 What
to wear
Casual,
comfortable wash and wear clothing is most useful. Jackets and
ties are required in city hotel restaurants and golf clubs.
It is certainly not necessary to bring a separate change of
clothing for each day and evening.
Visas
This is a guide only – please check with your nearest South
African Consulate for up to date information. All visitors
are required to carry a passport that is valid for six months
beyond the intended length of stay. Note that if you will
be travelling to neighbouring countries and back, you should
apply for a multiple entry visa.
Some
neighbouring states, Namibia,
Zimbabwe,
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Swaziland,
Lesotho
have individual visa requirements
Airport
 Cape
Town International
Airport (CPT) copes
well with international flights. Security conducts 24-hour
patrols of the airport and parking facilities. The airport
is located 22 km or 13.7 miles from the city and about the
same to Bloubergstrand with a travel time of 30 minutes,
depending on traffic. Taxis, buses and rental cars are widely
available. If you plan to rent a vehicle, be sure to drive
on the left side of the road.
Road
Travel
Driving in South Africa
is easy to adapt to, with sign posting in English and driving
on the left on well-maintained roads. Your home driving license
is accepted if it has your photo; if not, an International
Driving Permit should be obtained. In order to hire a car
in South Africa,
you must have held a valid driver’s license for at least five
years. The age limit for car rental is a minimum of 23, and
maximum of 70 years.
Currency
South African Rand (ZAR, or R) .100 S. A. cents = R1.00
Notes
are in R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10. Coins are in denominations
of R5, R2, R1 and 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c.
Credit
Cards
Most hotels, shops, restaurants and airlines accept internationally
recognised credit cards.
Hours
of Business
Most businesses operate from 08h30 to 17h00 daily, and to
13h00 on Saturdays. Major shopping centers and convenience
stores open on Sundays. In most towns, all-night pharmacies
are open for extended hours, but the hours may vary from business
to business. Liquor stores are not open on Sundays. Most banks
operate from 09h00 to 15h00 daily, and from 09h00 to 11h00
on Saturdays.
Value
Added Tax
Value Added Tax (VAT) of 14% is levied in South
Africa. Overseas visitors
taking goods out of South Africa
are able to reclaim the VAT, which they paid on these goods.
Reclaiming VAT is only applicable for goods that you are able
to produce at the airport and not for any services whatsoever.
When purchasing your products you should request a tax invoice.
The shop’s VAT number must appear on this invoice. As you
are checking in at the airport ready to depart from South
Africa, you should approach
the customs official who will compare your invoices with the
goods purchased. Once your invoices have been approved and
stamped, the VAT Reclaim Office will refund you the appropriate
amount. VAT Reclaim Offices are found at Johannesburg,
Durban and Cape
Town Airports.
Cellular
Telephones
Cellular telephones are available for hire at South African
International Airports. South
Africa is standardised on
GSM.
Internet
South Africa
has many ISP's. There are also many Internet cafe's located
in major centers.
Languages
South Africa has 9 official languages.
English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Setswana, South Sotho, North
Sotho, Tsonga, SiSwati, Venda,
Ndebele.
Water
The
tap water in South Africa
is safe to drink and is considered to be the 4th
best drinking water in the world. If you prefer, bottled water
is available.
Electricity
220V AC, 50Hz
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