Inside the gates

      The housing options differ much like they do back in the US.  There are single family homes, town homes, apartments, and everything in-between.  The main difference you notice when arriving in South Africa is that security is a main feature with each home.  Some people live within a security estate and others have their own security set up around their home.  Security is very important as the rate of crime is much higher than in the US.
      Most single family homes outside of a security estate will have an 8 foot high brick wall with 2 feet high electrical fencing around the top.

Brick wall outside a home with electric fencing

      Most will also have a gate to enter their driveway.  Security companies such as ADT are common.  Our relocation agent told me that there is no sense of "neighborhood" when living in a single family home because you never get to know your neighbors, nor ever see them due to the walls.
      The other option, which we are living in, is a security estate as Black and Veatch requires this type of housing.  Silver Lakes Golf Estate is the name of the community we live in. If interested I have linked their website. http://www.silverlakes.co.za  It is a 24 hour maned security estate with 8 foot high brick walls around the perimeter with 2 feet of electrified fencing on top of that (just like that seen in the picture above).  When first arriving in South Africa it took some time to get used to seeing brick security fences everywhere, but now they just blend into the scenery and I hardly notice them.  You only see these fences when driving, unless you live along the perimeter then you will have one in your back yard.  We are situated in the middle of the estate so we never think about the fencing.
      Silver Lakes has been a great place to live so far.  It is named Silver Lakes due to the fact that the golf course is built around many lakes and supposedly gives a silver shine when it's sunny.

       Besides an 18 hole golf course, it also has a clubhouse, 2 tennis courts, 2 squash courts, 3 playgrounds, many areas for fishing and biking, and a natural game reserve, all of which are included with living here.        Most people within the estate own their homes, but several are rented out to people just like us.  There are street signs, stop signs, crosswalks, and looks just like any other neighborhood street in the US.  There are approximately 1,600 homes within the estate.

Clubhouse

       When you live within the estate coming and going is very easy.  There is a front and back gate with entrance/exit marked for residents and visitors.

Front Gate

      To get the gate to open you simply press your finger on the scanner and it will register your name and lift the gate.

     If you are a visitor, you must first register with the security guards which can include giving them your drivers license so they can write down pertinent information, then they record your license plate number and make note of where you are going.  If you are going to play golf or eat at the clubhouse the process is a little different, but if you are coming to our home the security guards will phone me to verify that you are in deed a visitor and we have to say whether we allow access or not.  This includes not only friends, but any repair man or delivery service.

Security checking in visitors, always a line at the front gate in the morning

      If you work within the estate there is a separate walk through entrance.

      Prior to hiring our domestic, Joyce, we went up to the management office to get her registered and now when walking through she only has to show her South African ID and scan her finger.  Upon leaving she will do the same but will also have to open up her bag to verify what she is leaving with.  If there is anything in question the security guards will call me to verify.  This has happened when I gave Joyce a pair of Adalyn's shoes to give to her daughter, the gate called me to verify that she could have the shoes.  I felt horrible for her, but that is their procedure and will good cause as theft can be quite the problem.
       Another safety measure is our home's security system.  This system is a motion detected security system which is linked to the security at the front gate so if the alarm goes off, a guard will come to our house to verify that everything is okay.  We have set this alarm off a few times by accident, but it's nice to know that the system works.  We also have 2 panic buttons that look much like a key-less car door opener we can use at home if something happens.  I just press the little button and it summons for a guard to come to our home. Our garage door opener has the same type of button as well, so I have to be careful when opening the garage door to not press the wrong button.
      At the top of our stairs right before you enter our office and master bedroom is a Slam Gate.

 The idea of this gate is that in the case of a home intruder we can slam this gate shut and lock it behind us.  Normally it is contracted and sits flush with the wall so we don't even notice it.  If we shut it and the door in front of it we can lock ourselves in the office where there is a land line we can use to call for help if the alarm does not go off.  I am not sure how easy it is to pick a lock but all the doors in our house, including the front door, have keys such as this.

 South Africans are always surprised when I tell them our homes in the US would never have keys like this and ours look more like car keys.  Let's just hope we never need this slam gate.

     All of these measure seem extreme given the fact that in the US we would lock our doors, but anyone could come up our driveway, we did not have a back yard fence, nor a security system installed.  I feel quite safe living within the estate, but for that matter I feel safe almost everywhere I have ventured in South Africa so far.  I have gotten to know several of the security guards and we exchange small talk when leaving through the gates.  I love the feel of this community and it's amenities. It has been nice getting to know the locals who live here and calling Silver Lakes our home.