AFRICA: Known Dangerous Cities in Africa

Below are some of Africa's most dangerous cities or places where you have to take maximum caution while there.

Crimes rampant in these places are many, including but not restricted to muggings, scams, pick pocketing, Over charging, armed robberies, car robberies, phone,laptop and camera thefts, fake money, assaults, rapes, kidnappings,Cyber-crime,credit card skimming, Household and business burglary, car break-ins and extortion etc.

Lagos, Nigeria

With an estimated population of 21 million, Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city and one of the largest cities in the world.

Crime levels are very high, with a rating of 80.88 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Tourists,Locals and expatriates living in Lagos are prone to muggings, armed robberies, home or business burglaries, carjackings, assaults, rapes, kidnappings, and extortion.

Armed robbers in the city are known to even climb up perimeter fences and subdue guards, and others have invaded waterfront compounds by way of boats.

Criminals also target vehicle occupants in traffic, and break into stationary cars. Some of Lagos' crime hot-spots are airport roads in the days or evenings, as well as banks and grocery stores.

Street gangs called area boys cause terror in the mainland of the city when they clash.

Lagos is also an e-mail scam hotbed, from where dubious cyber criminal prey on people under the pretension that they can receive huge compensation in return some time later after parting with some money by way of electronic transactions.

Nairobi, Kenya

As Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi is the hub of the country’s economy, thereby making it attractive to both foreign and investments, and vulnerable to criminal activity.

The US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) rates Nairobi’s crime levels as critical.

Also, Numbeo,com, as of March 2016, ranked the crime levels at of city as high, and ended up giving it a rating of 78.49 out of 100.

Serious crimes common in Nairobi, according to OSAC, are armed carjackings, home and business burglaries, kidnappings, pick-pocketing, muggings, and snatch and grab-thefts.

Other criminal threats include grenade attacks and terrorism, which in recent years Kenya has bore the brunt of.

However, those victims of robbery who cooperate without resisting are likely to be unharmed in the city, according to OSAC.

Cyber-crime and credit card skimming are other forms of criminal activities on the rise in Nairobi that its foreign visitors need to be aware of.

Rustenburg, South Africa

Rustenburg City is in the North West Province of South Africa.

It has very high crime levels, and is rated at 85.71 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Of all of the cities in the North West Province in 2015, Rustenburg had the highest total cases of criminal activities with 11,117 cases in 2015, according to Crime Statistics South Africa.

Household burglary, kidnapping, hijacking, and political violence are but some of the crimes that frequently occur in this city.

According to South Africa Dialogue, street crimes and muggings are also high in Rustenburg, and caution is necessary each and everyday.

At night, car break-ins are common, and it’s not advisable to leave one's valuables inside a vehicle. When driving on the freeways at night, stops in undesignated areas make one an easy target for robbers, and hence it’s wise to avoid making them.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city, with an estimated population of over 4 million people, and it’s also the capital of Gauteng province.

In recent years it has achieved notoriety for the high numbers of crime and rape cases seen there as well. Crime levels in Johannesburg are very high, achieving a 91.61 out of a possible crime score of 100 as of March 2016.

Due to the many incidences of rape reported there, it has also been dubbed as the World’s Rape Capital.

Recently, Johannesburg has had xenophobic attacks springing up in the low income townships with frequency.

In 2014-2015, according to Africa Check, the murder rate in Johannesburg per 100,000 was 28.2 people. Yet, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the average global homicide rate per 100,000 people was 6.2, less than a fourth of that seen in Johannesburg.

Luanda, Angola

Luanda, Angola’s capital city, has a high crime rate, and one which the OSAC reports as being critical.

Out of a possible crime score of 100, Numbeo rates it at 76.39 as of February 2016. According to the UK Government service Gov.UK, common crimes in the city are inclusive of carjackings, assaults, homicides, muggings for valuables such as mobile phones, armed robberies at either night or day especially in areas popular with foreigners, and rape incidences both in nightlife areas and even private homes.

Moving at night around within the city are not recommended, as crimes mostly happen at night in Luanda, according to the OSAC.

There also are crime hot-spots in Luanda that the OSAC particularly warns against venturing into, like the Rua Nehru, the Rua Houari Boumedienne, and the traffic circle in the last part of Rua Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Thefts from stationary or slow-moving vehicles stuck in traffic also happen.

It’s thereby wise to close the windows when stuck in such traffic situations there.

Visitors are also advised to avoid changing or withdrawing money in public places, or handling money in very crowded places.

Cape Town, South Africa

Crime levels in Cape Town, a port city in South Africa and the capital of Western Cape Province, are very high, even though it’s the country’s legislative capital.

