Stuff you need backpacking around South Africa

South Africa has 11 official languages. Most people other than rural black Africans speak English, although not many as a first language. Afrikaans is also widely-spoken, especially by the white and coloured population. Often Afrikaans is incorrectly called 'afrikan' or 'african' by foreigners. Note this is very incorrect as 'African' for a South African corresponds with the native-african languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi etc. (and, of course, there are thousands of languages in Africa so no single language can be called 'African') Afrikaans has roots in Dutch, so it can be understood by Dutch speakers and sometimes deciphered by German speakers. Other widely spoken languages are Zulu (mainly in KwaZulu-Natal) and Xhosa (mainly in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape), as well as Sotho and Venda. This changes, according to the region you are in. A few words you may encounter are:

• eish - as in, "eish, it's hot today", "eish, that's expensive" or "eish, that's too far to drive"
• lekker - Enjoyable
• howzit - How is it? (generally a rhetorical question)
• yebo - Yes
• boet, bru, china or ou - Brother or man (equivalent to dude or bro)
• koppie - A small hill (can also mean a cup)
• Madiba - Nelson Mandela
• robot - Traffic light
• tannie - Respectful term for an older woman
• tinkle - phone call
• boot - trunk of a car
• just now - sometime soon (from Afrikaans "net-nou")
• now now - sooner than just now! (from Afrikaans "nou-nou", pronounced no-no)
• braai - barbecue.
• cheers - we use this for saying good-bye, as well as saying thank you and for the occasional toast.
• heita - Hello
• sharp - (usually pronounced quickly) OK
• sure-sure more pronounced like sho-sho - Correct, Agreement, Thank you

You’ll find the Wikipedia page on South African English well worth reading.

Spelling

In general English spelling follows British rules rather than American; litre rather than liter, centre rather than center etc.

Braaivleis South African cuisine is just as diverse as its cultures, with influences from British, Dutch, German, Indian, Malay, Portuguese and of course all the indigenous tribes.

• Braaivleis, meat roasted over an open wood or charcoal fire, is very popular and generally done at weekend social events. The act of roasting the meat as well as the social even is referred to as a braai.

• Pap, a porridge made with corn meal. Slappap (runny porridge), is smooth and often eaten as a breakfast porridge, Stywepap (stiff porridge) has a doughy and more lumpy consistency and is often used as a replacement for rice or other starches. Krummelpap (crumby porridge) is drier, resembles couscous and is often served at a braai covered in a saucy tomato relish.

• Potjiekos, a meat and vegetable stew make in a cast iron pot over an open fire. A favourite at braais.

• Boerewors, a spicy sausage. Boerewors Rolls are hotdog buns with boerewors rather than hotdogs, traditionally garnished with an onion and tomato relish.

• Biltong and Droëwors, seasoned meat or sausage that has been dried. Beef, game and ostrich meat is often used. A favourite at sports events and while travelling.

• Bunny chows, half a loaf of bread with the inside replaced by lamb or beef curry is a dish not to be missed when traveling to KwaZulu Natal.

• Bobotie, meatloaf with a Cape Malay influence, seasoned with curry and spices, topped with a savoury custard.

• Morogo, a wild spinach on it's own or with potato. Sometimes served with pap.

• Waterblommetjiebredie, mutton and indigenous water lily stew.

• Masonja, for the culinary adventurer, fried Mopanie worms.

Fast food

You will find the usual array of international fast food outlets, McDonalds, KFC and Wimpy is well represented throughout the country. Local franchises worth mentioning are Black Steer and Steers for the best burgers and Nando's peri-peri chicken. Pizza delivery is available in most urban areas.

Municipal tap water is safe to drink. The legal age to purchase and drink alcohol in South Africa is 18. Almost all restaurants are licensed to serve liquor. Be very careful if someone offers you witblits or mampoer; those are the local names for moonshine or firewater. It's extremely high in alcohol content and packs a lethal blow.

Beer

Local beer production is dominated by SABMiller with the Castle, Amstel and Windhoek , Black Label and Castle Milk Stout being most popular brands Imported beers such as Stella Artois, Heineken and Grolsh are also widely available. Prices can vary widely depending on the establishment. Expect to pay anything from R7 to R18 for a beer.

Wine

South Africa has a well established wine industry with most of the wine produced concentrated in the Cape Winelands in the Western Cape and along the Orange River in the Northern Cape

Liquors

Amarula Cream is made from the marula fruit. The marula fruit is a favourite treat for African elephants, baboons and monkeys and in the liqueur form definitely not something to be passed over by humans. Pour over crushed ice and enjoy. The taste, colour and texture is very similar to the world famous Baileys Irish Cream. Cape Velvet is a favourite in and around Cape Town.

Tea and Coffee

The local Rooibos tea, made from a herb from the Cederberg Mountains is a favourite for many South Africans. You will find coffee shops in most shopping malls, such as Mugg&Bean and House of Coffees. Coffee shops similar in concept to Starbucks, like Seattle Coffee Company and Vida e Caffe (Portuguese themed), are becoming commonplace.

