South Africa - International Franchise Association

There are two major international airports: OR Tambo International in Johannesburg,
and Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town. Carriers that fly directly from the
United States to South Africa are Delta Air Lines (http://www.delta.com) and South
African Airways (SAA) (http://www.saa.co.za) only. United Airlines code-shares with
SAA (http://www.united.com). The recently launched state-of-the-art high-speed train,
the Gautrain, runs from O.R. Tambo International to Sandton, every fifteen minutes from
7:00am to 8:00pm. (http://join.gautrain.co.za).
Do not hail taxis in South Africa. When taking a taxi, it is recommended to use private
taxi companies that operate at all four and five-star hotels. Travelers to South Africa can
also hire a car. Major car hire groups represented include: Hertz
(http://www.hertz.co.za), Avis (http://www.avis.co.za) and Budget (www.budget.co.za).
South Africans drive on the left-hand side of the road.
To view U.S. Consulate information sheet on travel to South Africa visit:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1008.html
Language Return to top
South Africa has 11 official languages. Based on the most recent data available, the
respective percentages of the population speaking each of them are: Zulu (23.8%),
Xhosa (17.6%), Afrikaans (13.3%), Sepedi (9.4%), English (8.2%), Setswana (8.2%),
Sesotho (7.9%), Xitsonga (4.4%), Swazi (2.6%), Venda (1.7%), and Ndebele (1.5%).
Languages used by the Asian population include Tamil (2%), Hindi (2%), Gujerati (2%),
and Urdu. Business is conducted mostly in English.
Health Return to top
In line with U.S. laws, the South Africa’s health policy stipulates that smoking is
prohibited in public places unless otherwise designated as smoking areas. South
African tap water is mostly safe to drink, generally adhering to the highest standards, but
if a traveler is not acclimatized to it or has a sensitive digestive system, bottled water is
widely available.
South Africa has world-class (private care) medical services and all major cities have
modern well-equipped hospitals and ambulance services to assist travelers in
emergency situations. Travelers should familiarize themselves with emergency
telephone numbers and the locations of nearest hospitals on arrival in the country. The
national emergency telephone number is 10111.
South Africa has a few provinces where there is a threat of contracting malaria.
Appropriate prophylactics taken well in advance of visiting these areas should limit the
risk of falling ill. Self-protection actions should include use of mosquito repellant (all day),
wearing of light long sleeved shirts and pants as well as socks and shoes from dawn and
at night. Sleeping under a mosquito net or in a mosquito-proof room should also be
considered.
High risk malaria areas: Lowveld of Mpumalanga and the Limpopo (the region where the
Kruger Park is located) as well as in Kwazulu Natal (on the Maputaland coast).