In recent years, it has consistently been ranked among the most violent cities in the world. Cape Town has a crime rating of 82.45 out of a possible crime score of 10 as of March 2016, which is an increase from the previous 3 years.

From April 2011 to March 2012, Cape Town recorded more murders than both Johannesburg and Pretoria combined, according to Africa Check.

Criminal activities like drug dealing, mugging, vandalism, theft, assault, armed robbery, and bribery are especially common there.

Taking nighttime walks is also risky in and of itself.

Much of the violence in Cape Town is fueled by drug-related gang activity and the economic inequality still prevalent in non-white territories.

According to a 2014 report by the Institute for Security Studies, annual income in a white household was just over six times more than a black household in Cape Town.

Benghazi, Libya

Libya second largest city of Benghazi, has been engulfed in a civil war.

The city is ever at risk of radical Islamic terrorist attacks.

In September of 2012, the US Embassy in Libya was attacked by violent extremists, and 4 US government employees, the US Ambassador to Libya included, died in the chaos.

Crime levels across the whole country are still rising.

Incidences of carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and gun attacks are now more prevalent, largely due to the looting of government artillery that ensued in a mad scramble for economic and military gains after Gaddafi’s removal.

Sexual harassment of women is also rising, as well as petty and hardcore street crimes alike.

Even stricter laws on people's dress make expatriate women who don’t dress conservatively susceptible to attacks from Islamic extremist militias.

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Pietermaritzburg is both the province's second largest city after Durban and the capital of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in the nation of South Africa.

It has very high crime levels, with a crime rating of 87.5 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Armed robbery, sexual assault, arson, drug dealing, house break-ins, carjackings, and car theft are some crimes that are rife in Pietermaritzburg.

In the 3 years leading up to 2015, crimes levels in the city rose significantly. According to Crime Statistics South Africa, in 2015 there were 15,720 criminal incidences in the city.

This was an increase on the previous years, as in 2014 there were 14,794 reported incidents of criminal activities, and in 2013 there were 13,596.

When xenophobic attacks flare up elsewhere in South Africa, they also tend to quickly spread to Pietermaritzburg as well.

Durban, South Africa

Durban is the largest city in Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in South Africa.

It’s a coastal city that is popular with local and international tourists who annually number within the hundreds of thousands.

Economically, the city hosts the biggest container and commodity port in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the OSAC.

But crime and criminal-related deaths have been on the rise. According to a 2014 report by the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, Durban City was 38th among the 50 most violent cities in the world.

Homicides per 100,000 people stood at 34.5 in 2014, up from in 2013 when they were at 32 per 100,000.

Crime in Durban is at 87.89 out of a possible crime score of 100, indicating it as being very high.

Beyond Durban's city limits, Kwa-Zulu-Natal province in 2015 was reported as the most dangerous province in South Africa.

Taking personal precautions, like avoiding nighttime travel or walking alone, is recommended to avoid falling victim.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Port Elizabeth is a coastal city in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Tourists are drawn to this vibrant port city, which is dubbed the Windy City for its windy coastal clime.

Port Elizabeth has a rich cultural heritage, and is among the cities early explorers like Vasco Da Gama passed through.

However, crime is very high there and is rated at 80.56 out of a possible crime score of 100.

Muggings and street crimes are common in Port Elizabeth much like in the rest of South Africa.

Xenophobic attacks against foreigners also tend flare up in Port Elizabeth when there is unrest in South Africa.

In 2014, Port Elizabeth was ranked number 35 by the Mexican Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice among the world’s 50 most dangerous cities, and, in 2013, it was number 41.

Murders per 100,000 people in 2014 were 34.8, slightly down from 36 in 2013.

Others may be:

Mogadishu, Somalia

Maputo, Mozambique

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Kampala, Uganda

Tripoli, Libya

Kinshasa, DR Congo

Goma, DR Congo

Brazzaville, REP Congo

Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Dakar, Senegal

Conakry, Guinea

Bamako, Mali

Khartoum, Sudan

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso



Tourism Observer

SOUTH AFRICA: Woman On Uber Taxi Raped, Boyfriend Stabbed

Pietermaritzburg man and his girlfriend were left battered, bruised and traumatised after they were kidnapped and tortured in Johannesburg recently.

The attackers are believed to be a driver for well-known international taxi service Uber, and his accomplices.

However, Uber spokesperson Samantha Allenberg would not confirm that it was indeed a registered Uber driver involved in the attack, as the matter was still under police investigation.

The couple hailed an Uber taxi via the cellphone app in the early hours of August 28 after a night at a popular Johannesburg nightclub.

A close relative relayed how his niece and her boyfriend were kidnapped, stabbed and the woman raped during their eight-hour ordeal.

The Pietermaritzburg man lives and works at an insurance company in Gauteng while his partner, formerly from Durban, moved to Johannesburg just three weeks ago to take up a new job.

