SOUTH AFRICA: OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

SOUTH AFRICA: OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

OCTOBER 26 TO DECEMBER 3, 2016

We have been in South Africa for 39 days: 13 days in Richards Bay at the Zululand Yacht Club; 22 days at the Durban Marina; 3 days anchored in East London.  Our experience with South Africans has been entirely positive.  They are a warm, friendly, generous people that enjoy meeting the tourists that come to their country.  We have to qualify this since we are foreign yachts in marinas that cater to the more affluent in the country; we are Caucasian.  The former system of Apartheid has left behind inequalities that we couldn’t begin to understand. 

In Natal, the Zulu tribe is predominant and the President of the country is Zulu.  One of the biggest problems we have seen is unemployment.  There just aren’t enough jobs to employ black South Africans.  This leads to crime, thievery and unsafe areas in Richards Bay and Durban.  The local advice is to wear no jewelry, carry very little cash and show no cameras or designer sunglasses; only frequent areas that are considered safe in the daytime.  Companies that provide security are the biggest employers.  Private homes have walls with barbed wire draped over the top and security guards inside.  Most White South Africans are forced to take security measures to protect their families.

The country is rich in land and mineral resources and fertile enough to grow most of the things we have in the States or Europe. The quality is excellent.  To enter a South African butchery is to behold and array and variety of meats that wouldn't be found in the States.  The price for food is quite a bit cheaper than in the States or Europe; labor is even more reasonable.  This makes South Africa one of the best places to have repairs done on a yacht.  The shipyards are efficient and provide a high quality of workmanship.  I believe that they are cheaper than Boat Lagoon in Phuket, Thailand and the standard of workmanship is far superior to the shoddy jobs that Thai’s do.  Part of this is due to the system that we experienced at Bowman’s Yard in Durban.  He has the yard and facilities for hauling out but all the labor for the different jobs is independent contractors that work through him but are paid directly by the client.  They, in turn, employ and supervise their labor force.  All this provides excellent service at very reasonable prices.  The white South African is entrepreneurial, hardworking and good at what he does.  The black South Africans provide the brute labor force and are still trying to achieve equality in a very complex society.  Apartheid is gone but the inequalities of the system are still being overcome.  Reverse discrimination against the Whites is the logical outcome.  In conversations with both White and Black, they have been candid about the problems they are facing.  The political situation is frustrating for both races.  The ANC is Nelson Mandela’s creation and remains the dominant political force in the country.  Over the years, it has become corrupt and inefficient but remains in power by duping the uneducated:  Donald Trump might have studied their tactics.

For us, it has been an exciting wonderful experience.