very interesting, do you see much more btc adoption in SA these days?

I do notice more interest than in many other places. That may well be because I also know more bitcoiners and hang in circles interested in btc.
The biggest difference to me is the amount of people actually spending btc compared to any other place I've been to. And if they don't, they're more likely to be interested in the how and why.

One memorable, representative example from a few weeks ago was getting our car washed at a place known for accepting btc via Lightning (Thunder Brothers.)

I must've been one of if not the first to ask for it at that specific location. The two available members of staff had no idea how to process the payment, but they knew their system can accept it and were super keen to learn how it works.
A few phone calls later they had the instructions and were pumped to see their first accepted btc payment go through and how seamless it was from my perspective as customer.

do you feel safe and whatnot when going back?

Yes. But I also know what to look out for, which situations to avoid in which areas and during what times.
I'm sure people from other countries with safety issues can relate.

In general, it feels to me that it has gotten safer in the past decade, but obv still not comparable to most first world countries by a fair margin.