South Africa

Capital Pretoria

Population 55,653,654

Area 1,221,037 km2

Key factsTourismWeatherTransportSafetySmoking & Alcohol

Key facts

South Africa is a country located in Southern Africa. There are 6 countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe) that South Africa shares its borders with. As for languages, the country’s residents speak Afrikaans, English, South Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Although English isn’t the official language, the majority of people in South Africa are good English speakers.

EF EPI’s 2021 rankings placed South Africa 12th among 100 nations out of non-native English-speaking countries.

The national currency in South Africa is South African rand (ZAR). The rand (R) is subdivided into 100 cent (c).

South African
Banknotes

R10R20R50R100R200

South African
Coins

R1R2R55c10c20c

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in South Africa is 82.58 Mbps and mobile is 99.55 Mbs.The global average is 192.62 Mbps and 126.54 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density When compared to the world average, South Africa has more ATMs.43.55 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.49.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in South Africa, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 4 socket types used in South Africa. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries. Type D is not very common around the world, so it might be a good idea to check if your electronics need an adapter.

Type C 230 V, 50 Hz  Type D 230 V, 50 Hz  Type M 230 V, 50 Hz  Type N 230 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2024, South Africa will celebrate 13 national public holidays. The next one Heritage Day will take place on September 24.

 Show the complete list of holidays
Date Holiday name
January 1, 2024Moving holiday New Year’s DayNew Year’s Day
March 21, 2024Moving holiday Human Rights DayHuman Rights Day
March 29, 2024Moving holiday Good FridayGood Friday
April 1, 2024Moving holiday Family DayFamily Day
April 27, 2024Moving holiday Freedom DayFreedom Day
May 1, 2024Moving holiday Workers’ DayWorkers’ Day
May 29, 2024Moving holiday Election DayElection Day
June 17, 2024Moving holiday Youth DayYouth Day
August 9, 2024Moving holiday National Women’s DayNational Women’s Day
September 24, 2024Moving holiday Heritage DayHeritage Day
December 16, 2024Moving holiday Day of ReconciliationDay of Reconciliation
December 25, 2024Moving holiday Christmas DayChristmas Day
December 26, 2024Moving holiday Day of GoodwillSt. Stephen’s Day
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Tourism

What hotel chains are present in South Africa?

There are Mariott hotels in 2 cities: Cape Town and Johannesburg.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in South Africa.

The IHG hotel chain operates in South Africa.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in South Africa.

There are Radisson hotels in 5 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in South Africa.

What fast food chains are present in South Africa?

The McDonald’s chain operates in South Africa.

The KFC chain operates in South Africa.

The Burger King chain operates in South Africa.

The Subway chain operates in South Africa.

The Domino’s Pizza chain does not operate in South Africa.

The Starbucks chain operates in South Africa.

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Weather

What is the weather like in Pretoria?

Today the sun in Pretoria, rises at 6:05 AM and sets at 5:59 PM. The climate of Pretoria may be categorized as a Humid subtropical (Cwa), according to Koppen’s classification system.

FridaySep 13OvercastLow: 17.9°C (64.22°F)High: 31.7°C (89.06°F)
SaturdaySep 14OvercastLow: 19.5°C (67.1°F)High: 32.2°C (89.96°F)
SundaySep 15OvercastLow: 18.9°C (66.02°F)High: 32.2°C (89.96°F)
MondaySep 16RainLow: 19°C (66.2°F)High: 27.9°C (82.22°F)
TuesdaySep 17Rain showersLow: 15.6°C (60.08°F)High: 23.7°C (74.66°F)
WednesdaySep 18Partly cloudlyLow: 14°C (57.2°F)High: 28°C (82.4°F)

Weather data for Pretoria (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains operating between some cities.

Subway Systems There is no subway system in any city.

Taxi Apps Uber is available in 25 cities. Bolt is available in 23 cities.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in South Africa.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 6.7, South Africa is placed 5th out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In South Africa traffic is left-handed.

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Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  No data available.

Road Traffic Casualties 22.20 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 2: Exercise increased caution. 

Emergency phones in South Africa

10111 Police
10177 Ambulance
10177 Fire police

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Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is forbidden in all public indoor locations, with limited exceptions.

Cananbis legality Both recreational and medicinal use of cannabis is legal.

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