The following is a guide only. WUN strongly recommends you review the travel advice provided by the local authorities. Please find below some important information before travelling to Pretoria, South Africa.

Time Zone

GMT+2

Language

English is widely spoken throughout South Africa.  South Africa’s constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. 

Emergency

In emergency situations you can contact the local police, ambulance service, fire department and other emergency services by calling 112 (from mobile phones)

• South African Police Service: 10111

• General Ambulance Number: 10177

• Fire Brigade: 10111

• Emergency Call from mobile phone: 112

Medical services

Should you need to see a doctor or a dentist, we recommend contacting the hotel’s concierge who will direct you to the medical professionals assigned to the hotel. If immediate medical attention is required, call the emergency services at 112. Emergency medical services (including transportation by ambulance) are not free and you will be billed for any services rendered.

Health and immunizations

All travelers should check they have adequate travel health insurance.

The following vaccinations are recommended for travelers to South Africa:

• Hepatitis A
• Tetanus
• Typhoid

With further vaccinations recommended for some travelers. For information specific to your country please consult a physician.

Yellow Fever

Anyone arriving in South Africa from a country where yellow fewer is present must have a yellow fever vaccination certificate valid at least six days before entry into South Africa. If you don’t have this certificate on arrival in South Africa, you could be refused entry or vaccinated at the airport and quarantined for up to six days.

Please refer to this website for more information on recommended vaccinations and additional things to consider.

Electricity

In South Africa the standard voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. You can use your electric appliances in South Africa, any 220V appliance is safe to use at 240V.

In South Africa the power plugs and sockets are of types C,D,N and M. We recommend that you purchase an adaptor for your electrical equipment prior to your arrival.

Water

It is not recommended that travelers drink the tap water in Pretoria, South Africa.

Weather

The average temperature for May is 22.3 Celsius during the day and 10.8 Celsius at night. You can expect rain around 2.8 days in May.

Temperature

Most of the time the temperature is given in degrees Celsius.
Celsius to Fahrenheit: multiply Celsius by 1.8 and add 32 to convert to Fahrenheit.

Distance

Distances in South Africa are given in kilometers.
1 mile = 1.62 kilometers

Currency

The currency in South Africa is the South African Rand (ZAR).

Coins come in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1, 2 and 5 rands in circulation. Notes are issued in values of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 ZAR

ATMs & Credit cards

ATMs
ATMs are common in South Africa. You can use global ATM locators for Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, and Visa to find your preferred ATMs in Pretoria.  There is an ATM machine at the conference hotel.

Please visit this website for ATM security tips.

Credit cards
Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are the most commonly accepted credit cards in South Africa. You should not have a problem using any of these major cards, especially in larger cities or tourist destinations. It is always a good idea to carry some cash on you as well, but do not carry around more than you plan to spend on any given day.

Tipping

Safety

Please visit this website for safety tips whilst in South Africa