Dude, that place was fucked.
First, they ran out of beer before the concert even started. They played in the stadium SA built for the soccer Wold Cup two years prior. My buddy that lived there and I walked around the entire concourse until we found a place with beer and bought as much as we could carry. Second row seats were something like 40 bucks.
I was reading a newspaper one morning and they stated that the Johannesburg police had taken 200k bribes (not cash, just number of bribes) in the prior 12 months. Later that month the buddy's girlfriend and kids were out of town for a wedding; so we got shitfaced and decided to go to the strip club ("Teaszers, [Rivonia]" he lived in Paulshof, so it was maybe 2 miles down the street).
So, he's tanked, we get pulled over... He gives me most of his money and says "just don't say anything." He left 300 rand in his wallet. When the cops ask for his ID he left the cash sticking out the top. They took it (US $13) and asked where we were going. Buddy says "just going to Teasers for a few minutes." Cops: "stay as long as you want. We'll make sure you get home." SA strippers are really impressed by the ability to afford tequila, and you can imagine the lack of regulation.
So, $13 can buy you a police escort when you're shitfaced. And their economy is worse now, so...
Oh, we bought coke in the parking lot as well.
I could go on for ages about that trip, was there for 4 months (safari, hanging out with Boers down in Oviston [lake Gariep], worked on a house that was owned by one of the Kruger Lords) then did the whole backpacking through Europe thing on the way back home (germanic countries due to familial ties and linguistic abilities).
