisfied with the answer I gave my friends. When people ask me whether they should go on holiday to Cape Town and they are concerned about safety, I am the first to encourage everyone to go because I love this city and the country, even if it is less safe than other countries. I am aware that there are many beautiful and interesting countries in the world, but I would guarantee everyone a wonderful holiday if they flew to Cape Town, enjoyed the mighty beauty of this city, including the wine regions, for five days, and then drove along the coast along the Garden Route to end up on safari somewhere.

Unfortunately, the question of safety has also arisen through joining Cape Town Facebook groups, but also through following influencers or digital nomads on TikTok who want to tell me how safe and cool Cape Town is, while they dance to techno music at Clifton Beach on Tuesday mornings with exclusively white people and see absolutely nothing of this city.

As expected, Facebook groups win the battle for the most stupid posts about safety in Cape Town. I have a lot to criticise about influencers and digital nomads, but they are right that the chic, rich, white neighbourhoods where they exclusively live are safe and that it is even possible to take an evening stroll along the promenade. Unfortunately, Facebook groups are exactly as I expected, even though there are a few really good posts that I appreciate very much. Otherwise, however, it's almost unbearable. For a long time, I wasn't sure which people I found worse: people who have heard so many horror stories that they don't feel safe even in Camps Bay (the safest neighbourhood in the city), or people who say they have never felt unsafe in Cape Town and that it is the safest place in the world. Both opinions are absurd and incomprehensible. No one needs to be afraid in Camps Bay and the tourist areas! Everyone can move around freely and enjoy their holiday there. Nevertheless, I can be more understanding of people with fears because I hope to be able to have a positive influence on them.

They are all lying when they claim that they have never felt unsafe in Cape Town, unless they really do spend all day behind high walls in their house in Camps Bay, drinking champagne by their own pool. Behind the high walls of Camps Bay is indeed the safest place in the world, but is that what you want?

I like to walk, take the bus and train, and try to do that as much as possible in Cape Town, but then there are times when I don't always feel safe, so I've been known to linger with security personnel or sit down in a café. When I'm in Cape Town's city centre and surrounding areas, I can move around freely and don't worry much about being robbed. Nevertheless, I would be dishonest if I claimed that I don't observe my surroundings more closely than I do in Germany. At the latest when I have to go to the shop alone in the evening to buy cigarettes, my eyes are in the back of my head. It may be personal to me, and I don't want to rule out the possibility that I am the only person who feels less free in Cape Town than in Germany. I am happy for all the Cape Town experts who claim to be able to move around as freely and safely as in Germany. I have to say that it is usually the same people who claim that Germany has become so unsafe because knife attacks happen every hour.

The discussion about safety in Cape Town also shows me once again how little people understand that safety remains a privilege of the rich and tourists. When I tell friends that Cape Town is safe, it is mainly safe because the government is more concerned about the safety of tourists than the safety of Cape Town's residents. My friends from Lavender Hill would be happy if there were more police presence in their neighbourhood or if the police would even show up at all. So far, my post has only focused on the city centre and tourist areas. It is not true that all other areas are unsafe and that you will immediately be robbed there. For example, I wrote an article about the Gatsby in Athlone or Strandfontein. Both officially belong to the Cape Flats, but it is safe to drive there and eat a Gatsby. There are many places like this. The Cape Flats are more than just an area rife with crime. I am privileged to have friends in the Cape Flats, which gives me insight into a different Cape Town and allows me to feel safe in other parts of the city as well. Sometimes I find the non-touristy places safer and more pleasant because criminals prefer to hunt for mobile phones in the tourist areas. However, very few people have my privileges, and they cannot be taken for granted. That's why I can't recommend walking alone in the Cape Flats (except for my Cape Town experts from the Facebook groups). Nevertheless, I would still like to promote the fact that Cape Town is more than just the tourist areas and that there are also beautiful, interesting places outside these areas, which may not be the safest, but which show an authentic Cape Town that I have learned to love over the last few years.