South Africa

Capital City:

Pretoria (Administrative), Cape Town (Legislative)

Population:

44 million

Area:

471,008 square miles

Language:

Afrikaans, English, many African languages including Xhosa, Zulu

Electricity:

250V AC 50Hz (Pretoria); 220/230V AC 50Hz (elsewhere)

Direct Dial:

27

Driving:

Driving is on the left. International Driving Licence required

Currency:

Rand (ZAR 1 = 100 Cents)

Business Hours

Bank:

0830-1530 Mon-Fri, 0800-1130 Sat

Office:

0830-1630 Mon-Fri

Shops:

0830-1700 Mon-Fri, 0830-1230 Sat, 0900-1700 Sat (Shopping centres), some open on Sun on flexi-time basis

Public Holidays:

2010 1 Jan New Year's Day, 21 Mar Human Rights Day, 2 Apr Good Friday, 5 Apr Family Day, 27 Apr Freedom Day, 1 May Workers' Day, 16 Jun Youth Day, 9 Aug National Women's Day, 24 Sep Heritage Day, 16 Dec Day of Reconciliation, 25 Dec Christmas Day, 26 Dec Day of Goodwill. Note: Holidays falling on a Sunday are observed the following Monday.

Business and social hints

General:

Most business executives speak in English. There is a no smoking policy in all public buildings and on public transport. On social occasions, eg invitation to restaurants, be punctual and dress as for business meetings unless otherwise indicated. The minimum drinking age is 18 years

Tipping:

When a service charge is added to the bill, tips are not necessary. If a service charge is not added tips are around 10%

Clothing:

Lightweights for summer months with warmer clothing for the winter. Rainwear is required in the Northern Provinces during summer and in the winter months in the Cape Provinces

Emergency Services:

Varies according to area

Hotel Classification:

Hotels are voluntarily graded in categories from 1 star up to 5 star, the latter being de luxe category. They can also be awarded additional bronze or silver qualifications to their star grading to reflect superior levels of service, hospitality, style and quality of furnishings, etc. This latter refinement, however, is not shown under our "Category" heading but may be referred to in the description. Where a property is unclassified, our usual arbitrary categories of � up to ����� are given, based on rack rates, facilities and perceived quality which equate to the 1- to 5-star system. These categories serve only to compare relative standards within any given area.