You have no idea. It was essentially a war zone in 78 when we left. It got a lot worse. A LOT worse. When I went back for a visit in 05, my uncle was driving me to his place from the airport. He would slow down before stop lights and just slowly coast the last 200 yards with a sawed off shotgun in his lap. I freaked out. He explained it was a carjacking avoidance protocol. The infrastructure was crumbling compared to 78. Trash all over the formerly pristine streets. It had gone downhill in a big way. Today I can not imagine.
I drove 2200 km in the Rainbow Nation in 2000, stayed a week near Durban. Quite an education.
Can’t imagine what it’s like now. Driving down a street in Umlaanga I said to a cab driver, “Every house has a wall topped with razor wire and a sign advertising armed security, what’s up with that?”
He said, “Oh yes. Just like America”
OMG.