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Popular Warnings or Dangers | Other Warnings or Dangers Tips | All Tips (177) A 16-year-old boy was in critical condition on Monday after a Great White shark bit off part of his leg in an attack near Muizenberg, officials said.
The teenager was attacked while surfing, said Vaughan Seconds of the National Sea Rescue Institute.
"Lifeguards said they noticed that something was wrong when they saw half of the boy's board being tossed into the air," said Seconds.
"They pulled him out of the water and when I got to him I saw that his right leg had been completely bitten off and that he had bite marks on his remaining leg. By then he had already lost a lot of blood," he added.
The surfer was rushed to hospital where he suffered cardiac arrest twice during a delicate operation to save what remained of his leg, said hospital manager Clive Lake.
He added that the teenager was in a critical condition.
According to the University of the Western Cape, there are an average of three shark attacks annually in South Africa. Sharks are regularly spotted, but attacks rarely occur.
Seconds said a patrolling helicopter had spotted the shark a short while after the attack and it had been identified as a 3.5m-long Great White.
The last fatal shark attack in Cape Town was in September 2003, when a teenage surfer bled to death after being bitten by a shark. Leave a Comment
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Empangeni - An elephant killed the manager of the Wilderness Trails in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game park on Tuesday,.
The incident happened when Fortune Mkhize, manager of the Wilderness Trails operation in the Imfolozi section of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, was leading the first day of a four-day wilderness trail.
Mkhize and field ranger Thomas Mathenjwa, who was acting as rearguard, encountered two feeding elephants about an hour's walk from the base camp at Mdindini.
The group passed the first elephant at a distance of about 35m and a little further on encountered a second elephant that appeared to be uneasy with the presence of the party.
Following safety procedures, Mkhize indicated to Mathenjwa to retreat with the party, while he faced the elephant and also slowly retreated.
However, the elephant charged Mkhize before he could use his rifle and he was killed. Leave a Comment
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Don't take warnings of malaria lightly!
Kruger National Park, and a few other areas in South Africa are malaria zones and anyone planning to visit should be prepared with the appropriate anti-malarial medication. Whilst the risk is relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, it is real nonetheless, particularly from October to May (the wet season) and anyone planning a visit should be prepared to take the necessary precautions.
See your doctor or a travelller's clinic well before you leave and make sure you have sufficient prophylactic medication for the time you are in a malarial zone. Follow the instructions given carefully. Different prophylactics work in different ways and each one has its own requirements as to how they are to be taken.
Make sure you use a good insect-repellant and take all appropriate measures to avoid being bitten such as covering up (especially around the ankles), particularly in the evening.
Whilst there is no need to be alarmed or to let this put you off, don't listen to anyone who tells you it's not necessary. If they want to take the risk, let that be their decision, but don't mess around with your own health. It only takes one bite! Leave a Comment
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We all have heard the horror stories about how dangerous South Africa is... now I was amoung the very worried before I landed in this unknown country. My fears were quite unfounded, this country was amazing and as safe as any other country I have been to. I would not walk around in Edmonton in the middle of the night, so why would I do it in Johannesberg. Common sense goes a long way, just use your head and you should not have too many problems. Now with that said, bad things happen everyday, sometimes they happen to you, sometimes they dont. I have had my car broken into more times in Red Deer than I did in RSA, so go figure hey! Leave a Comment
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I have a feeling that many feel that South Africa is too dangerous to visit. Certainly on Canadian television we seem to see only the worst of SA.
I think as long as a person is careful and uses good judgment, everything should go alright.
An example of my poor judgment is when I was visiting Montecasino in Jo'burg. I put my purse down on a bench right beside me so I could take a picture. My Jo'burg friend grabbed my purse and told me never to do that as I could have lost it in a second.
When you go to an ATM to get money, make sure you are not alone. Choose one in a well lighted area and have a friend with you.
It should be pointed out that I had heard all of these horror stories about South Africa. While I never had any trouble there, my jacket was stolen on the B.C. Ferry when I was only miles from my home in Canada. I thought it was quite ironic. Leave a Comment
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Be aware that the roads in many rural areas are not fenced, so you could find dogs, chickens, sheep and even horses or cows on the road, so it may be dangerous to drive at night.
Large antelope crossing the road can also be a hazard in certain areas – watch out for the road signs depicting a leaping antelope, and take it slowly, especially towards evening. Leave a Comment
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Be very careful, a tourist stands out a mile in South Africa and that makes us easy targets. Always have eyes in the back of your head, you will learn this quickly, do not wear or carry valuables, resist throwing a rucksak over your shoulder, keep to the guidlines given. Stay on the clearly marked routes. Do not wander around the streets, particularly of a night, it is asking for trouble Leave a Comment
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Humans get malaria from the bite of a malaria-infected mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected person, it ingests microscopic malaria parasites found in the person’s blood. The malaria parasite must grow in the mosquito for a week or more before infection can be passed to another person. If, after a week, the mosquito then bites another person, the parasites go from the mosquito’s mouth into the person’s blood. The parasites then travel to the person’s liver, enter the liver’s cells, grow and multiply. During this time when the parasites are in the liver, the person has not yet felt sick. The parasites leave the liver and enter red blood cells; this may take as little as 8 days or as many as several months. Once inside the red blood cells, the parasites grow and multiply. The red blood cells burst, freeing the parasites to attack other red blood cells. Toxins from the parasite are also released into the blood, making the person feel sick. If a mosquito bites this person while the parasites are in his or her blood, it will ingest the tiny parasites. After a week or more, the mosquito can infect another person. Leave a Comment
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Well people hear all these bad stories of how high the crime rate is in South Africa. Yes I`m not gonna say its the safest place on earth but there is crime like crime in all big cities here in South Africa.
In Johannesburg I can honestly say the city centre is not very safe , places like Hilbrow you definitely keep out of. Most places in general around Johannesburg seems to be ok.
As for Cape Town , I always felt safe around there well accept for wondering around in the Cape Flats.... As a tourist I don`t think you`ll wonder around there so you`ll be ok.
Durban city centre gave me a bit of the creeps , I rather prefered to go to places away from the City itself. Either Go to the North Coast or go to the South Coast.
Here is more links to more warnings in Johannesburg , Cape Town , Durban , Hartbeespoort Dam and Sun City Leave a Comment
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YES HERE IN SOUTH AFRICA THE ROADS AE LONG AND FAIRLY OPEN BETWEEN CITIES SO ONE TENDS TO PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE ACCERATOR AND NOW ADAYS ON THE HIGHWAY`S THE SPEED LIMIT IS 120 KMS PER HOURS AND NORMALLY THERE IS TRAFFIC COPS ALL OVER THE PLACE , WATCH YOUR SPEED LIMIT ................................. Leave a Comment
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