SENTINEL WATCH April 4, 2005 ISSUE

LETTER FROM SOUTH AFRICA

KIM SHIPPEY

UMHLALI, KWAZULU-NATAL: You know you're in South Africa when they drop a spiked chain in front of your car to stop you as you leave the parking garage at Johannesburg's gleaming modern international airport. They're checking to make sure you haven't stolen the car you're driving. Vigilance is built into crime prevention from the moment your plane touches down.

You know you're in the land made famous by Nelson Mandela when you turn to a glass-cased directory at the entrance to a shopping mall, and before you even reach for your list, a young man in a red blazer steps forward to say, "Good morning, how can I help you?" Smiles and courtesy seem built into the orange-brick walls of these vast emporiums.