Welcome
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"For most people the most important step in an
African adventure is to make the decision to do it." INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH AFRICA South Africa is quite aptly named “The world in one country” which describes its incredible variety in geography, botany, wildlife and culture. According to the World Trade Organization it is the 15th most popular tourism destination worldwide. It is important to make the reader aware of the fact that Africa, as a continent consists of about 50 independent countries with their own governments. South Africa is one of these. Africa as a continent is roughly two and a half times bigger than North America offering incredible variety. CLIMATE South Africa is blessed with a fantastic perennial climate that falls into the Southern Temperate Zone, which never ceases to amaze the first-time visitor. Due to a wide range of latitudes and altitudes and the influence of the Atlantic, Indian and Southern oceans our winters compared to that of the northern hemisphere are short, mild and sunny. This being said however; for short spells it can be very cold in the central parts of the country with temperatures well below freezing at night time and early mornings in mid winter during June/July. Winters are dry and crisp with frost on higher altitudes and even snow on the mountains in especially the Eastern Cape and Lesotho. We have two very distinct climatic regions the previous description reflects the Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalamga, Freestate and KwaZulu Natal. The Northern Cape Province town of Sutherland has the dubious honour of being the coldest town in the country. The south Western Cape area has a Mediterranean climate with wet, windy winters and year round rain. Most of the country is sub tropical with little variation in number of daylight hours. In summer from about 0500 – 1900 and from 0700 – 1700 in winter. Springtime starts on 1 September, summer on 1 December, autumn on 1 March and winter on 1 June with winter solstice (shortest day, longest night, 21 June). Average spring/summer day temperature range of 25°C - 43°C (70°F - 110°F) depending on local geography and location and autumn/winter from 7°C - 23°C (35° - 75°F). In general the average daily temperature for most of the year is roughly 30C (95F) Average rainfall range between 100mm – 1500mm (4” – 60”) annually depending on the geography with the eastern parts of the country receiving the most and declining out towards the west, which is quite arid. GEOGRAPHY South Africa is the most southern country on the African continent. It borders in the northwest onto Namibia. In the central north the famous Kgalagadi National Park straddles the border where Botswana is our neighbour and to the north-east, Zimbabwe with Mozambique due east where the massive new Transfrontier Park between the last 3 mentioned countries are situated. The country is sub-divided in 9 provinces, roughly along the lines of historical tribal and natural geographic borders with the Northern Cape Province geographically the biggest, about 33% of the country’s surface area and a population of less than 1 million. A provincial government subjected to the Central Government governs each. Provinces all have their own unique ethnic groups, plant kingdoms, wildlife and unique geography. (See maps). The 9 provinces are: The Northern Cape, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu/Natal, Freestate, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and Limpopo. The east of the country is blessed with high rainfall and tropical in climate with subsequent green and lush plant life and very big animal diversity. This is the area where the world-renowned Kruger National Park is situated. This lush “greenbelt” is separated from the rest of the country by the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains with its highest altitude the Injasuti Peak at 11 195 feet (3 410 meters). This range runs form north to south. The central part of the country has wide-open flatland spaces ideally adapted for grain farming on the eastern edge of it. The central and western part favours stock grazing activities, mainly sheep and herds of plains game. Farming, after mining and tourism is our country’s third biggest income generator. The far western part is very arid as well as to the north, towards Namibia, Botswana & the Kalahari Desert. In the south lies the semi-arid Great Karoo and in the west, the West Coast with the cold Atlantic ocean washing onto its beach with its own unique assortment of people and wildlife. South of Cape Town the warm Indian Ocean meets the cold waters of the Atlantic. The coastal area is about 4 600km (3 000 miles) long and offers a wide variety of beach holidays. INFRASTRUCTURE South Africa prides itself on an excellent infrastructure, actually the best on the whole African Continent. It is the 20th biggest economy of the 230 most important global countries and the biggest in Africa. All modern modes of transport are available. Tarred roads (black topped) and highways link virtually every city, town, village and hamlet. Gravel roads in the rural areas are not always in such condition and great care must be taken when driving on it. In 2003 alone, more than ZAR 6 billion were spent on up-keep and maintenance of our road system. According to recent statistics, South Africa has a national fleet of about 7 million vehicles. All the bigger cities boast airports and very many of the towns own airdrome fields. Many of the world’s big hotel groups are represented and literally thousand of informal guesthouses and private hotels are available, offering high standards. The telephone network is extensive and apart from the national TELKOM network has three GSM cellular networks. South Africa is home of international business giants like Anglo American, BHP Billington, De Beers Diamonds, Investec, Old Mutual and SABMiller. South Africa also pioneered the world’s first “petroleum-from-coal” process through SASOL. Recently the British Investment Bank, Lehman Bros, declared South Africa to be one of the most stabile upcoming economies in the world. Tourism contributes about 12% of our GNP and very aggressive marketing campaigns both locally and abroad are waged to increase this figure. Due to our cultural diversity, many different styles of cuisine are available to the international traveller that will suit the most finicky. English is very widely spoken and one of the major languages, it is the language of commerce, business and industry and apart from the mother tongue of individuals a compulsory subject in schools. Cape Town is the parliamentary capital; Bloemfontein the judicial capital and Pretoria the administrative capital. The Gauteng province where the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are situated, including the adjacent urban areas called the Witwatersrand, is a huge sprawling complex housing about 8 million people and also economically the richest. This province is the smallest of our 9 provinces but in itself contribute nearly a third of the country’s GNP and its economy is bigger that that of any of the other African countries! Electricity supply is 220/240 volt at 50Hz. Adaptors may be needed and most plugs are triangular three round pins. SEASONS Summer, from October to April is considered high season. Winter, from May to September is low season. The country is a very popular destination for all travellers, so plan ahead, make advance bookings and enjoy your stay......© All photos, graphics and images on this site remain the copyright of Kwa Motlhose and should not be downloaded without prior agreement. |
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