live_aloha

Aloha,
I値l be spending 2 nights in Johannesburg (City Lodge) before heading to Botswana next month and hoping one of you can shed some light on safety concerns? Will spend bulk of time in hotel recovering from loooong flights but we did want to do a bit of daytime shopping (some of that beautiful African fabric and quality crafts). However, after reading travel advisories I知 concerned about safety. I am female and travel partners include one female and one male.
Appreciate any advise as well as if safe, best place to shop.

ekscrunchy

I've never had a problem in about three stays there. I took normal taxis, but mostly taxis set up by the hotel. I even drove into the CBD to look around and take a few photos (I'm not recommending doing that). We went to Soweto with a private driver and walked around and ate lunch.

KIM SACKS might be the best-curated shop for handcrafts from all over sub=Saharan Africa. Her wares are very different than the ones you will see in the various "handcraft markets," or "African markets," But both are fine, and safe. Kim Sacks has fixed price and is not what I would call cheap, but here wares are spectacular the the sales persons are willing to share lot of information...

https://kimsacks.com

live_aloha

Thank you so much for your response and information….much appreciated!
Interestingly last trip (2020) we took Uber to the Apartheid Museum, had a great driver with no problems or concerns whatsoever. Don’t think I read as much on safety concerns prior to departure as I did this time…..So you can manage my concerns now. Guess the same could be said for many US cities though and probably better to be aware than clueless. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Aloha!