Life in South Africa

South Africa has 11 official languages. Capetonians speak English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. Most South Africans speak English.

Our long summers range from about November until March. Cape Town has a Mediterranean climate with little rain in summer. The days are longer than the nights, approximately 14 hours of sunshine and warm evenings set a party
mood.

Spring usually falls between September and October, and autumn between April and May. The days are usually balmy between seasons, with little wind.
Although Cape Town winters (June to August) have a reputation for rain and wind, they often produce perfect days or even weeks. So you should plan trips reasonably in advance, and be prepared for lots of company.

Climatic changes seem to have reduced winter rainfall, and when it’s not raining, winter becomes a perfect green season. Temperatures can reach a summery 26˚C (80˚F) or higher.

Check the weather forecasts in local papers or on radio, phone + 27 (0)21 934 0450 for detailed short-term forecasts, or click here for the latest forecast.

Long range forecasts are available internationally through the Internet on the University of Cape Town’s Oceanography Department’s weather site, available at www.iafrica.com/weather. South African summer holidays (usually from the
first week of December to mid January), and Easter are peak periods for visitors.

South African time is set at GMT +2 all year round. There are no time zone differences in South Africa and South Africa has not adopted a daylight saving system in summer.

Tap water in Cape Town is perfectly safe to drink, although the mineral content may be different to the water you are used to.

The South African currency is the Rand and is divided into 100 cents. Notes are in R200, R100, R50, R20, R10 denominations and coins are in R5, R2, R1, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c. If you have been given 1c or 2c coins, these can still be used, but will not be given to you by banks or shops. You can download a poster with currentbanknotes security features and pictures of the currency here (PDF, 3MB).

You will need to use your passport to cash both traveller’s and foreign cheques.

The closest Bureau de Change (e.g. Thomas Cook, Rennie) to the school is in the Adelphi Centre, which is situated on Sea Point Main Road.

A second Bureau de Change can be found inside the V&A Waterfront shopping centre or you can change money at any of the other banks available in Cape Town (e.g. ABSA Bank, Nedbank, Standard Bank, First National Bank etc.). For current exchange rates please check with the nearest foreign exchange bank.

Bank cards

Most major Visa & Mastercard credit cards and, to a lesser extent, American Express are accepted by hotels, shops and restaurants.

24HR Automatic Teller Machines are available throughout Cape Town. However, we do advise students to rather use those machines inside the banks or in the shopping malls. These machines will also accept all major credit cards, Maestro,
Cirrus and Visa Electron debit cards.

If your card is damaged or held back by the ATM machine please cancel your card immediately, as the local banks will not return foreign bank cards.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

South Africa has adopted a Value Added Tax system of 14% on purchases and services. If you are a foreign visitor to South Africa, you can reclaim your VAT on purchases if you’ve spent more than R250. This can be done at the VAT office at the airport before checking in on departure. Leave yourself some time to do this - you’ll need your original tax invoices and your passport, and will need to fill in a form and have the goods you bought available for inspection.

You can save time at the airport by sorting out your paperwork at the VAT Refunds Office at the Cape Town Tourism Visitor Information Centre, V&A Waterfront open daily 09.00-21.00 (Tel: 021 405 4500), or Cape Town Tourism City Centre, open Mon-Fri 08.00-17.30, Saturday 08.30 - 13.00 and Sunday and Bank Holidays 09.00-13.00 (Tel: + 27 (0)21 426 4260)

Cape Town has several world-class shopping malls which sell all major international and local brands. The major centres include the V&A Waterfront, Cavendish Square in Claremont and Canal Walk at Century City.

You can go to Pick ‘n’ Pay (supermarket) or the more upmarket Woolworths store to obtain water, food, snacks and personal items.

Also pay a visit to the numerous flea markets, for a true African shopping experience. There is one in Green Point (near the Cape Town Stadium) which is open on Sunday or, if you go into the city centre, there is a market at Greenmarket Square which is open 7 days a week. There are also two undercover markets at the V&A Waterfront, The Red & Blue Sheds.

Most shops in the city centre and suburbs are open between 08.00 and 17.00 to 17.30 on weekdays, and on Saturdays till 13.00.

Most major malls may open at 09.00 and close at 18.00 (or even 21.00, especially the V&A Waterfront and Century City), throughout the week, weekends and on most public holidays.

Government agencies still keep to traditional weekday only hours. Most banks close at 15.30, and are open on Saturday mornings from 09.00-11.00.

Post

Postage stamps can be bought at the Reception desk or Post Offices and PostNet branches, which can be found in the city centre as well as in Sea Point. Postcards with stamps can be left at reception to be posted.

Telephones.

Blue public phones work on coins (20c, 50c and R1 coins are best). The green public phones use Telkom phone cards. Card and coin operated phones are available at LAL and access is 24hrs.

To dial an international number from South Africa, dial 00 + Country Code +Area Code + Phone Number. When dialling within Cape Town, put the code of 021 before your 7-digit telephone number. Most US-type telephone plugs are used.

Telephone cards, international calling cards and mobile phone airtime (Cell C, Vodacom, MTN) are available at Reception and from most retail outlets as well as at all PostNet branches.

You can hire a cell phone (mobile phone) at the airport or in other major centres. This convenience will cost about R12 per day and and R2.85 per minute of a call. They do require a substantial credit card deposit.

Some international mobiles will work here with a local SIM card. Local SIM cards are available at Reception, free of charge. This will enable you to have a South African number.

Be aware of the following laws:

• The law prohibits smoking in most public places, including airports and railway stations. Most restaurants have designated smoking and non-smoking areas.
• You cannot smoke inside any of LAL Cape Town’s buildings.
• You must be over 18 to buy alcohol.
• You must be over 16 to buy tobacco such as cigarettes
• It is illegal to have sex with anyone under the age of 16.
• The use, possession, purchase or sale of cannabis or any other controlled drug is illegal.