South Africa: country facts, travel advice and health

01Free

The 30-second card

CapitalCape Town · Pretoria · BloemfonteinSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

LanguageVenda, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, Southern Ndebele, Tsonga, Zulu, Afrikaans, Northern Sotho, Swazi, South African Sign Language, EnglishSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

CurrencySouth African Rand · R · ZARSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

TimeUTC+2Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

PlugsC · D · N, 230 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

DrivingOn the leftSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Emergency · tap to call

112All emergencies 10111Police 10177Ambulance · Fire

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United Kingdom passport

No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

TippingA tip of 10 to 15 percent is customary.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

SIM and eSIM

Prepaid SIMs must be registered with a passport and proof of address before you can make or take calls.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Apps locals use

ACSA (Airports Company South Africa): live updates on airport delays and disruptions.Bolt: ride-hailing, available in many towns.Uber: ride-hailing in Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Cards or cash

Mostly cashMostly cards

Step 4 of 5: Cards are taken almost everywhere, but some cash is still handy.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in South Africa

South African Rand · R · ZAR

Withdraw cash only from ATMs inside malls or other buildings.

Ask the cashier at a big supermarket for cash at the till; it costs less than an ATM.

Visitors can reclaim VAT on goods taken home once the total passes 250 rand; not on hotels, meals or car hire.

Exchanging banknotes can cost 10% or more in commission, even at banks, so card or ATM is usually cheaper.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect South African Rand in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Wed, 4 Nov 2026 · Election Day

Wed, 16 Dec 2026 · Day of Reconciliation

Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day

Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · Day of Goodwill St. Stephen's Day

Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day

Mon, 22 Mar 2027 · Human Rights Day

Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday

Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Family Day

Tue, 27 Apr 2027 · Freedom Day

Sat, 1 May 2027 · Workers' Day

Wed, 16 Jun 2027 · Youth Day

Mon, 9 Aug 2027 · National Women's Day

Fri, 24 Sept 2027 · Heritage Day

Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover South Africa say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise increased caution

Calm

Caution ●

Serious

Don’t go

Level 2 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 26 May 2025 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 8 Jul 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Scams to know

Fake police with blue lights

Unsure about an unmarked car flashing blue lights? Drive on to a police or petrol station.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Card skimming

Look for odd devices on card readers, keep your card in sight and check your statements.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

ATM helpers

Refuse help at a cash machine; cancel and use another ATM, ideally inside a building.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Fake ride-hailing drivers

Book only in the app; match plate and driver ID before getting in, especially at airports.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Fake visa agents

Apply only via the official Home Affairs process; verify embassy contacts before replying.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Hepatitis A if unvaccinated, B for most; typhoid or rabies by plans. Malaria in some areas; altitude sickness.

Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine vaccines; hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travellers, hepatitis B for most, and typhoid or rabies depending on your plans.

Malaria

In some regions

Altitude

Altitude sickness can affect visitors in parts of the country, Johannesburg included.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

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Must-see · 1Cape Town

Between ocean and Table Mountain, close to the winelands.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Sign Language is one of the country's 12 official languages.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: national anthem of Mzansi. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

12 World Heritage sites in South Africa, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $427.2 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $6,598Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	gold, platinum, coal, cars, iron ore (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	64.7 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	30.7 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	71.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Christian 86%, ancestral, tribal, animist, or other traditional African religions 5.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 1.5%, nothing in particular 5.2% (2015 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2015 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	1,219,090 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nightsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plainSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	parliamentary republicSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+27Source: libphonenumber · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Nager.Date · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).