Here are some of the most dangerous cities to live in, visit, and conduct business in Africa.
10 Nairobi, Kenya
As Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi is the hub of the country’s economy, thereby making it attractive to both foreign and investments, and vulnerable to criminal activity.
According to reports, Nairobi registers high crime rates in armed carjackings, home and business burglaries, kidnappings, pick-pocketing, muggings, and snatch- and grab-thefts. Other criminal threats include grenade attacks and terrorism, which in recent years Kenya has bore the brunt of.
9 Luanda, Angola
Luanda, Angola’s capital city, has a high crime rate, and one which is reported as being “critical”.
According to the UK Government service Gov.UK, common crimes in the city are inclusive of carjackings, assaults, homicides, muggings for valuables such as mobile phones, armed robberies at either night or day (especially in areas popular with foreigners), and rape incidences both in nightlife areas and even private homes.
Lone night travel or walks within the city are not recommended, as crimes mostly happen at night in Luanda,
8 Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Port Elizabeth is a coastal city in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Tourists are drawn to this vibrant port city, which is dubbed the “Windy City” for its windy coastal clime. Port Elizabeth has a rich cultural heritage, and is among the cities early explorers like Vasco Da Gama passed through. However, crime is very high and as of February 2016, rates the crime levels there at 80.56 out of a possible crime score of 100. Muggings and street crimes are common in Port Elizabeth much like in the rest of South Africa.
7 Cape Town, South Africa
Crime levels in Cape Town, a port city in South Africa and the capital of Western Cape Province, are very high, even though it’s the country’s legislative capital. In recent years, it has consistently been ranked among the most violent cities in the world.
From April 2011 to March 2012, Cape Town recorded more murders than both Johannesburg and Pretoria combined, according to Africa Check. Criminal activities like drug dealing, mugging, vandalism, theft, assault, armed robbery, and bribery are especially common there.
6 Lagos, Nigeria
With an estimated population of 21 million, Lagos is Nigeria’s largest city and one of the largest cities in the world. Crime levels are also very high rating of 80.88 out of a possible crime score of 100.
Armed robbers in the city are known to even climb up perimeter fences and subdue guards, and others have invaded waterfront compounds by way of boats. Criminals also target vehicle occupants in traffic, and break into stationary cars. Some of Lagos’ crime hot-spots are airport roads in the days or evenings, as well as banks and grocery stores.
Street gangs dubbed “area boys” cause terror in the mainland of the city when they clash. Lagos is also an e-mail scam hotbed, from where dubious cyber criminal prey on people under the pretension that they can receive huge compensation in return some time later after parting with some money by way of electronic transactions.
5 Durban, South Africa
Durban is the largest city in Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in South Africa. It’s a coastal city that is popular with local and international tourists who annually number within the hundreds of thousands. Economically, the city hosts the biggest container and commodity port in Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to a 2014 report by the Mexican Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, Durban City was 38th among the 50 most violent cities in the world.
Taking personal precautions, like avoiding nighttime travel or walking alone, is recommended to avoid falling victim.
5 Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city, with an estimated population of over 4 million people, and it’s also the capital of Gauteng province. In recent years it has achieved notoriety for the high numbers of crime and rape cases seen there as well.
Due to the many incidences of rape reported there, it has also been dubbed as the “World’s Rape Capital”. Recently, Johannesburg has had xenophobic attacks springing up in the low income townships with frequency. In 2014-2015, according to Africa Check, the murder rate in Johannesburg per 100,000 was 28.2 people. Yet, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the average global homicide rate per 100,000 people was 6.2, less than a fourth of that seen in Johannesburg.
3 Benghazi, Libya
Since Muammar Gaddafi’s oust from power as the leader of Libya in 2011, the whole country, including the second largest city of Benghazi, has been engulfed in a civil war. The city is ever at risk of radical Islamic terrorist attacks.
Incidences of carjackings, robberies, burglaries, and gun attacks are now more prevalent, largely due to the looting of government artillery that ensued in a mad scramble for economic and military gains after Gaddafi’s removal. Sexual harassment of women is also rising, as well as petty and hardcore street crimes alike. Even stricter laws on people’s dress make expatriate women who don’t dress conservatively susceptible to attacks from Islamic extremist militias.
- Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
Pietermaritzburg is both the province’s second largest city (after Durban) and the capital of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province in the nation of South Africa.
Armed robbery, sexual assault, arson, drug dealing, house break-ins, carjackings, and car theft are some crimes that are rife in Pietermaritzburg. In the 3 years leading up to 2015, crimes levels in the city rose significantly.
- Rustenburg, South Africa
Rustenburg City is in the North West Province of South Africa. It has very high crime levels, and is rated at 85.71 out of a possible crime score of 100.
Household burglary, kidnapping, hijacking, and political violence are but some of the crimes that frequently occur in this city. According to South Africa Dialogue, street crimes and muggings are also high in Rustenburg, and caution is necessary each and everyday.
At night, car break-ins are common, and it’s not advisable to leave one’s valuables inside a vehicle. When driving on the freeways at night, stops in undesignated areas make one an easy target for robbers, and hence it’s wise to avoid making them.
