Cape Town
Cape Town is located in the Western Cape Province, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the City of Cape Town.
It is the Provincial Capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the national Parliament is located.
Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well known landmarks such as Table Mountain, Cape Point and Robben Island.
Regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is one of the most popular tourist destinations. Cape Town has a population of 3.5 million people.
Climate
South Africa has a perennially sunny climate and is a pleasure to visit all year round. Mid – winter occurs in June and July, mid – summer in December and January.
The climate ranges from Mediterranean in the Cape Peninsula to subtropical on the KwaZulu-Natal coast and in the North-Eastern province of Mpumalanga; temperate conditions prevail on the Central Highveld (Gauteng Province).
Average temperature in February (Cape Town) : 26°C.
Entry Requirements
As for all international travel, visitors to South Africa are required to have a valid passport. Travellers from certain countries also require a visa.
Visitors to South Africa should have a valid return or onward ticket for travel, sufficient means of support for the period and valid entry documents for the next destination.
Enquiries can be directed to the South African diplomatic representatives abroad. Visitors planning to travel to South Africa's neighbouring countries are advised to apply for multiple entry visas.
Please contact the 6th WCPCCS 2013 Congress Secretariat to request a letter of invitation for visa purposes. An accurate complete registration form must be provided in order for the request to be processed. For more information about entry requirements, please visit –
South African Home Affairs
Find Out More Here
What to pack
Clothing is generally casual, especially at holiday resorts and game reserves, but beach wear is not acceptable in restaurants. Don't forget to bring sun screen, a camera and a pair of binoculars for game viewing.
Time differences
Throughout the year, standard time in South Africa is GMT +2, one hour ahead of Central European Winter Time and seven hours in advance of Eastern Standard Winter Time.
Value Added Tax
Value Added Tax (VAT), currently is at 14%, and is included in the marked/quoted price of all goods and services. Foreign nationals may claim refunds of VAT paid on goods, which they take out of South Africa. Information leaflets on claiming VAT refunds are available from VAT refund administration offices at the airports.
Electricity
City and town power systems are 220/230 volts, 50Hz. Plugs have three cylinder pins. Most hotels in the city have multiple adapter plugs however, it is advisable to have an adaptor for foreign appliances. Some plugs are of the two pin European variety.
Currency
The South African currency unit is the Rand (ZAR), denoted by the symbol R, R1 = 100 cents. Most businesses, tour operators, airlines and hotels accept major credit cards and traveller's cheques.
Water
Tap water is purified and safe to drink. South Africa is reputed to have the cleanest tap water in the world.
How to get there
The national carrier, South African Airways, and several international air and shipping lines link the country to the rest of the world. South Africa has three international airports in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Estimated travel times to Cape Town are:
- Atlanta .................................18hrs 25min
- Copenhagen.........................14hrs 50min
- Dubai ...................................10hrs 10 min
- Durban .................................02hrs 10min
- Frankfurt ..............................10hrs 30min
- Hong Kong ..........................16hrs
- Johannesburg ......................02hrs 10min
- London ................................11hrs 30min
- Melbourne ...........................20hrs 50min
- New York ............................19hrs 30min
- Paris ....................................12hrs 30min
- Sao Paulo ............................11hrs 45min
- Singapore ...........................12hrs
- Sydney ................................16hrs
- Vancouver ...........................21hrs 35min
Health Requirements
The national carrier, South African Airways, and several international air and shipping lines link the country to the rest of the world. South Africa has three international airports in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Estimated travel times to Cape Town are:
Safety and Security
Despite perceptions to the contrary, Cape Town is as safe as most international cities, and this is in no small measure due to the efforts of the central city Improvement District
(CCID). One of the main drivers behind the establishment of the CCID in 2000 was to make Cape Town’s central city the safest in South Africa. The vision was to setup effective preventive and reactive security measures through highly visible police officers, mobile vehicles and a bicycle squad twenty four hours a day.
This public/private partnership collects more than R27 million a year from property owners in the city, half of which pays for extra security on the streets of Cape Town’s CBD. Altogether,200 security officers keep the streets of the CBD safe, day and night, for all those who work in, live in or visit the city.
The dedicated team of security managers and foot officers, who are highly visible,
Patrol the streets on a 24-hour basis. All officers are fluent in English. The other languages spoken are Afrikaans and Xhosa.
A CCTV surveillance network, paid for by the city of Cape Town, assists in keeping crime at bay. In addition, Cape Town now also boasts a municipal police force. CCID security officers work in a close partnership with the private sector and all law enforcement agencies by communicating on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. In addition a Mobile Safety Kiosk Programme, rolled out by the CCID Security Department, has made a huge contribution to security in the city. The kiosks provide visible policing in key locations, events and hot spot areas.
