Too much of the talk at breakfast in Johannesburg this morning was not about the All Blacks wonderful victory against the Springboks but about how members of our tour group are having their phones stolen, victims of this city’s outrageous pickpockets.
I saw one instance happen right before me without really knowing it was happening. We were standing on a footpath outside Ellis Park waiting for our bus and bathing in the reflected joy of the All Blacks win.
Many South African fans in their replica jerseys walked by wishing us well and saying well played, you were too good etc etc. (As if this bunch of aged baby boomers on a big social trip actually had anything to do with negating the mighty Springbok scrum!)
But one green jumpered fan, a squat black man who might have been a prop in his playing days, was just a bit too enthusiastic about his good wishes. He shook the hand of my friend Barry, made all sorts of congratulatory comments while simultaneously trying to hug him and wipe his left hand over his body.
It was all over in seconds but it was too late. My friend brushed off his assailant as the criminal raced off into the darkness.
Barry was left standing there furiously patting his pockets to make sure his wallet and his phone were still intact. The wallet was. The phone was gone.
In vain we rushed up the street to see if the pickpocket was still around. He wasn’t. Disappeared into the darkness.
It was slick. It was non- aggressive. It was shocking in its simplicity. Call me naive but I’ve never seen such outrageous criminality in action.
Our tour leader, a white South African male, apologised profusely. Only the day before when he met us at the airport he was telling us that the places we would be going were not infested with crime. After this incident he admitted the Ellis Park neighbourhood was not the safest place to visit.
Next morning Barry reported his theft at a local police station. Not because he had any hope of getting the phone back but because he needed some proof of reporting the theft for insurance purposes.
When he got to the police station he found three other New Zealand tourists there doing the same thing!
All had similar stories to tell. They didn’t know they’d been done till it was too late.
The attitude of the police was, I’m told, one of severe disinterest. By this stage Barry could even pinpoint his phone’s location through the “Find my phone” function. It was 29 kilometres away.
It took quite a bit of persuading to even get the police to provide a written report on the theft and give that report an official stamp. Such is the life of a law enforcement officer in one of the world’s crime and murder capitals.
We were warned of course to watch ourselves during this trip. But it’s easy to let your guard down.
As we know, the modern phone is an integral part of our lives. I’m writing this article on mine. Technology allows you to quickly prevent others from stealing money or using the credit cards on the phone’s wallet app. There’s a big flash Apple Store in the nearby shopping mall so Barry can get a new one and hopefully download all his information and photos from the cloud.
That’s not the point. These thefts are a reminder South Africa is still a country of immense contrast. Thirty four years since Nelson Mandela was installed as President there are signs of extraordinary wealth - among both whites and blacks - but unemployment is rife, crime remains rampant and life is one of poverty and subsistence for those on the breadline in a land with no welfare system.
That four New Zealand rugby tourists had their phones picked off on a Johannesburg street is of no consequence to local authorities. But it’s a reminder that as we enjoy the privilege of being able to watch an intensely contested rugby series, life on the other side of the touchline here is still desperate for millions of South Africans.
In the Rainbow Nation the pot of gold remains elusive for most.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced.
But one green jumpered fan, a squat black man who might have been a prop in his playing days, was just a bit too enthusiastic about his good wishes. He shook the hand of my friend Barry, made all sorts of congratulatory comments while simultaneously trying to hug him and wipe his left hand over his body.
It was all over in seconds but it was too late. My friend brushed off his assailant as the criminal raced off into the darkness.
Barry was left standing there furiously patting his pockets to make sure his wallet and his phone were still intact. The wallet was. The phone was gone.
In vain we rushed up the street to see if the pickpocket was still around. He wasn’t. Disappeared into the darkness.
It was slick. It was non- aggressive. It was shocking in its simplicity. Call me naive but I’ve never seen such outrageous criminality in action.
Our tour leader, a white South African male, apologised profusely. Only the day before when he met us at the airport he was telling us that the places we would be going were not infested with crime. After this incident he admitted the Ellis Park neighbourhood was not the safest place to visit.
Next morning Barry reported his theft at a local police station. Not because he had any hope of getting the phone back but because he needed some proof of reporting the theft for insurance purposes.
When he got to the police station he found three other New Zealand tourists there doing the same thing!
All had similar stories to tell. They didn’t know they’d been done till it was too late.
The attitude of the police was, I’m told, one of severe disinterest. By this stage Barry could even pinpoint his phone’s location through the “Find my phone” function. It was 29 kilometres away.
It took quite a bit of persuading to even get the police to provide a written report on the theft and give that report an official stamp. Such is the life of a law enforcement officer in one of the world’s crime and murder capitals.
We were warned of course to watch ourselves during this trip. But it’s easy to let your guard down.
As we know, the modern phone is an integral part of our lives. I’m writing this article on mine. Technology allows you to quickly prevent others from stealing money or using the credit cards on the phone’s wallet app. There’s a big flash Apple Store in the nearby shopping mall so Barry can get a new one and hopefully download all his information and photos from the cloud.
That’s not the point. These thefts are a reminder South Africa is still a country of immense contrast. Thirty four years since Nelson Mandela was installed as President there are signs of extraordinary wealth - among both whites and blacks - but unemployment is rife, crime remains rampant and life is one of poverty and subsistence for those on the breadline in a land with no welfare system.
That four New Zealand rugby tourists had their phones picked off on a Johannesburg street is of no consequence to local authorities. But it’s a reminder that as we enjoy the privilege of being able to watch an intensely contested rugby series, life on the other side of the touchline here is still desperate for millions of South Africans.
In the Rainbow Nation the pot of gold remains elusive for most.
Peter Williams was a writer and broadcaster for half a century. Now watching from the sidelines. Peter blogs regularly on Peter’s Substack - where this article was sourced.
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