According to the relative, who asked not be named to protect the woman’s identity, his niece and her friends ordered three Uber taxis to take the group home, but the 26-year-old and her boyfriend were the only ones to share one taxi home at around 2.30 am.

“Everything was in place and pointed to the signs that it was a legitimate Uber taxi. They only noticed something was wrong when the driver passed the turn-off they were supposed to take,” said the uncle.

He said two men, who were hiding in the boot of the vehicle, pushed the back seats forward and stabbed the 26-year-old boyfriend before dragging the couple into the boot of the vehicle.

“They were then driven to an ATM in Tembisa, where she was forced to withdraw R3 000. However, she used her mother’s bank card and her mother was immediately alerted to the withdrawal via SMS,” he said.

The woman’s mother, who lives in Durban, immediately tried to contact her daughter and her boyfriend, but neither answered their cellphones.

“This was when her mother started contacting her daughter’s cousins and friends to see where she was. The friends who were at the club with them were already at home and began to worry,” he said.

Then began a frantic search for the couple by family and friends.

Meanwhile, the couple were blindfolded and their hands and feet bound with cable-ties, and driven to a house in Tembisa, a township north of Kempton Park, where they were held hostage.

They were only found by local residents around 11 am on the morning of August 28 after the couple managed to gain the attention of a child playing on the road.

“For eight hours, they were beaten and stabbed and my niece was raped. There were three men in the vehicle when the initial attack happened, but a fourth man joined them at the house during the morning,” the uncle said.

At the house, the brutality worsened when the Pietermaritzburg man failed to transfer a large sum of money to the kidnappers’ bank account, using one of their laptops.

“They were traumatised and brutally attacked for hours. It was only divine intervention that saved them,” the uncle said.

He said the man, bound by cable ties, managed to pull the curtain off its rails when they were left alone and saw the child playing on the road. It is believed the child alerted her family and the neighbours approached the house.

“When the men found out the community knew something was going on in the house, they fled. People in the community smashed the window and held their hands and kept telling them the police were on the way.

“The men had told them that they were going to kill them. When the community members smashed the window, the couple cried and asked them not to leave them there,” he said.

Police broke down the door and freed the couple. Their attackers are still at large.

Police spokesperson Captain Lefibana Molokomme said police were investigating a case of kidnapping and rape.

“There have been no arrests made as yet, but we are working around the clock to apprehend the suspects,” he said.

He urged anyone with information to contact the station at 011 391 1814.TAXI service Uber is accused of refusing to assist frantic family and friends to track down the whereabouts of the taxi the couple were abducted in.

Statement From Uber

The uncle of the young woman attacked said the couple’s friends contacted Uber via social media and the cellphone app, but the response only included a link to the company’s e-mail address as it does not have a call centre.

“Uber mentioned they were unable to provide details of the driver, his trips and refused to assist with contacting the driver of the Uber.

“Uber failed to respond on social media platforms to strong keywords being used such as hijack, kidnap etc,” read a post on the incident on Uber’s Facebook page.

The post has since been widely distributed on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and other social media platforms.

Some lashed out at the company, saying they would not use the taxi service any longer.

“As much as I use Uber for its convenience and ease of availability, whether or not this Uber was hijacked or not and/or the driver was involved or not, Uber chose not to assist whatsoever in locating the rider and chose not to assist in a critical situation without any alacrity that may have sped up the process of finding the couple, and in the most dire circumstance saved a life if the worst had to happen,” read the post.

UBER spokesperson Samantha Allenberg said she could not confirm if the attackers were registered Uber drivers, but added that the company was assisting police with their investigation.

She urged riders to check that their driver’s photo, name, vehicle and vehicle registration matched the details provided in the Uber app, before getting into the car.

The family was adamant that it was a registered Uber vehicle and that the driver and other details matched, Allenberg said she could not comment further.

She said while there had been a delayed response in assisting the couple’s family and friends in tracking down the vehicle, Uber’s incident response team had since contacted the couple and their families to offer support.

However, Uber said on its Facebook page that the information concerning the incident should have been escalated to the company’s head of trust and safety immediately upon receipt.

“While there is a privacy policy in place, a situation like this is most certainly one which should have been escalated immediately.

“The customer service representative did not follow our internal escalation processes and we will deal with this internally. Please know that we take matters like this extremely seriously and that we will be taking necessary action,” read the response from the Uber social media team.

Allenberg said they would continue to provide police with information “to support their efforts to bring whoever is responsible to justice”.

“This is a despicable crime and our first thoughts are with the victims and their families …” she said.

Beyond the driver screening processes, riders were also able to track all trips using GPS from beginning to end, and to share their estimated time of arrival and route with others, Allenberg said.