Language
South Africa has no fewer than 11 official languages. Those most commonly spoken in and around Cape Town are English, Afrikaans and Xhosa (the home language of most of the Cape’s black residents)
Currency And Tipping
The South African currency unit is the Rand, divided into 100 cents. Notes are available in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200.
Provided you receive satisfactory service, it’s usual to tip porters, waiters, taxi drivers, room attendants, golf caddies and petrol attendants. Tips for waiters and taxi drivers should amount to at least 10% of the cost of the service. For minor services – porterage, for example - it’s customary to proffer about R5.
Safety
Safety in Cape Town for tourists is pretty comparable with any other large city in the world. The usual warnings apply: don’t carry large sums of cash around with you and don’t have your valuables on display. Don’t walk through the streets alone at night; avoid deserted and poorer areas unless you’re with an organised group. Don’t look too much like a tourist. If you’ve hired a car, a Cape Town resident offers this advice: “When you travel in the city centre, please ensure that your doors are locked and your windows wound up. We sometimes have a problem with people at traffic lights who will grab your purse, jewellery around your neck or even your sunglasses off your face. Please be careful and enjoy your time here in this lovely city without any of these horrible incidents.”
Car guards are a unique phenomenon you can find in different parts of Cape Town. Those wearing coloured vests are official. The unofficial ones are either trying to make a living or a quick buck. Look at it this way: at home you usually pay for a parking meter; in Cape Town, there’s some added value in having someone watch over your car. A Rand per hour is customary.
Visas
Depending on your nationality and the purpose and duration of your visit, you may not need a visa to visit South Africa at all. A full list those of countries subject to South African visa controls can be found at www.safrica.info/public_services/...
Weather
Cape Town is a lovely place to visit at any time of the year. Each month has its appeal. Perhaps the best time is from high summer through to early winter (January to May). Weather patterns are complex and conditions variable, but generally the summers are hot, sunny and very dry. The heat can be oppressive, especially when the warm ‘berg wind’ blows in from the interior. More often the air is cooled by a gusty, unnerving and sometimes violent south-easter that may reach gale force and last for a week or even longer. It’s commonly known as the ‘Cape Doctor’ for its supposedly cleansing effect on the city. Winter (i.e. the northern hemisphere’s summer period) is known as the green season. There are long, cold, wet spells, though these are invariably broken by brief and unexpected intervals of warmth and welcome sunshine.
Transport
Getting around Cape Town is easy. Public transport options include city buses, taxis, ‘rikkis,’ commuter trains and minibuses. The way most South Africans get around is by minibus taxis. They are cheap, efficient and plentiful. You can hail them as you would a cab anywhere in the world. You'll also see ‘rikkis’ in the centre of Cape Town - they are small, brightly coloured vans that operate like taxis. Metro trains run to all the suburban areas; the commuter train out to Simonstown is actually worth taking just for the ride itself. It travels so close to the ocean, passengers sometimes get soaked by the spray. A fun way to see Cape Town is aboard an open-top bus. The trip usually last two hours and stops at all the major sights in Cape Town. You can get on and off as you please throughout the day.
