My Trip to South Africa

[AzNMpower32]

As part of a short Global Immersion elective in the Accounting programme at UNC, I went to South Africa for 11 days (10 days, I stayed behind an extra day). I had high expectations for SA, since I know many European and Asian companies invest heavily there; my mother's E90 was built there as well.

I'm usually not easily impressed; "disappointing" is probably the biggest understatement of my impression of China a few years ago (I'd rather crash off a cliff). But SA really surprised me with its beauty, the diversity of cultures, and the general welcoming atmosphere of the people there. Heck, even the 16-17hr flights from DC and NYC aren't that awful on the A340 aircraft, so it's definitely not "too far".

I'll keep the educational part short. Through our company visits, business models are quite different there. There's a massive focus on attracting a wide base of customers rather than a narrow, profitable customer base. Case in point: A Vodacom SIM card costs R0,50 and the lowest increment of airtime one can purchase is R5. (At this time: $1 USD = R7,85). No wonder mobile phones are so accessible and signal service is so strong even in the most remote areas, never less than 3 bars on the drive from JoBurg to Pilanesburg Nature Reserve. It's not so much about the profit per customer, rather the quantity of customers that companies can attract. As a MultiChoice executive put it: "We're not necessarily competing against other TV companies. We're competing against things that people would spend their meagre sum of money on: eating out, other entertainment, etc..."

There's also a lot of sprawl in development, not unlike America. In Johannesburg and Kaapstad (Cape Town), most of the activity takes place outside the city centre and in the suburbs. Suburbs spread out for 50+km in any direction. Driving is often the primary means of getting around (sound familiar?). And although the horror stories of crime are still partly valid, given the heavy police presence and CCTV and a good dose of common sense, I didn't feel unusually unsafe, at least no more so than any downtown area in the US. (Choose your neighbourhoods wisely)



There's a surprising amount of conspicuous consumption in JoBurg, judging by the amount of luxury cars that were cruising around the 'burbs. Indeed I picked up a motoring magazine that happened to have the July 2011 new car stats: #1 is the VW Polo and #7 is the BMW 3er. It's not like either of those cars are cheap! The 320i basic model starts at R314.500 inkl. 14% VAT and the CO² tax, that's despite the fact that all their models are assembled domestically.

We also did go on safari in Pilanesburg National Game Reserve. The girls on our jeep flirted with the ranger and probably scared all the animals away with their Lion King singing-many good stories out of this- but we did see 3 out of the Big 5 plus some hippos up close.





Kaapstad/Cape Town is an amazing and beautiful city, probably #2 after Monaco. The spring weather was awesome although we had a strong SE wind a couple days. There's a nice, laid-back feel to the place and the natural wonders speak for themselves. The turquoise waters of the various bays, Table Mountain and other rock formations along the coast, the beautiful sands of the beaches.







Everywhere we went, the locals were friendly and spoke English- apparently it's customary to learn 3 languages in school (Afrikaans, English, plus one other local African language) and even the less-educated folks could speak English as well. There's a relaxed feel, the general feeling that it's okay to make mistakes as long as you get a good laugh out of it. Try that in Germany and you'll get some disapproving glares.

Before I lose y'alls attention, let me just say this: If you have a short list of places to see before you kick the bucket, add South Africa to the list (you're not missing that much in France ). It's worth it. It's fun and unforgettable. And hey, it's cheap! Plus the rugby enthusiasm makes it THAT much more cool (the Australians are probably going to laugh at this point, no need to rub it in, thanks.).





(I've got a lot more pictures, but I thought these were the pertinent ones.)
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Oh and the driving/car-related bit. After renting a car for two days, I can proudly say I'm capable of competent driving in a RHD country . No issues immediately adjusting to ramps/roads/interchanges, although it's harder to break habits in a parking lot. The road infrastructure is quite good and it's easy to drive- SA drivers are about the same as American drivers except a lot nicer.

I had a rental Chevy Spark Lite, which is the 2nd cheapest car sold in SA and it had no equipment on it, at all. In fact, it wouldn't even pass US safety standards. It had headlights, 4 doors, a radio (2 speakers!), and that's about it. No armrest, no electric windows/mirrors, no AC, no rear defroster, no rear foglight, no ABS, no power steering, no airbags. I figured if I'd gotten into an accident, I would most definitely be killed. Thankfully, the clutch was easy, and I had no close encounters. Whoever invented the 3-cylinder engine should be put in a meat grinder because the 0,8 litre, 3-cyl engine has the characteristics of a coffee grinder except with less power. Didn't stop me from zipping along in the inside lane on the freeway though- it's the driver not the car ).

[Viperfreak2]

The trick to rental cars. When you get one you don't like, go back inside and say "the doors won't open" Will they take the time to walk out with you to prove it? Not likely, so they will give you another car.

[Naz24]

wow, thanks for sharing!

i'm heading on semester at sea next semester. Cape town is one of the stops.. i'm even more excited now!

[E61Silver]

Great thread thank you!

[PersonaNonGrata]

Cool trip. I'd love to go just for the wildlife.