16th IWC - South Africa

Why Travel To South Africa?

Why should the incentive traveller visit South Africa? Is it our excellent climate, our dazzling sunshine, our wildlife, our breathtaking scenery? Is it our remarkable history and fascinating cultural life? Is it the lure of the great outdoors? Or is it our first world infrastructure amidst the wild beauty of Africa?

South Africa has all of this, but there is so much more – a rich and diverse selection of experiences combining exciting Africa with the very best of international standard facilities and entertainment. Here are some of them:

State-of-the-Art Conferencing

The conference industry in South Africa is well established and growing. The country has a huge range of world class venues available for MICE events suitable for every kind of gathering.

Cape Town’s top venue, the Cape Town International Convention Centre, has been designed to bring all its facilities under one
giant roof – 10 000 square metres of dedicated exhibition space, and banqueting and
meeting facilities, and a link to a deluxe 483 room hotel.

The CTICC can accommodate up to 10 000 delegates, its technology and infrastructure is state-of-the-art, its venues are flexible, and the kitchen facilities are the largest and most advanced in the Western Cape.

World Class Accommodation

Designed to satisfy the most discerning of international travellers, accommodation in South Africa is excellent, with a variety that rivals the best in the world. From gracious boutique hotels to cutting-edge contemporary establishments, to international brand hotels; from deluxe five-star establishments to comfortable guest houses and affordable self-catering apartments – the visitor to South Africa is spoilt for choice. Our selection of accommodation includes many that have won international awards for excellence.

Cuisine & Wines

Good food is essential for the enjoyment of a business trip, and this is a country where we eat well and enjoy superlative local wines, brandies, liqueurs and beer at very reasonable prices. In our cities and top restaurants the range of cuisine is cosmopolitan and top quality, including award winning restaurants and world leading chefs.

But there is also excellent local cuisine: a “braai” at a campfire under the stars featuring succulent beef or aromatic Karoo lamb roasted over the coals, a magnificent range of fresh seafood caught off our beaches, oysters and crayfish fresh from the seabeds along our coastline, the delicious flavours of India and Indonesia that characterise the traditional cooking of KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape, and an unrivalled array of fresh produce and fruit.

South Africa

The winelands of the Western Cape are rightly world renowned, producing award-winning wines in beautiful surrounds steeped in the history of the early Dutch and Huguenot settlement in South Africa in the 1700s.

Eight World Heritage Sites

South Africa is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each an area of extraordinary beauty or making a great contribution to humanity.

View them on the UNESCO website here.

Cape Floral Region

the Western Cape’s fynbos, its unique floral kingdom, is one of the richest and most diverse floral areas in the world.

70% of the Western Cape's floral species occur nowhere else in the world.

Table Mountain National Park, which is part of this remarkable wilderness area, has more plant species in its
22 000 hectares than the British isles or New Zealand.

Outdoor and Adventure

In this blue sky country and temperate climate, outdoor activities are the national passion.

Sunshine Golf

Golf is big business in this country and there is an overwhelming selection for corporate entertainment & team building. Below are a few courses that can be found in and around Cape Town

Bellville Golf Club - Visit

Milnerton Golf Club - Visit

Rondebosch Golf Club - Visit

Royal Cape Golf Club - Visit

Sensational Wilderness

South Africans have the bush in their blood. Their elemental love for the remote wilderness of this land binds them to their country as strongly as the ties of kinship. What is it about the wilderness experience that is so powerful?

South Africa

The Shopping Experience

Contrary to popular perception when visiting Africa, South Africa has excellent shopping: top brands along with local artefacts.

Blue Flag Beaches

South Africa fronts on two great oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. Neverending white beaches and aquamarine seas alive with dolphins, whales and turtles are the result.

About South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It borders the Atlantic and Indian oceans and Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho, an independent enclave surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth.

South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity after segregationist apartheid ideology.

Government and politics

South Africa is the only nation in the world with three capital cities: Cape Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. South Africa has a bicameral parliament: the ninety members of the National Council of Provinces (the upper house); and the four hundred members of the National Assembly (the lower house).

Current South African politics are dominated by the African National Congress (ANC), which received 69.7% of the vote during the last 2004 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the 2006 municipal election. The current (2004-2009 term) President of South Africa is Thabo Mbeki, who succeeded former President Nelson Mandela.

Languages

South Africa has eleven official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. In this regard it is second only to India in number. While each language is technically equal to every other, some languages are spoken more than others. According to the 2001 National Census, the three most spoken first home languages are Zulu (23.8%), Xhosa (17.6%) and Afrikaans (13.3%).

There are eleven official names for South Africa, one in each of the official national languages.

The country also recognizes eight non-official languages: Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San and South African Sign Language. These non-official languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent.

Currency | Money

The currency is the Rand (ZAR), divided into 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10. Higher value notes are slightly larger in physical size than small value notes.

Please note 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 was 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.

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.

VISA and MasterCard 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.

Tax - VAT (Value Added Tax)

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 are 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.

Smoking

Except for pubs, smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces, these include airports, shopping malls and theatres. Most restaurants do have smoking sections, either ventilated indoor areas or outdoor open areas.