ElectricityElectrical current is 230 volts, 50Hz. Round,
three-pin plugs are standard. LanguageSouth Africa has 11 official languages, including
Afrikaans, English, Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho. English is widely
spoken. TippingWaitering 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 InformationSafety 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. Doors should be locked when driving and one
should not walk alone at night in city streets, isolated beaches or
remote areas. 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 Lions 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. 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 blackouts and rolling
power cuts in January 2008 has forced the government to acknowledge
that the country has an electricity crisis on its hands. Local CustomsSouth African culture and etiquette in urban areas
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