Money

South African notes and coinsThe currency is the Rand (ZAR), divided into 100 cents (c). Notes are in denominations of R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10. Higher value notes are slightly larger in physical size than small value notes. All notes have a metallic security strip and a watermark. Note that there are two types of R5 coins in circulation. One is a solid silver coin while the other is silver with a copper insert. Both are legal currency. Coins are in denominations of R5, R2, R1, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c. Production of 2c and 1c coins were suspended in April 2002, but those still in circulation remain legal tender. All transactions are rounded down to to the nearest lower 5c, so as not to require a 2c or 1c coin. Rough conversion [29] rates are: 7.50:1 (USD), 11:1 (EUR) and 15:1 (GBP). Carry one of the above currencies, as conversion between any of them and the Rand can be done at any bank without trouble. The Rand is also used in Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, although it is not an official currency in these countries. Traveller's Cheques are a safe way of carrying money around. You can exchange them at all banks (you will find one even in the roughest places) and you will get a refund if they are stolen. The disadvantage is that you cannot pay with them and you will need change when exchanging them into Rand. Use ATMs instead if possible. Automated teller machines (ATMs), linked to all major international networks, are available throughout the country and will generally dispense money in a mixture of denominations between R200 and and R10, with about 80% of the value requested being high value notes and the rest in smaller denominations. You can use any Cirrus or Maestro card as well as all major credit and debit cards at the ATMs. It is best to use only ATMs that are inside a mall or other building. Always be careful to make sure no one is watching you enter your PIN, and be vigilant about scams (e.g. machines that seem to eat your card and won't give it back after you enter the PIN). The till points at some major retail stores (such as Pick 'n Pay) also act as ATMs; simply tell the checkout clerk that you would like to withdraw money. VISA and MasterCard's are accepted almost everywhere, while American Express and Diners Club are also accepted, but not as widely. Most retail stores accept credit cards and pin based debit cards as payment. VAT (Value Added Tax) is levied at 14% on almost all products in South Africa. By law advertised prices should be inclusive of VAT except when explicitly stated otherwise. Foreign passport holders may claim back the VAT on products that were bought in South Africa and is being taken out of the country, provided that the total value of the goods exceed R250. Full details of the procedure to follow is available from the Department of Foreign Affairs and their new TAX Refund for tourists site. VAT Refund Administrator's offices are available at both OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports.

Costs

Petrol and Diesel Liquid fuel prices in South Africa are regulated and fixed monthly. During early 2008 a litre of petrol would cost anywhere from R7.00 to R7.50. See the current prices. Toll roads The most expensive toll gate in South Africa is the Machado plaza on the N4 between Pretoria and Nelspruit, cost is R43 for a normal car. In total, road tolls between Pretoria and Nelspruit or between Johannesburg and Cape Town will cost you just under R100. Food

• You can buy three McDonalds burgers (a hamburger, cheese burger and chicken burger) for around R18
• A sit down lunch in an average establishment will cost you between R80 and R140 per person.
• A decent 30cm pizza will cost you between R35 and R55

Shopping

Prices in shops are fixed, but prices in open markets or from street vendors are open to barter. Tipping is the norm in restaurants and at gas-stations (which are all full-service). Indeed, most of these businesses pay their staff the legal minimum-wage, relying on customer-tips to bring staff incomes up to live-able levels. Tips of around 10% of the bill are considered the norm.

Phone

South Africa's country code is 27. Phone numbers within South Africa are of the format 0XX YYY ZZZZ. Large cities have area codes 0XX (Johannesburg is 011, Pretoria 012, Cape Town 021, Durban 031, Port Elizabeth 041, East London 043, Kimberley 053, Bloemfontein 051) while smaller towns may have longer area codes (0XX Y for example) with shorter local numbers. When dialing a South African number from outside the country, one should dial +27 XX YYY ZZZZ. Dialing within the country one should use all 10 digits, 0XX YYY ZZZZ. To dial out of South Africa, dial 00 followed by the country code and the rest of the number you are trying to reach. Pay phones are available at airports, shopping malls and some petrol stations. The number of pay phones in open public areas have been reduced over recent years, but you should still be able to find one when you need one. Pay phones use either coins or prepaid cards that are available at most shops and petrol stations ; coin phones are generally blue while card phones are usually green. MTN Tower in Jeffrey's Bay

GSM

South Africa has an extensive GSM network, working on the same frequency as the rest of Africa and Europe. There are four cell phone providers in South Africa: Vodacom, MTN, Cell-C and Virgin Mobile. The networks support GPRS countrywide and 3G, EDGE and HSDPA support is available in larger urban areas. Do not assume you will not have network coverage just because you can not see a GSM tower. Many of the towers have been built to look like trees (Vodacom) or other structure (MTN) in order to better blend into the surroundings and not be an eyesore.

Internet

There are plenty of Internet cafees and access rates are cheap. Even cheaper and more mobile would be to buy a prepaid cell phone starter pack (less than 10 rand) and access the Internet with GPRS or 3G. Generally 2 Rand per MB for out of bundle data from most providers, but it becomes a lot cheaper if you buy a data bundle. Vodacom prices range from 38c per MB on a 500MB bundle to 19c per MB on a 1GB bundle. MTN prices range between1 Rand per MB on a 10MB to 39c per MB on a 1GB bundle.

WiFi

Always-On seem to be leading the way in prepaid WiFi access. Their hotspots can now be found at Cape Town, Durban and OR Tambo airports, City Lodge Hotels, Sun International Hotels, some Southern Sun Hotels, Mugg & Bean restaurants and various other places. Simply connect to the access point and you will be given the opportunity to pay for access by credit card. Pricing starts at around R15 for 10 minutes or R60 for 100MB. Their support desk can be contacted on +27 (0)11 575-2505.