Difference between revisions of "South Africa"

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Revision as of 02:09, 30 April 2012

Flag of South Africa South Africa
Information
Language: English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Capital: Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town
Population: 50,586,757
Currency: Rand (ZAR)
Hitchability: <rating country='za' />
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots
<map lat="-29.236080457085" lng="25.275075312611" zoom="5" view="0" float="right" />


South Africa is a big and diverse country with 11 official languages and a complicated history which still manifests in a deeply rooted racial-obsession. This will inevitably affect anyone who hitchhikes in South Africa so come prepared.

Generally most people who hitchhikes in South Africa pays a little bit for the ride so most of the time you ought to make it clear that you're not intending to pay for the ride. Peculiar enough Theo found that white South Africans rarely stops but if they do they never seem to expect money for the ride. However most other people do so you may have to let 1,2,3,4 or even 5 cars go before someone is willing to take a mahala along (see Communication for the word Mahala).

The hitchability is very dependent on the region and with the notable exception of main roads in between main cities (i.e. road N1, N3 and some parts of N2) it is generally fairly challenging to hitchhike in South Africa. If you do persevere you'll be amply rewarded with a lot of spontaneous hospitality, extraordinary scenery and a beautiful melange of different cultures.


Getting in

Most people of Western countries don't require a visa and shouldn't encounter any hustle at all at the border. All borders are crossable on foot. You'll most likely get a stamp which is valid for 90 days in the country.

From Namibia

The main bordercrossing at Vioolsdrif sees a of traffic going directly to Cape Town. It's a fairly quite border without too much traffic. Hitchhiker Theo made the mistake of arriving after midnight and found himself being searched thoroughly and asked ridiculously nosy questions.

The most common route from Namibia to Johannesburg and Durban is through Botswana but the border close to Upington is fairly hitchable.

From Zimbabwe

There are 2 border crossings. If you take the tourist crossing into Kruger National Park it might be quiet. However the hitchability of that crossing remains unknown. If you do take the main border crossing at Beitbridge one good advice is prepare for Chaos with a big C. It's the the busiest border crossing in Africa. People cut in line shamelessly, it's quite a complicated system of lines for people with non-Southern African passports and a lot of people who try to help you (beware of them). Even if you cross it in the middle of the night you're not, as hitchhiker Theo found, guaranteed to leave the border without a severe headache. Theo ended up waiting in line from 1 to 3.30 A.M.

From Mozambique

From Swaziland

From Botswana

Communication

There is a special sign language used by hitchhikers in South Africa to communicate what kind of hitchhiker they are. For example in many areas it's common to see people stand with cash in one hand while thumbing with the other hand to indicate that they wouldn't mind paying for the ride. Hitchhiking with your indexfinger instead of your thumb signalizes that you're going long distance along the main road and indicates that you don't mind contributing gasmoney, hitchhiker Theo found the index finger-technique to be useful when hitchhiking out of major cities works as well as a sign does unless there is a big intersection ahead.

Provided that you intend to hitchhike in the western sense of hitchhiking (i.e. for free) the most useful word you'll need for hitchhiking is South Africa is Mahala which is a South African slang word meaning roughly free of charge. Possible ways to use the word include: I'm mahalaing or I'm a mahala.

Generally everyone speaks basic English but it could potentially be useful to learn some words of the local languages if you intend to hitchhike on small roads in the countryside. In many predominantly Afrikaans-speaking areas it's not uncommon to come across older people who don't speak English at all.

Crime

While there is crime in every country some areas of South Africa have a extremely high occurrence of rape and armed robbery. Do take precautions and do your research. Don`t trust everyone`s advice too much though as many people, especially the rich, are overly paranoid. As always use common sense and you should be fine.


Cities

External Links

  • How to Hitchhike in Southern Africa: 15 Tips [1]