Driving Through Durban, South Africa

[johnwill46]

Well if you tried you could'nt have done better - that was excelent. Yes I was born and bred Durban Durbs - by - da - Sea!! Lived in Westville schooled at Westville High (before the split i.e. Boys High/Girls High). Left for UK Aug 2001 a very sad but necessary move.

[GQmanification]

Drivng by quickly in a car makes the place look better than it actually is. It's a complete dump compared to what it used to be. The areas of the CBD he went to were the nicer parts. Trust me, it only gets worse. If you want to see decent parts of Durban then you must go to the wealthy suburbs. You may think this isn't bad but remember this is suppose to be one of our richest cities. The places you mention in the USA are not wealthy cities by US standards. So it's unfair to compare.

[Xerxes845]

Damn, I remember when I went on vacation here in 1989, it was a paradise on earth, it looks like shit now. I'm afriad to go back to Pietermaritzburg now as well, that used to be one of SA's classiest cities back in the day....And while crime here is bad, it's not nearly as bad as Jo'burg or Cape town are, now those have become serious shitholes.

[MrAngryGorilla2000]

It's not that bad looking. It's still better looking than some of these American cities...typically the ones in the Mid-West and East Coast. I think it's beautiful.

[jonathan1b]

Thanks for reminding me why I left. Simple as that. Love the place and always will but not eenought to risk my and my families life.

[Synesthesias]

I smell curry.

[98765432143153]

i mic hme,loved it wen u went past da bus terminals,dats wer my peepz n i use 2 hang owt on fridays afta skul...Dbn z 2 louder nw

[Plankee]

Durban and South Africa is my home. I left to play Football in America and now all I want to do is go back. I have taken my home for granted. Never again Durban. Im coming home!

[djchebe]

TIA, TIA... I miss home :(

[earthofdoom9003]

Durban 2020 Olympic Games!!!!!!!!! Hopefully they get to host the games!!!!

[Noxy188]

Durban is NOT like this anymore, so much has changed. I left home early this year, believe me a lot was done before the world cup. Durban is beautiful as ever.

[painlessandstainles1]

im south african im white and omg i now everything u just taped thats so epic but sadly i now live in canada eh it sucks here i want to live in sa again u should check out new germany down the road the neghbourhood i used to live in it was good but yes the crime was bad and its not all rundown nikosi sikaleli afrika part of the anthem love it

[Evoken13]

there is a bad vibe going on....it's crazy that a city that big is so deserted/empty looking. It looks like you took a last minute beer run on Thanksgiving afternoon. Creepy.

[illsjay316]

Your video is taken two days before we left Durban - hopefully for good. Even though I lived there for so long I was still shocked at how run down it looks on the video. Brought back some memories - we got caught in the middle of a gun fight at the bus stop shown at around 1:47 - must have been around 1996 or so. For those of you wondering why so many shops are closed and boarded up this video was taken very soon after the xenophobic violence broke out - lots of damage and fear.

[musakam]

all the wealth of the country, was use to benefit the white minority. now that that wealth is spread to all south african you must expect it to spread thin. be honest with yourselfs white south africans, i hope you guys never return.

[Synesthesias]

@musakam,

You have no idea what you're talking about.



[flyingdutchmn216]

Visited in '93. It was thriving. I was afraid to watch this video, now I'm sorry I did. *sigh!

[mervyntracy]

@flyingdutchmn216 -Durban has changed a lot -- for the better. In fact pretty much all of South Africa has. 6 lane highways up in Gauteng and everything has been spruced up.

[HummingbirdAllegory]

It's so weird, I find that so many South African cities give off this downtown Cleveland vibe. And vice versa.

[africaadio]

Ahhhh ... Durban, I spent almost 35 years of my life in that city, on the Bluff. Sadly .. never to return, after almost 17 years overseas.

[MrRedFredSaid]

Never mind the people who tell you to put on a soundtrack. The slight hum of the background noise of cars and passing traffic is enough. Quite honestly, I find most of the soundtracks people load on these road videos to be very annoying.

[jorramileon]

la ciudad luce muy bien, incluso mucho mejor que ciudades americanas como detroit que realmente apestan..

[Synesthesias]

@jorramileon

Si, pero Durban tambien apesta como la India, y las playas no valen nada.

[jippee1]

a reason y shops are all closed??

[nightwolf3131]

Very nice but how come so many shops are closed? with shutters down in downtown/central ??

Was it a sunday or a holiday or something?

[schs1977]

I am an American living in Australia, My mother was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africia. I have been there several times and have a lot of family there. I have to admit, after 5 years of living in Perth, it is still hard for me to get use to driving on the Left and not on the Right. I will be going back to America for a visit in October 2010, and I know it will be odd driving on the Right!

[cruddbucket]

@schs1977 Please tell us more of your life story...

[schs1977]

@cruddbucket - I'll tell you that you are an as*hole

[cruddbucket]

@schs1977 lol

[EazyE3232]

@schs1977

you coloured?

