Where have all the whites gone – Seriously

I was able to visit Durban, South Africa for a few days, and was shocked that the city had changed to such a degree that almost zero whites were around the beach front. My last visit to Durban just over two years ago was pleasant, and there were sufficient whites around which seemed to me that Durban was still a reasonable city to visit. At least the sea was relatively still fantastic, although I would not swim in there, cannot take that chance, who knows what people do in the sea.

Where have all the whites gone? I walked along the beach front last week on Saturday and did not see one white person. The beachfront was active and busy, people hustling about enjoying the sea and the warm weather. I felt like an alien among all the dark people and quickly ventured back to the hotel where I would find safety.

I quickly learnt of many events were taking place around the city of Durban, there was a soccer match at the Moses Mabhida stadium, the world youth chess championships and a beer festival. Perhaps the football game drove many blacks into the city to support their team. I was relieved to find scores of whites in the hotel, although not South Africans, but foreigners who were there to compete in the beer festival and chess championship. Many black supporters left Durban after the football game and I assumed that another walk on the beach would seem more or less normal. I was wrong, Sunday; it seemed that masses of blacks from local townships invaded the beach front to enjoy a swim in the sea. A busy place, traffic was hectic, and bus loads of people opted for a day in the sun. While walking along the promenade, I tried to count the number of white people, but alas, there were not even five. 

Venturing down to uShaka, marine world, for the rest of the day, was surprising and pleasant; there were white people all around. The white people were mostly tourists who came to experience the lovely aquarium and catch a glimpse of the dolphins and sea creatures. uShaka is by far the best place to visit in Durban. It is clean!

A visit to Sun Coast Casino Entertainment Center was no more enlightening for me as the amount of white visitors was insignificant. The place was crowded as expected; although the entertainment section is, secure, ensuring guests do enjoy their visit. The place was clean and staff considerate, it is not a dangerous place to visit. Definitely a more protected environment.

The inner city of Durban was filthy; it reminded me of some of the slum areas that have sprung up around South Africa. Garbage scattered all over the place, street vendors occupying most of the allocated pedestrian walking space, selling cheap inferior goods, totally overcrowded and beggars all around trying to gather a few pennies for who knows what, drugs, alcohol or food. Even the giant rats, the size of cats and bigger, scurried away from the crowds.

I guess; Durban is not a white person’s city, and a few that do remain are residents who have lived there all their lives. There are many residential suburbs in Durban that are reasonable and well maintained. However, there are the usual problems of potholes, traffic lights not working and service delivery functions that need improvement. These problems are not unique to Durban alone, as these troubles are scattered all over the country.

I decided to visit the uShaka center again and to my surprise; the place was rather quiet. There not too many people around until buses started off loading scores of local school children visiting the center for the day. The school children were all black; I never saw a little white face, so I assume that most local schools in and around Durban have a high rate of black students. I managed to sneak a photo of one bus load of children and thought to myself that if this massive crowd ran toward me, I would be trampled to death within minutes. It is a scary thought and more so when there are hordes of blacks around.

I will probably never visit Durban again; it is another city, in South Africa that I have personally listed as a definite never to visit the place again. Durban like most of the main cities in South Africa has deteriorated from a pleasant, safe and clean environment, into a filthy, overcrowded, rat-infested city.

My next trip will be a sea cruise to the Mediterranean but certainly not on a South African ship. Cannot take the chance of seeing large rats again, and perhaps that will delight me more than touring South Africa. 

I am not the only person who thinks Durban is a mess, here is an article written in 2011 expressing a concern about the city.

http://matthewsavides.wordpress.com/2011/01/19/on-a-slippery-slope-a-take-on-durbans-proposed-beachfront-upgrade-expansion/

Read the article and watch the video! Durban is overcrowded.

VIDEO: LIKE A COLONY OF ANTS THAT JUST FOUND HONEY – SOUTH AFRICA BEACH ON THE 1ST OF JANUARY LOOKS LIKE WORLD WAR Z!

 http://www.shockmansion.com/2014/01/05/video-like-a-colony-of-ants-that-just-found-honey-south-africa-beach-on-the-1st-of-january-looks-like-world-war-z/

Video link - January 2014