Life in Johannesburg

My second trip to South Africa has been nothing short of enlightening. I was here during the FIFA World Cup in 2010, which you can find some of my articles, video packages and documentaries on YouTube or here.

The most surprising thing is how difficult it is for a non-resident to get a local sim. I arrived May 10 and was able to get a sim at a Vodacom shop inside the OR Tambo International Airport. I would later find out it wasn't a Vodacom exclusive shop, but a franchise store. This proved crucial as I will explain later.

My communication ordeal
I was also bamboozled into buying a R1,500 router because the salesman claimed it was the only one that would work with a Mac. In hindsight, I remember thinking, how is that possible, but I think I was just so tired from the roughly 15-16 hour trip that I just went along with it. My friends and colleagues here all expressed shock at how much I spent on the router. I also bought 1GB of data and two sims (one for the router and another for my phone.) I didn't load any airtime on my phone because I'd forgotten to unlock it.

Within three hours of loading my data, I had used up the 1GB. I still don't know how that happened, though I suspect leaving my Skype running in the background and watching an NBA Playoffs first round game involving the Miami Heat had something to do with it.

Then my nightmare began.

I tried to contact the Vodacom customer service on my phone and couldn't get anywhere. The following day I walked to the mall closest to my house and after going through my phone, was told by the customer service rep that I had a bad sim. My options: buy another sim for R99 (my original sim cost R105) or go back to the airport shop and replace it because that store isn't a Vodacom store. In disgust I went across to the MTN store, determined not to pay for another Vodacom sim, and was surprised to find out its sim costs R1. Everything else was also cheaper. Unfortunately I couldn't buy a new sim because I needed to have proof of residence.

The proof of residence
Citing a need to curb criminal and illegal activities through pay-as-you-go phones, the South African government passed a law that states everyone who purchases a sim must be a resident. You can get away with this at the airport, or some hotels, but majority of the phone stores within the city won't sell you one even with a passport.

One week later, after existing without the ability to call (I could receive calls on my Vodacom, but couldn't add airtime to make calls) or use the internet outside of work, I finally got a sim and a new router with help from a friend. I currently using 8.ta, the cell phone branch of Telkom, the popular landline and internet service provider. My new router cost R1,000, but I got a much better deal on my sim (free with initial airtime purchase) and data (bought 2GB for R149, with an additional 1GB free, compared to R279 I paid for 1GB at Vodacom.)

My advice...make sure you do your homework before coming to South Africa, or anywhere for the matter, as a number of things could've changed.

The rest of my time here so far has been eventful at times and mundane at others. It's winter here so it tends to be a bit cold. While it's not so cold outdoors for me, compared to the cold I experience during winter in the U.S., it is very cold indoors. The walls don't seem to be insulated so I was freezing for my first two weeks in my apartment. Fortunately, my landlady gave me an electric blanket, which has become my best friend here. I don't go out much since I don't have a car and my only reliable cab driver has been unavailable the past two weeks. It's important that you try to get a trusted (as trustworthy as you can ascertain) cab driver especially if you plan on being out at night. Collective crime rate here is quite high, with violent crime (murder, rape, assault, kidnappings, muggings) high up the list. And sometimes, it could be the cab driver committing the crime.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of positive things about Johannesburg and I hope to show some of my positive experiences while here. To start with, I ate my first fried plantain today. Big deal? Well if you know me or my family, you'd know how much we'd die for 'dodo' and I can't believe how scarce it is here. I got a rotten bunch for R40, and barely scraped a few slices worth frying from it.

On a more serious note, I have become familiar with my surroundings enough to start jogging every Saturday. I'm determined to stay in shape while here so running, my fitness ball and stretching rope are my main activities. I'll include some pictures and videos from a jazz and wine outing I attended on Sunday on my next blog entry. It's one of a few outings I've made.

Thanks for sticking around, and I hope to keep giving you content worth reading.