Go with a plan.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Pietermaritzburg at 19/100 for crime — that makes it read safer than South Africa's national picture overall (57/100 vs 56/100).
City page · part of South Africa
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Pietermaritzburg report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside South Africa's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
81.3
Safety Index
18.7
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as South Africa's national page, with crime swapped for Pietermaritzburg's own Numbeo number above.
Legal status (national law)
Male legal since 8 May 1998Female always legal; equal age of consent since 2007 + UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / M / N · 230V
Driving side
left
Emergency
police: 10 111 / ambulance: 10 177 / fire: 10 177
How this compares to South Africa
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Pietermaritzburg at 19/100 for crime — that makes it read safer than South Africa's national picture overall (57/100 vs 56/100).
See the full South Africa page and all receipts →