Why This Jamaican Says Kingston Is Safer Than London | Cheryl Ankra Newton on Moving to South Africa
What if everything you were taught about “safe” countries was backwards?
In this powerful conversation, April Jackson sits down with Cheryl Ankra Newton — a British-born global citizen with Trinidadian and Ghanaian roots who left a successful career in London to build a new life in South Africa.
Just days before moving to Johannesburg, Cheryl was robbed in London. Sixteen years later, after living across South Africa, she says she has never been robbed or assaulted there.
Meanwhile, April — who is Jamaican — shares why her experiences of crime in London challenged everything she believed about the so-called “first world” versus the Caribbean.
Together, they explore the truth about Kingston, Jamaica, London, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Ghana and life abroad — beyond the headlines, stereotypes and fear-based narratives.
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In this episode, we discuss:
Why Cheryl left a prestigious Mayfair career after a 10-day trip to South Africa
Why a Jamaican woman says Kingston can feel safer than London
Crime in London vs crime in Jamaica, Johannesburg and Cape Town
The dangerous assumptions people make about Africa and the Caribbean
Cheryl’s unforgettable meeting with Nelson Mandela on his 92nd birthday
Love, migration and building a marriage across countries and cultures
Raising a child as a global citizen in South Africa
The reality of healthcare, education and cost of living abroad
Living in Ghana during COVID and reconnecting with ancestral roots
Building legacy, entrepreneurship, community and a life that feels aligned
TIMESTAMPS
Chapters
- 00:00:00 Introduction: Following Love to South Africa
- 00:01:52 The Eight-Year Courtship That Changed Everything
- 00:03:46 First Impressions: Why Are They Hiding This From Us?
- 00:07:41 The 10-Day Trip That Led to Resignation
- 00:10:43 Meeting Nelson Mandela on His 92nd Birthday
- 00:13:27 Joburg vs Cape Town: Finding Community as an Expat
- 00:18:09 Crime, Context, and the Grace We Give First World Countries
- 00:31:00 The Wedding That Brought 150 People to Cape Town
- 00:34:55 Raising a Global Citizen: Identity Across Four Cultures
- 00:39:12 The Two Years in Ghana: Answering an Ancestral Calling
- 00:44:06 Why South Africa Wins Every Time: The Matrix of Living Abroad
- 00:45:13 The Price of Progress: Ghana, Jamaica, and Unsustainable Inflation
- 01:04:23 Motherhood in South Africa: Nannies, Help, and Quality Time
- 01:10:34 Healthcare That Works: Why She’d Choose South Africa Over the UK
- 01:16:38 Schooling for a Global Network: The American International School
- 01:23:50 Raising Kids Who Aren’t Spoiled: The Thing That Keeps Me Up at Night
- 01:43:49 The Train Station Racism That Changed Everything
- 01:53:42 The Confidence of Being Ghanaian in Nigeria: Nice Try
- 02:07:06 Redefining Success: From Corporate Ladder to Cashew Farms
- 02:14:36 The Postcard Life: Colorful, Vast, and Full of Champagne
This is not a conversation claiming that crime does not exist in Jamaica, London, South Africa or anywhere else. It is a conversation about context: the stories we are told, the places we fear, and why we often extend more grace to Western cities than we do to Black countries and communities.
If you are thinking about moving abroad, moving to Jamaica, relocating to South Africa, living in Cape Town, returning to Ghana, or simply questioning the narrative around the “first world,” this episode is for you.
💬 Where have you felt safest — and did it surprise you? Share your experience in the comments.
▶️ Watch next:
Connect with April Jackson: https://www.instagram.com/a_life_elsewhere/
Connect with Cheryl Ankra Newton: @cherylankrahnewton
#Jamaica #London #MovingAbroad
