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Cape Town Travel Guide

Cape Town Travel Information

Electricity

Electrical current is 230 volts, 50Hz. Round, three-pin plugs are standard.

Language

South Africa has 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho. English is widely spoken.

Tipping

Waitering is a livelihood and a tip of 10% is expected for good service, if a service charge is not included in the bill. Tipping for services rendered is widely anticipated by porters, taxi drivers and petrol attendants. Golf caddies should be tipped accordingly. 'Car guards' operate in the city centres and tourist spots and will offer to look after your parked car; they are usually immigrants from neighbouring countries looking for work and will expect anything from R2 upwards on your return.

Safety Information

Safety is an issue and visitors to South Africa should be aware of the country's high incidence of crime. Although this tends to be concentrated in pockets throughout the country, for example in the township areas, opportunistic crime is fairly widespread. Travellers should always be aware of these risks and exercise the necessary precautions. Carjackings and smash-and-grab robberies are common in major cities, and doors should be locked when driving and bags and valuables should be kept out of sight, or locked in the boot. One should not walk alone at night in any area. Berea and Hillbrow in Johannesburg are high-risk areas and visitors should be cautious in these areas. There have been recent incidents of robbery involving hikers walking on Table Mountain and Lion's Head in Cape Town, so visitors should avoid hiking alone. Be vigilant when using ATMs and do not display signs of wealth (e.g. mobile phones, money, expensive jewellery) on the streets. Credit card fraud is on the increase and travellers should be vigilant and never allow their card out of their sight. It is worthwhile noting that the South African authorities do give high priority to the protection of tourists. Power outages are common throughout the country; frequent


Travel guide by (c) Globe Media Ltd. By its very nature much of the information in this travel guide is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they're relying with the relevant authorities. We cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.

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