Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter packed with travel features, competitions, holiday inspiration and travel deals.
Promotional Features
Club Med offers premium all-inclusive holidays
With Club Med all-inclusive you can expect stunning locations, superb accommodation, gourmet food, endless snacks and drinks from the barRead more
Your holiday starts at the airport
Plan, pre-book and be prepared. Read our top tips for a headache free start to your holiday.Read more
Luxury for Less: Award Winners & Overseas Opulence
Read this weeks hand-picked exclusive 'pure opulence' deals. Hurry, book before they are gone! Read more
Travel Partners
All Inclusive Summer Holidays with Club Med
Gourmet cuisine, endless fun, lasting memories. Choose Club Med's Dream Destinations this summer.
Doing business & staying in touch
+200
Business practices in South Africa are very westernised, although Cape Town is relatively informal and more laid back than Johannesburg. Its businesses tend to be creative rather than industrial, so suit and ties are not always in evidence. Pushiness and a demand for instant decisions are not appreciated. People like to mull things over and will freeze out anyone too in-their-face. Capetonians joke it's dubbed the Mother City because everything takes nine months to happen. Have patience, bru (brother).
In Durban, most industries do expect a suit and tie at business meetings. The more modern or artistic industries, such as IT and the media, tend to display a more informal attitude to dress. The exchanging of business cards is important in Durban and a firm handshake between both men and women is common.
In cosmopolitan Johannesburg, all of South Africa's 11 official languages are spoken, but English is the most widely used language in government and commerce. Businessmen and women in Johannesburg tend to wear suits, although ethnic outfits are increasingly evident.
Punctuality is still highly prized and it is advisable to address hosts as 'Mr' or 'Ms' until requested to use first names, which usually happens soon after formal greetings are dispensed with. The triple handshake is common among black businesspeople, although, even in these situations, the standard handshake may well take precedence with an international visitor.
Gifts are not expected in either business or social situations. Business cards are often exchanged where businesspeople meet informally, such as in hotel lobbies, airport lounges and at product launches. Most initial business-related social contact is along the lines of 'let's do lunch'; dinner and breakfast appointments are far less common.
Office hours:
Mon-Fri 0830-1630.
Economy:
The South African economy dominates Sub-Saharan Africa. Agriculture is strong enough for virtual self-sufficiency in foodstuffs: livestock is reared extensively, and large amounts of sugar, maize and cereals are produced. Wine and fruit are exported in large quantities.
The industrial sector has traditionally been based on mining as one of the world's largest exporters of gold, platinum and diamonds. It also has considerable deposits of coal, chromium, manganese and vanadium.
After decades of double-digit inflation, the period from 2004 to the onset of the global financial downturn was marked by healthy growth and inflation of under 5%. That rose in the last two years as reduced interest rates encouraged greater consumer spending and a construction boom, partly in preparation for the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup. Inflation was capped again to 5.70 percent in 2010.
Unemployment is falling, but probably remains higher than official estimates of about 21%. Other long-term problems include poverty, a high level of HIV/AIDS infection and an inadequate infrastructure for public transport, and electricity grid and telecommunication networks.
The country still has a legacy two-tiered economy; one rivalling developed countries and a more basic informal sector, leading to an uneven distribution of wealth and income. South Africa is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU).
South Africa has three major trade show, conference and exhibition venues: Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Convention Centre, and the International Convention Centre in Durban. Smaller venues exist in the hotels and universities of other major towns. South African Tourism provides information for conference organisers and delegates; see the Business Tourism section of www.southafrica.net.
GDP:
US$489 billion (2009).
Main exports:
Mineral raw materials (gold, diamonds, platinum), agricultural produce, chemical products and machinery.
Main trading partners:
Germany, UK, USA, Japan and China.
Telephone:
Area codes are used even for local calls.
Mobile phone:
Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. Coverage extends to most of the country except the very remote areas. GPRS for data coverage is also widespread.
Internet:
Internet cafes are common in towns throughout the country and wireless is available at airports and in upmarket hotels.
Post:
Airmail takes a minimum of two days to Europe, three days to USA and four days to Australia.
Post office hours:
Generally Mon-Fri 0830-1530; Sat 0800-1100; longer in airports and shopping malls. The smaller post offices close for lunch 1300-1400.
Media:
South Africa's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population. Freedom of the press is constitutionally protected and many newspapers have begun to flex their muscles with stronger and more critical political analysis in recent months. The main English newspapers are The Star, Sowetan, The Citizen and weekly Mail & Guardian. The state-run SABC and commercial E.tv networks broadcast nationally, and many viewers subscribe to pay-TV operated by Multichoice. The proliferation of commercial and community radio stations includes Highveld, Jacaranda, 702 Talk Radio and Classic FM.