[Bluewavec2004]

At least do the effort of sticking some background music on or something...

[AB786187]

put a soundtrack on

[foxymike78]

sigh, i miss home

[SunOne007]

I wanna go home!!!!

[miggy221]

compared to some places in Europe Durb looks pretty fine.

[chathuriu]

why couldnt he film through the windscreen......that way we could see both sides of the street. Hope to god he wasnt driving though

[kayleighsa]

ohhh i know where you are

[thevanlouis]

i miss durbz

[penn65000cycling]

Was the video taken on a Sunday ?-hardly any pedestrians to be seen and sparse road traffic.

My last visit to Durban was in 1986.

[Pivivoine]

monday

[penn65000cycling]

were you a passenger in the car on that day?

[Pivivoine]

no, but on my computer theres a calendar which tells me that!

[myhomelandSA]

Oh i remember all this and how i miss it.

[wigwams69]

lol looks alot better than detroit

[killaafrikaner]

i am black and have met a lot postive white saffas

[sobededomi]

white south africans lets stop puting a country we love in shame,brillinat city living there or not that won't change the fact.nuff said.

[samk3lo]

7:13 Shaka Marine World ! Best place ever& the beaches are awesome. i love Durban.

[Inathi12]

A bet it's a white Saffa dude trying to portray SA as this terrible country. Gosh, ppl he/she has failed to show u all the new developments in SA shopping malls, train stations, airports, residential estates, parks etc. White Saffas r really doing all their best to make SA look more bad then it is. yet call themselves "proudly south african." ur dream is to see SA fail in a blk man's power but we will all prove u wrong.

[seamus2k8]

couldn't agree more. i've never heard any group of people run down their own country more than white south africans. i don't know what they expect to get out of it... they're hoping it can fail so that they can say "Ah, see we were right with Apartheid all along!"

talk of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[XAVIXguy]

every car is nice. i knew they werent like starving in south africa but i didnt know everyone had a brand new car. o wait, its the business district, nvm

[darkarts59]

looks like you have to drive everywhere, walking not an option, like U.S. Europe more civilised- am I wrong?

[riolindasucks]

What does driving and civilization have to do with this? Maybe if petrol didn't cost so much, more people in Europe could afford to drive. Am I wrong?

[wewalkthestreet]

ur wrong

[DubsWest]

"civilised" is used quite loosely in this weak comment! Local taxi`s, cabs,buses and trains are another form of transport in and around South Africa`s cities. South Africa`s cities suburbs and towns have always been spread out, but your talkin` shit when you mention "drive everywhere" I walk allot around the closer suburbs, America is another place where driving is the only option at times! It`s all to do with spacious cities and suburbs fuck all to do with civilised! read up its definition.

[darkarts59]

well - aren't we a little sensitive? just showing up your insecurity. I happen to like walking around cities, but I understand from a relative who lives in Durban that its not an option there because of the horrendous crime rate, violent crime that is.

[Durbs4all]

Aaaish, thing brings back so many memories. I use to walk down those streets. Ah, the sun, the brightness. I miss home

[Durbanitejoller]

Great "Tiger" bakkie.

[kzn007]

South Africa all the ways Can never beat home....

[saqueen80]

I agree with u Inathi and i think we are only people who will lift up with our knowledge that we have from ather countries.

[kentkenty]

I think durbs and sa have not changed for the better. If you think that u need your head read. That was durban shitest parts taken on a sunday. If you take it during workdays you will be hard pressed to find any europeans.WONDER WHY.

[Inathi12]

Love SA

[Inathi12]

I live abroad..studying actually and I was in SA June 2008. Yes a lot has changed much of it for the better. Saffas living abroad have a tendency of comparing it to other countries that is why sum think it's so run down. But we r not a Western country. For an African country...I think SA is smashing and will b going bk.

[kzn007]

u can never beat home South Africa all the way......

[Inathi12]

Yep. We even have that Indian tournament coming to SA. They chose SA for a reason lol. Come on Saffas!

[warden9876]

hey are roads even down there. I saw some bumps towars the end.

[nonhlonipho]

Fact Durban rocks

[lordmykl]

No, only visited Durban for a week. That's why I posted the video, figured some former residents would want to take a look at how it is today. The city location, geography, and most of the people were great, but the crime situation is unlivable from what I saw. Good luck with everything! Regards, Michael.

[lucidmediatv]

@lordmykl It's not that hectic - Living here for the past 23 years, I haven't gotten robbed / hijacked once. Remember, New York has the highest rate of street crime - Yet no one complains

[thanatos372]

dude all i can say is wtf happened this not the durbs i left. its actually heartbreaking but thanks for making the video there are some places i remember. but it has changed beyond recognition. are you living in durbs?

[lordmykl]

I'm guessing not for the better...it was very dangerous and quite run down when I took this video...

[thanatos372]

my god my home town has changed in 6yrs

[lordmykl]

6 August, 2008.

[thanatos372]

when was this video made?