Australian Cricket Tour To South Africa 2026 - Safety & Security
AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA 2026 - SAFETY & SECURITY
We want you to feel and be as safe as you are in your own home, but let's not pretend you are at home. We're going to South Africa where the expression 'safety in numbers' is a great reason to tour with us!
- Australia High Commission South Africa - Pretoria
- Representing Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)
- Save Their Number: +27.12.423 6000
Thankfully, in all of our years travelling South Africa, no one has ever needed police or Australian consular assistance. As family friendly and tourist oriented as this amazing country is, it does not make any of us immune to incident.
If you feel 'ill at ease' for any reason about visiting South Africa, we have been coming here safely since 1997 and use our experience to ensure you have a relaxing and incident-free time.
We walk to the cricket in Durban and Centurion, share short taxi rides in Joburg and Port Elizabeth, and in Cape Town take the Metro because we know it is safe, but we still don't do it alone.
When we go out at night, we walk as a group or book very-cheap app-based taxi.
Generally, South Africa is as safe a destination to travel as anywhere in the 'tourist' world. They have great crime records but primarily isolated to townships, inter-clan rumblings, and close friends.
Saying this, do not go strolling through any township unless you are familiar with the area and in the company of a local or on an organised tour, the same said for inner-cities, especially Cape Town.
Many drop their guard in Cape Town believing it 'super safe' just because it looks beautiful and it is not Johannesburg, yet Cape Town records more tourism crime than any other city in South Africa. Yes, more tourist visit Cape Town, but that's the point. #SoftTargets
In areas of high tourist concentration, it is not uncommon for people to be violated in broad daylight simply for their sunglasses, so common-sense applies.
This said, I know of no-one that has been violated at or near Cape Town Waterfront. Too many people, too much security, thus, again, stay away from lonely streets and laneways, even by day.
In Cape Town 2009 I met an Aussie who got robbed twice that day, walking the wrong short-cut! Needless to say, he was 'apprehensive' walking home from the Waterfront that night. Rightly or wrongly, I walked him to his digs, and then back alone to the Waterfront.
Knowing where you are going helps, and why, again, we do our pre-tour reconnaissance! It doesn't matter how many times we have been to South Africa since 1997, we will go again before 2026, and visit every city that we may be scheduled to play.
All this said, no matter how comfortable you feel, after dark, no matter how short the journey, book an app-based taxi whose drivers are very used to going 'around the corner'.
**On Aug 18, 2025, it was ZAR54 (A$4.71) for an UberXL for 6 persons, and ZAR42 (A$3.66) for an UberGO for 2 persons, for the 3km trip from our 2018 hotel in Cape Town to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. #YourCall**
And by day whilst walking the sights and sounds of a city, be conscious about your visible material expenses. There is no shortage of luxury cars, watches, jewellery or phones on display in South Africa. The difference is we look like unarmed tourists whereas the local may have the means to defend themselves!
Using ATM's
Whenever using ATM's or going to a bank, take someone with you.
Do not use ATM's at night unless you are with multiple persons or in a safe environment such as a shopping mall or bank with armed security.
And certainly never let anyone 'help you' at the ATM including the security officer. They are not helping you, they are robbing you! Just ask our mate 'Doug' from the Credit Card Crimes unit of NSW Police, who let a young fellow help him at an ATM in Johannesburg in 2003. #NotAHappyEnding
To lower the risk of falling foul of one ATM trick:
After you insert your card, before you type your PIN, cancel the transaction. If your card comes out, the ATM hasn't been tampered with.
If the card is held, the ATM has been fixed to hold your card and copy your PIN.
*DO NOT ENTER YOUR PIN BEFORE YOUR CARD IS RETURNED*
If your card is held, once you have stormed off the thief will retrieve your card and duly empty your account, taking more money than you can ever do legally!
All this said, we cannot protect you from yourself. There is no guarantee that what we preach now, will not change in practice by the time we tour.
We are still touring!!
Before leaving home, independent travel advice regarding health, safety, and security in South Africa should be obtained through Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade website Smartraveller.
Make your decision to tour based on how you feel, not how we want you to feel!
That is all. Be Safe!!
Please Read: Emergency Serivces & Assistance in South Africa