Yes, quiet rural spots in South Africa are absolutely the places you should most be careful, and more so than other countries. Several guidebooks recommend avoiding such places completely although it depends somewhat on area, I think that advice is a little out of date, crime in South Africa is lower than it was, but those safety warnings definitely apply outside the cities. One book even advised against stopping at roadside picnic tables, I'll add some quotes when I have time.

It's not just a racial thing, although if you stand out that obviously doesn't help. Plenty of Basotho people I met in Lesotho complained about how on-their-guard they felt they needed to be in South Africa compared to Lesotho.

Some tips for how to do this kind of independent exploration more safely:

- (will be back to add these in a minute)