Any PH in Johannesburg

[JonX2C]

Hi All.

So I am looking at an opportunity to move to Johannesburg for the next 2 years with my work.

We are setting up a new global hub to cover Africa, and I am a sales man looking to head out there to tap a competitor filled market.

I understand for the first 6 months i will be flying backwards and forwards from London, and then relocating at some stage next year.

So what like to know peoples experiences.

I have spent a holiday in Cape Town and love the place, not been to Johannesburg and I know there are security concerns, however my company is looking at all the plans at present and will begin presenting to us in due course.

Are there many of the PH massive in SA?

Peoples views of Johannesburg.

Can people point me in the right direction as to the good and bad bits, where to live and where not to live, where is near the business district etc.

I will be spending a lot of my time in Cape Town as this is where most of the buy-side are based.

[Pints]

Hi Jon
The SA section of PH sees less action than a nun's snatch.

If you're looking to meet some SA car enthusiasts, you could try http://www.carforums.co.za/
Be warned they're a fairly cliquey lot but if you can get past the fairly insular old boy mentality they've got, you should be ok.

Don't bother mentioning I sent you.

[JonX2C]

Haha

Thanks Pints.

Are you over there.

ITs really quiet, expected there to be a few, shame there isnt.

[Pints]

Nope, I'm based here in the UK now.

[Divivio]

Hey dude , just saw ur Post regarding Johannesburg.

Here's my 2c . .>>> And Join CarForums, its awesome, dudes will help you out there :-)


There’s always a good and bad to any place you go. In Joburg just be alert and you should be fine. It’s pretty Big to you’ll need a car/ driver to move around, public transport not soo cool. The CBD used to be Central Town but has now moved to the safer more “elite “ Sandton area. That’s where most of the foreign business people are located.
Car wise, just get a tint with smash & Grab Film to be precautions (not much around R800). Hi Jacking is unfortunately a fcked up reality but just be alert and don’t put urself in weird situations in shady areas :-)
Good areas: Santon, Norwood, Morningside, Houghton, Bruma, Fourways, Kyalami, Morningside, Sunninghill, Rivonia, Bedfordview amongst many many others :-)
Bad Areas: Hillbrow, deep into central JHB CBD, Yeoville, and the Townships.
Sorry that’s all I can remember for now. . .

I think you should feel pretty comfy and happy in the Northern Suburbs of JHB, eg Sandton. Night Life, Malls, Pubs, Clubs, Theatre, Resturants all great ones that sidea town.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200810...
http://www.expatarrivals.com/south-africa/johannes...
http://www.jhblive.com/events/
http://wikitravel.org/en/Johannesburg
www.computicket.com

Shot, hope this helped a little..
Divi :-)

[JonX2C]

Thanks Divi.

I will have a driver for the first few months, this will then be reduced to just working hours, I will then be expected to get a car and will have a car allowance.

I found out that BMW and Merc have manufacturing plants there so are reasinably priced.

I just dont no what car to get out there.

Can you get a flash new M3 and have security film windows etc, or is it high risk to have a nice car which can be car jacked?

[Divivio]

Cool, with a driver around, you;ll see all type's of cars, plenty e46 and e92 M powers this side of town :-) Should be pretty much the same yourside of town? Weekends there are plenty spots, from GTR35's to 458's to Gallardo's :-)

Don't let people ruin owning the car of your dreams :-)
Once you here scope it out, it's not as bad as people think, Just be alert and all will be good.

:-)

JonX2C said:

Thanks Divi.

I will have a driver for the first few months, this will then be reduced to just working hours, I will then be expected to get a car and will have a car allowance.

I found out that BMW and Merc have manufacturing plants there so are reasinably priced.

I just dont no what car to get out there.

Can you get a flash new M3 and have security film windows etc, or is it high risk to have a nice car which can be car jacked?

[Alfanatic]

Divivio said:

Hey dude , just saw ur Post regarding Johannesburg.

Here's my 2c . .>>> And Join CarForums, its awesome, dudes will help you out there :-)


There’s always a good and bad to any place you go. In Joburg just be alert and you should be fine. It’s pretty Big to you’ll need a car/ driver to move around, public transport not soo cool. The CBD used to be Central Town but has now moved to the safer more “elite “ Sandton area. That’s where most of the foreign business people are located.
Car wise, just get a tint with smash & Grab Film to be precautions (not much around R800). Hi Jacking is unfortunately a fcked up reality but just be alert and don’t put urself in weird situations in shady areas :-)
Good areas: Santon, Norwood, Morningside, Houghton, Bruma, Fourways, Kyalami, Morningside, Sunninghill, Rivonia, Bedfordview amongst many many others :-)
Bad Areas: Hillbrow, deep into central JHB CBD, Yeoville, and the Townships.
Sorry that’s all I can remember for now. . .

I think you should feel pretty comfy and happy in the Northern Suburbs of JHB, eg Sandton. Night Life, Malls, Pubs, Clubs, Theatre, Resturants all great ones that sidea town.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200810...
http://www.expatarrivals.com/south-africa/johannes...
http://www.jhblive.com/events/
http://wikitravel.org/en/Johannesburg
www.computicket.com

Shot, hope this helped a little..
Divi :-)

What he said. Northern suberbs of joberg are the place to be. Quick access to the city and if you're close to Sandton you can Gautrain to Jan Smuts Johannesburg International Ollie Tambo whatever the fk they're calling that big airport in Kempton Park nowadays to fly down to Cape Town. Driving down is doable but it's a long boring trip, something like 16 to 20 hours at the legal limit.

[TonyRPH]

Alfanatic said:

<snip>
Driving down is doable but it's a long boring trip, something like 16 to 20 hours at the legal limit.

Do people drive at the legal limit there?

Whenever I drove EL to J'oburg it was mostly very fast, only slowing down 10k's outside of each city along the way (because that's the furthest the cops would go!).

Same when I used to go to Durban, although passing through the Transkei at speed was always risky - needed to carry cash for bribes

[Alfanatic]

I never speed and do not condone speeding

Actually on the longer trips like that I did used to drive slower than I did around Joburg because I didn't want to get stuck with a broken down car in the middle of nowhere with only a shephard with talking shoes to keep me company. I didn't have a cellphone back then either. Nowadays even the shephard probably has a cellphone, but still has broken shoes.

[TonyRPH]

I once drove (by myself in 1987) from EL to J'oburg in a MKII Escort.

At Queenstown (200k's from EL), the center section of the exhaust fell off - being a Saturday - I struggled to get it repaired - and eventually found an open exhaust place but with no fitters. A friend of the owner welded it for me...

It fell off again about 50k's outside Bloemfontein - I stopped and retrieved it from the middle of the road (note to self: silencers that have just fallen off are still hot..).

I continued the rest of the journey with a single 'cherry bomb' silencer off the manifold - was deaf by the time I got to J'oburg!

It was amusing driving up the N1 that passes through Bloem, and people out in their back gardens watching me go past thinking WTF???

They must have thought a race car had got loose lol.