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Practical Info
What to wear
Currency Banks
Service Charges Postal
Services Religions Telephones
Taxis Languages
Public Holidays
Climate
South Africa has a wonderful climate with warm sunshine all year round.
Cape
Town and the southern most part of Western Cape has a Mediterranean-type
climate, with hot-summers and cool, rainy winters, while Durban and the
KwaZulu-Natal coast is sub-tropical, with plenty of sunshine year round and
summer rainfall.
The weather in South Africa
Local time
GMT + 2 hours
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Johannesburg
time and temperature |
Luanda
time and temperature |
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What to wear
During South African summer (November to February) light-weight clothing is the
norm. In winter a jumper or jacket may be needed, particularly in the evenings.
A few establishments may require guests to wear a jacket and tie or cocktail
dress in the evenings - but in most cases the dress-code is "smart casual" - a
shirt and slacks.
The currency unit is the Rand, denoted by the
symbol R.
R1 = 100 cents. There are units of R200, R100,
R50, R20, and R10 notes, as well as coins in R5, R2, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and
1c units.
Foreign currency can be exchanged at commercial
banks, American Express, Master Currency, and Rennies Bureau de Change.
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Banks
Most major commercial banks offer foreign exchange services and are found in
every large town.
Some are able to provide foreign exchange using your bank
or credit card. Rand traveller's cheques are now available.
Visitors can also obtain cash using their bank cards from many of the
automatic teller machines (ATM's) outside banks.
Check the symbols displayed on the machine with those on your card - and
remember your PIN number.
Most commercial banks are open from 09h00 - 15h30, Mondays to Fridays; from
08h30 - 11h00 on Saturdays.
Credit Cards
Most international credit cards such as Diners
Club, American Express, MasterCard, Visa and their affiliates are accepted.
Can one drink the tap water?
Tap water is safe to drink throughout South
Africa.
Emergency Services
Flying Squad (Police) 10111
Ambulance 10177
South Africa's roads are good and well signposted.
Drivers must have a valid drivers licence (which
carries a photograph and is either printed in English or authenticated in
English) or an international driving permit.
South Africans drive on the left. The speed limit
on motorways is 120km/h (75mph), 100km/h (60mph) elsewhere and 60km/h (35mph)
in built-up areas.Museums
There are about 500 museums in South Africa with various specialities such as
geology, natural history, art and much more.
Service Charges
Waiters and taxi-drivers should receive 10% of the bill, unless a service
charge is levied. Five Rand per bag is recommended for porters.
To help you plan your budget here is the average cost of some holiday items.
This list is a guide only, prices may vary depending on the service provided
and the location. Petrol prices are subject to fluctuation.
How much will it cost for a:
three course meal - US$7.50 to US$12
crayfish dinner - US$21
bottle of wine in a restaurant - US$4.50 to US$7.50
cup of tea or coffee - US$0.60
gin and tonic - US$1
beer - US$0.90
theatre ticket - US$3.60 to US$9
cinema ticket - US$3
litre of petrol - US$0.55
35mm roll of film - approximately - US$4.8
20 Cigarettes - US$1.20
Please note that these prices act only as a guideline and prices always do
fluctuate.
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Postal Services
Stamps are purchased from post offices and some stationery distributors
Religions
Most denominations are represented. Churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues
are located in most major cities. Consult your hotel reception.
Telephone codes
The international code for South Africa is 27, which should be preceded by
your international prefix. When dialling from outside South Africa the "0" at
the front of the local area code should be omitted, but it should be used when
dialling within the country. When dialling international numbers from within
South Africa the international dialling code should be prefixed with
09.
Telephones
Many hotels have direct international dialling from the phone in your room
or you can be connected via the switchboard.
Public phones in South Africa are either coin or card operated. Only green
public phones use telephone cards. The cards come in amounts ranging from R10
to R200 and can be bought at various hotels, post offices, airports,
bookshops and supermarkets.
Local calls made from a "phone box" cost approximately 40 cents for three
minutes. Trunk calls vary with the distances between exchanges.
Cell phones can be hired at Johannesburg International.
Taxis
Taxis can be obtained from your hotel reception or at ranks that will be found
at key locations throughout major cities and towns. They are relatively cheap,
but you should insist that the meter is switched on at the beginning of the
journey. A small tip is acceptable for the driver.
Languages
There are 11 official languages in
South Africa. English is the language of administration and is widely spoken.
Other languages include Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho,
Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
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 Transportation
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