South Africa travel advisory
Last updated · latest change by either source
Level 2 — Exercise increased caution
SafeRoutes uses the highest level reported by the sources below. Countries at Level 3–4 are avoided as transit points by the route finder.
US State Department
Exercise increased caution in South Africa due to crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnapping. Violent crime is common and includes robbery, rape, carjacking and mugging. There are also "smash-and-grab" attacks on vehicles. Violent crime is more common in the downtown areas of big cities, especially after dark. Kidnapping is a threat in South Africa. Kidnappers target U.S. citizens and other foreign travelers to steal money. Captors often force victims to withdraw cash or give online acco …
Source: travel.state.gov (excerpt; read the full advisory at the source). Fetched 6 November 2026.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
No FCDO advice against travel is currently flagged for this country.
Latest FCDO update: Updated information about fraud and scams, and taxis and ride-hailing apps (‘Safety and security’ page).
Source: gov.uk foreign travel advice, updated 5 November 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Fetched 6 November 2026.
Advisories describe risk to travellers on the ground. Whether airspace is open is decided by the national authority and published in NOTAMs; airlines also follow their own regulator's conflict-zone guidance.