Location
Southern Africa

Local time
GMT +2

Capital
Pretoria (Administrative), Cape Town (Legislative)

Language
Afrikaans, English, many African languages including Xhosa, Zulu

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

Int. direct dialling code
27

Driving
Driving is on the left. International Driving Permit required

Currency
Rand (ZAR 1 = 100 Cents)

Notes
ZAR: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200

Coins
ZAR: 1, 2, 5. Cents: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50

Banks
0830-1530 Mon-Fri, 0800-1130 Sat

Offices
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

Emergency services
Varies according to area

Climate
Varies from temperate to sub-tropical. In Gauteng (Johannesburg area) summers are hot with showers and cold in winter. Kwazulu/Natal (Durban Area) has hot humid summers and moderate winters. Cape Town in the Western Cape Province has a Mediterranean climate, with most rainfall during winter. The rest of the country, including the rest of the Cape Provinces have most rainfall during the summer with the eastern and southern coastal regions tending to be wetter. The west coast and Karoo is a semi desert region

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