hey what can you say, africa is a tough place
I have recently completed my CPL,IF,ME with Cape Flying Services,George,South Africa, and i don't have any complaints at all,they are exellent.
Don't worry about the exchange rate,get a qoute from a school, that would be fixed for the period on the contract. Say for instance you get quoted R180 000 for a PPL,CPL,IF,ME. That contract would stand for a period of 9 months, depending on the school. A good school would extend that period for unforseen events like bad weather or downed aircraft. I know a bloke that completed his PPL,CPL,IF,ME at Cape Flying Services in 7 months!! This proves that it can be done through allot of hard work and determination.
On the subject of safety, South African search and rescue is world class, that is why you file a flight plan for cross country flights. If you don't pitch at the airfield at a certain time, they will come and look for you.
Crime is relevant, it can happen to anybody. If you enrol for a course at a flying school, you will easily make friends and they will show you around and get you streetwise. We alway's go out in groups and you will soon see that it is alright to go out by yourself.