I don’t think I can stay

I met a nice South African woman about 8 months ago in Dubai. She’s been wonderful and we want to get married. We travelled to Cape Town and Joburg for fun, and it was nice. But the threat of crime is ever present at the back of my mind. I’ve lived most of my life in Saudi Arabia and the UAE where there is no crime. (Yes, there obviously is crime everywhere but you can walk around at 3am anywhere and nothing will happen to you.)

Now, I’m with her in Bloemfontein and I don’t feel safe anywhere outside. I’m scared to walk anywhere. I take Bolts everywhere. Only feel safe when I’m in establishments. This feels like a very unhealthy way to live.

Ignoring the fact that I probably cant get a job here as a foreigner, the lack of safety is truly disturbing. And from what I can tell, it will only get worse. Poor people reproduce faster than the rich, and without any chance for upward mobility, crime will only increase.

Such a beautiful country. Why did you allow it to be this way? In the name of human rights? What about your right to be safe? My fiancé has been robbed 5 times. I’ve never experience robbery. Her childhood home was broken into multiple times. I’ve never experienced that, and I don’t want to.

I feel like the only solution is to leave this beautiful land and move back to the Middle East.

I am depressed.