I was at ftc last year doing the atpl groundschool (which is what token bird is there for (i think))
Security in SA differs from the rest of the western world in only two respects:
1. There are a large amount of very poor people (and you have to see the level of poverty to believe it)
2. When being mugged in the UK, the guy may punch you or brandish a knife before you reluctantly hand over your wallet - In SA they stab you to death/shoot you in the head and then remove your wallet from the corpse....
I used to walk back from town to the ftc compound regularly and never saw any trouble, I'd rather do that again than walk around South London where I'm living at the moment......
Having re-read what I've just written you'd have thought I was trying to dissuade you from going to SA - but I'm not - lots of great people (of all creeds/colours) and a great climate....
The flying's pretty good too!