Important Facts for the Foreign Visitor:

• Johannesburg

In 1886 one George Harrison stumbled upon an outcrop of Quartz.  He sampled a section which turned out was the only surface outcrop of one of the richest gold reefs in the world.  He pegged the first claim on the reef, later sold it for 10 pounds and vanished without a trace.  Today the site where Harrison made his discovery is known as George Harrison Park.  This, apart from Harrison Street in Central Johannesburg, is all that remains of his memory.

Prospectors and fortune seekers poured in and the shanty town that sprang up continued to keep on growing.  In less than 100 years, Johannesburg has become the powerhouse of Africa.

The Witwatersrand has some of the deepest gold mines in the world, going down as deep as 4000 meters, which is in turn, about 2000 meters below sea-level!  These mines employ around 500 000 people and it takes a ton of rock to yield about 15 grams of gold.

The City is well served with museums, theatres, sport venues and green belts.  Gold Reef City is a replica of the early days of Johannesburg with restaurants, shops, traditional dancing and underground trips.

The Witwatersrand, as the area is known, is situated on the high African plateau and at an altitude of almost 2000 meters above sea-level is blessed with a pleasant climate.

• Pretoria

According to oral tradition the parent tribe of the Ndebele in the area where Pretoria was later established was that of a chief called Msi (or Musi), who lived three or four centuries ago.  The river which runs through the city was called after one of Msi’s sons, Tshawane, which means little monkey or little baboon.  When the first whites arrived they took over the name and called it the Apies (Monkey or Monkeys) River.  Another theory is that they called it the Apies after the blue vervet monkeys which inhabited its banks.

Around 1820 the Difaqane or Mfecane started, the black migration process which set into motion a period of unequalled disruption and dislocation among the black inhabitants of the highveld plateau of the interior.  It was the result of a chain reaction of attacks set into motion by several Nguni groups across the Drakensberg from the present KwaZulu-Natal in order to escape Zulu expansion.  The most important event during the Difaqane was the migration of Mzilikazi, a subservient chief of King Shaka of the Zulus, to the highveld.

The early development of Pretoria was closely associated with the political and constitutional development of the Voortrekker state north of the Vaal River.  After recognition by the British authorities of the independence of the Voortrekkers north of the Vaal River in 1852, the South African Republic remained deeply divided.  In 1853, M.W. Pretorius took over the leadership from his father, Andries Pretorius, and decided to do something about the divided state of affairs.  He bought property along the Apies River for the purpose of establishing a centrally situated capital.  The town was established on 16 November 1855, but only in 1860 was it recognized as capital.

It is a pleasant city with streets lined with beautiful Jacaranda trees.  The trees bloom in October and November and the estimated 70 000 trees in the city, descendants of two trees imported from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, drop millions of flowers to the ground forming pools of brilliant colour.  West of Pretoria lies the large man made Hartebeespoort Dam, a much loved destination for city dwellers and a weekend retreat for the lucky few who maintain houses on the slopes of the Magaliesberg Mountains, which surrounds the dam.  The Magaliesberg is one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, older than the Himalayas or the Alps.  Formed around 2300 million years ago, the mountains were at the edge of an ancient inland sea.

• Climate

Position:            S 26° 08’

                         E 28° 14’

Height:              1694 meters (5500 feet) above sea level

Period:              1961 – 1990

Johannesburg has a delightfully mild climate, neither humid nor too cold for comfort.  There are about six weeks of chill in mid-winter (July to August).  Summer, offering warm African sunshine followed by balmy nights, runs from October to March.  The seasons are flexible, one running into the next, and summer habitually spills over into spring and autumn.  The nights can be chilly, particularly in winter.  Bring a jacket to wear in the evenings.  The rainy season is in summer rather than in winter.  Rainstorms are often harsh accompanied by much thunder and lightning and occasional hail, but they are brief and followed by warm sunshine.

• Duty Free and Taxes

Consumable goods in accompanied baggage may be imported without payment of customs duty and VAT (Value Added Tax).

·         No more than 200 cigarettes and 20 cigars per person,

·         No more than 250 gram of cigarette or pipe tobacco per person,

·         No more than 50 ml of perfumery and 250 ml of eau de toilette per person,

·         No more than 2 liters of wine per person,

·         No more than 1 liter in total of spirituous and other alcoholic beverages per person.

Persons under 18 years of age may claim duty-free allowances on goods imported by them, with the exception of alcoholic and tobacco products, whether or not they are accompanied by their parents or guardians and provided that it is for their personal use.

In addition to the personal effects and consumables allowances, travelers are allowed new or used goods in accompanied baggage to the value of ZAR 3000.00.

A 14% Value Added Tax (VAT) is levied on the purchase of goods in South Africa.  Tourists and foreign visitors to South Africa may make application at departure points for a refund of the VAT paid from the VAT Refund Administration.  The tax invoice for the purchases and the goods must be presented for inspection.

This refund is NOT applicable to services paid for, example: meals, transport fees, accommodation, airline tickets, etc.

Click here for a copy of “A Traveller’s Guide to Customs”, a leaflet from the South African Revenue Services (SARS).

• Money

Currency: Rand (R) = 100 cents

Notes are in denominations of R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10

Coins are in denominations of R5, R2, R1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c

Credit Cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club are widely accepted.

Travelers Cheques:  Valid at banks, hotels, restaurants and shops.

• Health Care

Medical facilities are good.  Health Insurance is recommended (check with your insurance company).  A leaflet on health precautions is available from the South Africa High Commission.

Tap water is safe to drink in urban areas but may be contaminated elsewhere and sterilization is advisable.  A solution to this is bottled water.  Milk is pasteurized and dairy products are safe for consumption.  Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are of excellent quality and exported to many parts of the world.

For answers to ALL your medical related questions, visit

• Shopping Hours

Normal trading hours are from 09:00 – 17:00 from Mondays to Fridays.

Saturdays the hours are 09:00 – 13:00, but most shopping malls are trading until 17:00.

All big shopping malls are open on Sundays.

• Tipping

It is customary to tip 10% where service is not included to waiters, taxi drivers, caddies and rooms service.

At the Johannesburg International Airport, it is recommended by the Airport Company of South Africa (ACSA), to tip a porter R5.00 (± US$1.00) per bag, for services offered.

• Foreign Exchange

It is advisable to change foreign currency into Rand (ZAR) on arrival at Johannesburg International Airport.

There will always be an open "Bureau de Change" upon arrival

• Electricity

   

  Electricity supply in South Africa is 220 volts, 50 - 60 Hertz.

   

  The latest electronic equipment have multi-voltage chargers / power supplies.  The electricity input into these chargers / power supplies range from 100 volts to 240 volts.

   

  We do have adaptors available at Afton which fits the South African standard wall plug, as well as the standard American 3-point plug, fitted to most equipment.  (See pictures below).  These adaptors are NOT invertors!

   

  Important: First check your equipment for multi-voltage before using these plugs!

   

Copyright © "Aftonio Adventures" - Page last updated on 09 August 2007