Practical Survival For South Africa

Worldwide, and specifically in South Africa we, as the saying goes, “live in interesting times”, but this is subjective and depends on which side of the fence you sit.

With survival, in the South African context, whether it be in emergencies while out hiking, camping or just surviving the extraordinary circumstances that we find ourselves in, in our everyday lives in the RSA, we need to have a plan… we need to be prepared for unexpected emergencies. No matter what these emergencies might be, we need to be prepared.

“It is better to have prepared and never to need it than to be unprepared and be in desperate need of it”.

I will be extremely happy if, in 5 or 10 years from now, we could all sit around a “Braai” and laugh at all my preparations for a catastrophe that never happened but, sadly, the Corona Virus has hit us and we now need all the preparations we have made and more. Alas, we will not all be there to share in the laughter and we may be wishing that we had in fact, been prepared for whatever might have come our way.

Let’s not be caught flat-footed and unprepared again! This situation has not run its course yet and the situation is likely to become worse with all the food shortages, unemployment, Looting, rioting and fear for the future that is so commonplace today.

I am sure that there are millions of people now wishing that they had heeded the call to Prep a long time ago. Those that did will have been prepared mentally and physically for this lockdown and would have already built up a food supply for 3 months or more and possibly still have the normal monthly groceries in their cupboard from last month’s pay if they were lucky enough to still be employed.

Do You Need To Start Prepping?

So, What Do You Need To Prep For?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever the reason is, Just Start!

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Where To Start

Remember: this is an insurance policy against whatever you are prepping for. Although important, it is not the be-all and end-all. Everyday life must go on. You must work, if you are privileged enough to still have a job in the essential services sector, kids must go to school if and when the lockdown is lifted etc.

Life must go on, so don’t rush out and spend all your available cash on things that the internet experts say you need.
Start, as most sound projects do;

•  Evaluate your current circumstances
• Determine your greatest threats/risks
• Formulate a plan
• Determine your needs to implement your plan

Now you are ready to start. So, what do you start with? Well, you could start with what you have. This article could be a good place to start.
You might want to look at prioritising your prepping;

1.  Fuel (if you cannot get to safety, you might not need anything else)
2.  Water (you can only live 3 days without water)
3. Shelter (Your vehicle could be a shelter for a day or three but others will want it and it is a target)
4. Food ( you can forage and hunt for food)

There are “how-to” videos, training and news articles to keep you engaged and informed but, please do not take anything you read as definitive.
Your circumstances may differ considerably from any internet blogger /author/ expert. Evaluate your circumstances. Speak to people with the same sort of circumstances and above all, use your common sense and decide what suits your circumstances the best.

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Why Practical Survival In South Africa

In Practical Survival, I will provide content that is helpful to you and to help you prepare for emergencies in the most cost-effective but reliable manner. I will, with the help of you the visitors, show you how;

•  to store food that will keep without the need for refrigeration or chemicals
• store eggs for 8 – 12 months
• keep meat – ready to eat without refrigeration or chemicals
• find and make potable water
• make shelters
• navigate with and without a compass
• what to pack and how to pack a Bug Out Bag and lots more.

There is no need to go out and buy everything at a huge cost. Most of what you need you can prepare yourself and store it easily for later use.

This site aims to empower you to prepare for emergencies in a manner that is practical and manageable for most people. Buying tinned food and expensive equipment is firstly not practical because of the weight and secondly, because it is out of the financial reach of a lot of people.

There will be people who have the funds to go out and buy everything, that is fine and I will show you where to buy if you feel the need to go that route.

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Security And Farm Watch

Security in South Africa is a major issue and there are thousands of Security services out there and most of them are not cheap. Thousands of “fly-by-night” services offer a cheap service by underpaying their employees. This leads to extremely poor and unreliable service.

In the security section, you will find advice on what to consider when securing your home or business, the use of dogs for safety, alarms, armed response, and farm watch.

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How To

In this section you will find videos and training material to help you:
• Evaluate your current state of preparedness
• Start a list  
• Make pemmican
• Pack a Bug Out Bag
• Make a Survival kit
• Make waterproof matches
and lots more.

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Contributing Articles, Recipes And Advice

There were a lot of skills used by our forefathers before electricity. Skills which we could surely use today. If you have any of these skills or know someone who does, our readers could use your help in getting it to this site where it can be taught to others. Other useful items of information, like where to buy non-GM seed etc would also be welcomed.

This is where you can contribute to helping others learn and prepare. If you have a skill or information that could help others, please feel free to add it here.

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Pray For The Best But Prepare For The Rest

If you are a believer, and we sure hope you are, praying is the best place to start. With this in mind, we must also remember that we do not always get what we ask for if it does not fit into “His” plans. Bearing this in mind, we really need to prepare for the rest.

What is the rest? Well, the worst is a civil war but there is a lot more that could happen other than civil war. Remember good old Eskom? They have been known to drop the ball and just recently they had a coal crisis that still persists today. So, what happens if Eskom drops the ball again?

If there is one thing that I have learned over the years, that is to not take anything for granted. Even as a Boy Scout, we were trained to follow the motto of “Be Prepared”.

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In Conclusion

I would ask your indulgence for a second just to remind you not to be panic-driven in anything you do or consider. Yes, we are going through some seriously difficult times, times that require that we evaluate everything we do and say. I mean, losing your temper and being charged with Crimen Injuria can get you 2 years in prison, so don’t think that some people will not use this as a threat to intimidate you simply by threatening you with a case of Crimen Injuria, whether you used the incorrect language or not.

So, please look to your demeanour in everything you do and never believe everything you read and hear. We are even getting “Official” correspondence on government and SA Police Services letterheads that are fraudulent.

Don’t be overcome by panic. Stay Calm, Pray and be prepared for unexpected events, however unpleasant to contemplate. Just remember, working together, calmly will get us through it.

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Please leave your opinion at the bottom of any page you read. Good or bad, they all help to improve my service to you and other visitors.

You can leave your comments below or ask your questions regarding this page here.

“It is better to have prepared and never to need it than to be unprepared and be in desperate need of it”.

Be Aware. Be Safe. Be Prepared!