Would love some opinions!

[Nics]

Hi There

Really keen to hear your opinions. Maybe I'm too paranoid but really not comfortable with this.

Just heard that our school is trying to arrange a sports tour to South Africa which my child will fall into.

I can't think of anything worse than sending my primary school child on a plane back to South Africa.

Judging from some of the research I could find - it appears South Africa has double the murder rate to Pakistan - and the Australian team cancelled their trip to Pakistan as it was too dangerous.

Yikes! This is making my stomach turn!!

[LeeInOz]

In 2007 a group of children from a private school went to South Africa. They send the year 12 class to a 3rd world country to get a perspective on how things are. They went to Soweto, apartheid museum, game reserve and at the end of the trip they went to Sandton City. A gilr decided to buy some shoes. She thought her sister would like some so reached to her ....(bag and phone gone). The teacher who goes said it was interesting but the trip was tense because of the underlying sense of fear around.

I never thought of it that way.

They coud go, have a great trip return and say all the South Africans here are liars or mad.

But they could also end up returning in a body bag.

Our children are not interseted in ever returning even for a visit

[Shelly*]

Aside from the fact that I do agree that 11 years old is too young for an international school trip, I feel compelled to respond to some of the amazingly negative postings on this thread.

Although I do plan to emigrate (if the visa eventually comes through) it is not a completely clear decision. South Africa is still amazingly beautiful, most of the people one meets are wonderful fellow South Africans, middle class children still go to very good schools and play like normal children, parents across the races are typically concerned and want the best for their children. However, obviously, poverty, with its concomitant drug and alcohol abuse problems, changes this. Poverty is rife in SA and the horror stories one hears about "dangerous schools" typically take place in these poor environments. However, even in the poor environments there are incredible exceptions - good schools with dedicated pupils.

Travel always involves fear of the unknown. I think that this is the problem - that SA is now "foreign" to many emigrants. However, an ex-South African saying that they would *never* let their children visit South Africa does sound rather odd, and extremely emotional, to me. Surely some affection for, and appreciation of, the remaining good aspects of the "old country" remains?

Edited August 24, 2008 by Shelly*