About South Africa

Living in South Africa

Time
South African Standard Time (SAST) is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. South Africa has not adopted a summer time system and uses SAST throughout the year. Time differences between Johannesburg and standard time in some major cities of the world are shown in the following table (some
of such time differences may from time to time increase or decrease by one hour in respect of cities that are subject to a summer time system).

City Hours Ahead (+)            Jerusalem 0               New Delhi +3,5               Hong Kong +6        Tokyo +7                     Sydney +8

City Hours Behind (-)  Amsterdam -1   London -2           Buenos Aires -5  New York -7  Toronto -7

 
Business Hours
Business hours vary from 08:00 or 09:00 until 16:30 or 17:30. Most shops and banks are open on Saturday mornings from 08:00 to 13:00. Shopping hours are ever more commonly extended to Saturday afternoons and Sundays in the main centres.

Public Holidays
There are currently twelve paid national holidays in South Africa.

Transportation
Because of South Africa"s vast distances and lack of navigable rivers, a sophisticated transport infrastructure has been developed. The Government-owned Transnet provides a multiple-mode transportation service that represents 50% of the transport business in South Africa.
The railway is the most common mode of transport for conveying bulk freight. In addition to serving South Africa, Transnet provides access to the sea by rail for the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Zaire, Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Transnet as well as a number of private enterprises also provide road haulage. South African Airways, which is part of Transnet, handles most of the air traffic on the major routes, but private carriers compete on some of them.

Private carriers also provide services on smaller routes, and on most international services. South African harbours are efficient and the ports of Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are equipped to handle containerised traffic to Europe, North and South America and the East, with feeder services from East London and Walvis Bay and an inland depot near Johannesburg. A new deepwater port is being developed at Coega near Port Elizabeth.

Communications
The telephone and telex networks are operated by Telkom Limited. The Government owns the majority of its shares, with a significant equity stake now owned by a consortium of SBC and Malaysia Telekom. A second network operator is currently in the process of being licensed.

In 1994 cellular telephone services were introduced in South Africa. South Africa has adopted the GSM technology for its cellular telephone services. The initial two private, competing networks have recently been joined by a third. There are a number of service providers who provide services to subscribers.

Cost of Living and Housing
Living costs are, due to the depreciation in the Rand, comparatively cheaper than those of countries in North America and the European Union. This spite of recent high inflation and the rising cost of fuel. Accommodation is generally in separate houses, town-house developments or apartments. Public transport is scarce, and private motor vehicles are the most common form of transport at middle-income levels.

Education
Primary, secondary and tertiary education is for the most part financed by the Government. Private schools are attended by about 10% of the school-age population. South Africa has a number of large and internationally recognised universities, technikons and colleges, including Unisa, the largest distance-learning university in the world.

Medical Services
There are both private and public hospitals. Certain public health services are available at charges which depend on the individual's ability to pay. Accordingly, certain services are provided free. The Government"s policy is to provide free health care to children under the age of six and this is being implemented. There is however no national medical insurance. Contributions to private medical aid schemes are usually subscribed for by the employer and the employee in equal shares, and the benefits cover most medical expenses.

Leisure and Tourism
South Africans are fond of the outdoor life and take a keen interest in sports. The country is known for its game parks, its wide variety of flora and fauna, and its scenic beauty. Varied cultural interests are well catered for in the main centres.

Social and Business Customs
There is significant variety in social customs. Generally speaking, in the major urban centres, all sectors of the population conform to familiar international social and business customs. One will occasionally encounter a different approach. In general, visitors should have no more difficulty in accommodating themselves to South African customs than they would have in any European country.Business customs are similarly Western-oriented, and bartering, haggling and bargaining are unknown in formal commerce.