South Africa Essential Information Guide

South Africa General Information

South Africa Time Zone: GMT + 2

South Africa Currency: Rand (ZAR; symbol R) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of R200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of R5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.
Approximate exchange rate: US$ 1 = R10, Euro 1 = R12, £1 = R15.5

South Africa Official Languages: The official languages are Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. English is spoken in all areas of South Africa.

South Africa Power Supply: Electricity 220/240 volts AC; 50Hz.
Three-pin round plugs are in use.

Religion in South Africa: Most inhabitants profess Christianity of some form and belong to Catholic, Anglican, other protestant denominations, Afrikaner Dutch Reformed churches or African independent churches. There are also significant Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities, and traditional beliefs are still practiced widely, sometimes in conjunction with Christianity.

International Dialling code for South Africa: + 27

South Africa Weather & Climate

Kruger is a year-round destination in a vast and diverse area and wildlife is the major attraction.

South Africa's climate is generally sunny and pleasant. Winters are usually mild and summers pleasantly warm. In Kruger National Park the weather is generally a lot warmer than the rest of South Africa.

The tropic of Capricorn crosses the north end of Kruger park putting Kruger into a tropical weather region. Summers ( October to March) can get very warm in the Kruger while winter rarely gets cold during the day with evenings and nights getting chilly at worst.

The year can be roughly split into two seasons for Kruger National Park.

The Wet Season - which is the warmer months of November to March.
The grass can be long in some areas after the rains and everything is lush and green, and the birding is excellent. November and December are the calving months. The animals and birds are in good condition with ample supply of water and food.

The Dry Season – Which is the warm days but cooler nights of April to October. It is easier to spot game as the vegetation is less dense, grass is shorter and water is restricted to rivers and waterholes, where the wildlife congregates.

The optimum safari season is May to August and the hot months of September and October. The climate is comfortable in the dry winter months of May, June, July and August. Daytime temperatures are mild and the nights get a little cool.

Visas and Entry Requirements for South Africa

Passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure are required by all nationals visiting South Africa. Passport must have at least two blank pages for entry stamp which cannot include the 'endorsement' page at the back.

Tourists and visitors who also require a visa must have a passport with two blank facing pages, one for the visa and one for their entry stamp. Anyone attempting to enter South Africa without the required pages may be returned to their country of origin.

Most nationals visiting South Africa for business and tourist purposes will be granted a visa on arrival at the airport for stays of up to 90 days,

EXCEPT:

Nationals of Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic who may stay for up to 30 days, and nationals of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia who do require a visa obtained in advance. Transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport will not require a visa, although advance notice of overnight stay will still be required.

Kruger / South African Cuisine

A thriving agricultural sector yields excellent meat, fruit and wines and the long coastline produces very fresh and cheap seafood. South Africans like to eat out so there is an excellent and diverse range of restaurants. This is especially so in cities, where all international cuisines are represented. Fruity and sweet Cape Malay cuisine can be found in Cape Town, while the Indian influence in Durban provides some authentic Asian food on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and Mozambique peri peri spicy chicken and prawns are popular all over the country.

Braais (barbeques) are hugely popular and every campsite, self-catering accommodation and picnic spot has a braai pit. Meat is a well-loved staple in South Africa, although vegetarians are offered at least a couple of dishes in even small-town eateries.

National specialties

• Sosaties (a type of kebab).
• Bobotie (a curried mince dish, of which waterbolmmetjiebredie, made with a local water plant, is particularly good).
• Potjiekos (a casserole cooked for hours in an iron pot, usually outside).
• Bredies (meat, tomato and vegetable casseroles).
• Biltong (seasoned dried meat).

National drinks

• Umqombothi, a home-brewed sorghum beer.
• Excellent local red and white wines (including chardonnay), sherries and brandies.
• Rooibos, a red-leafed tea grown in the Western Cape.
• Amarula Cream, a sweet creamy liqueur made from the fruit of the Marula tree.

Legal drinking age: 18

Tipping: Normally 10 to 15% if service is not included. It is customary to tip waiters. By law, hotel rates do not include a service charge.

South Africa History, Culture & People

South Africa has a population of approximately 19 million people.

Handshaking is the usual form of greeting. Normal courtesies should be shown when visiting someone's home. Casual wear is widely acceptable. Smoking is prohibited in public buildings and on public transport, and restaurants have enclosed or outdoor smoking sections.

South Africa is a republic that gained Independence from the United Kingdom in 1910. The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern end of the African continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland and totally encloses Lesotho.

South Africa has three major geographical regions, namely plateau, mountains and the coastal belt. The high plateau has sharp escarpments which rise above the plains, or veld. Despite two major river systems, the Limpopo and the Orange, most of the plateau lacks surface water.

Along the coastline are sandy beaches and rocky coves, and the vegetation is shrub-like. The mountainous regions that run along the coastline from the Cape of Good Hope to the Limpopo Valley in the northeast of the country are split into the Drakensberg, Nuweveldberg and Stormberg ranges.

Following the 1994 elections, South Africa was organised into nine regions. These comprise;

• the Western Cape with its provincial and national capital of Cape Town,
• the Eastern Cape with its provincial capital of Bisho,
• the Northern Cape with its provincial capital of Kimberley,
• KwaZulu-Natal with its provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg,
• the Free State with its provincial capital of Bloemfontein,
• the North West Province with its provincial capital of Mmabatho,
• Limpopo (formerly called the Northern Province) with its provincial capital of Polokwane (formerly called Pietersburg),
• Mpumalanga with its provincial capital of Nelspruit, and
• Gauteng with its provincial capital of Johannesburg.