South Africa Johannesburg Mission

South African Culture

You returned missionaries, send us your contributions, and we'll add them to the list.

ADDRESS & DATE

• The return address is always written on the top center of the BACK of the envelope instead of the upper corner of the front.
• You should put an air mail sticker on the envelope for overseas mail. Otherwise it will go surface mail.
• A NOTE TO PARENTS: The first letter you receive from your missionary will not arrive for about one month after they have been in the country, and vice versa. You could write a letter to the mission office for your missionary to have when they arrive. This means write them something for South Africa when they enter the MTC. Don't be sad when you don't immediately hear from them after they leave this country.
• South Africans write the date the same way we do on Church records: the day, the month, and then the year. For example, 3/6/98 is 3 June 1998.

CLIMATE

• Generally sunny and pleasant. Winters are usually mild, although a brief cold spell can be expected throughout the country. Seasons are reverse as South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere; below the Equator.

  Month	Ave. high	Ave. low	Record high	Record low	Ave dew point	Wet days
  JAN	77	63	99	47	58	6
  FEB	78	63	100	46	59	5
  MAR	76	60	100	44	58	6
  APR	72	56	98	39	55	9
  MAY	67	52	91	30	52	12
  JUN	64	48	84	32	48	13
  JUL	62	47	82	34	48	14
  AUG	63	48	87	34	48	13
  SEP	65	51	91	36	49	11
  OCT	69	54	97	34	51	9
  NOV	72	58	94	32	54	7
  DEC	75	61	95	44	57	7
  SOURCE: USAToday Climate Report, Cape Town, South Africa

FOOD

• Meal time in South Africa is important time. People take the time to chat and enjoy food together. Meals last longer and South Africans tend to savor their meals, as opposed to our gobbling everything down quickly. Take your time eating and enjoy the contact with people.
• You will always be offered something to drink. Either a "Cool Drink" or Tea or Coffee. You can ask for water but South Africans tend to think that is not good enough, or insulting, for their guests. You can ask for "Rooibos tea" instead it is an herbal (pronounced with the 'H') tea. Simply decline the coffee and tea politely. South Africans drink hot drinks even in hot weather. Expect coffee or tea to be offered any time of the year.
• When served, your beverages will come on a tray and may be accompanied by a set of treats. Many missionaries return home with the resolve to treat every guest with this same hospitality.
• South African meals may seem familiar. Meat, roasted potatoes, and three to four different vegetables accompanying the meal.
• Fruit is a definite delicacy and seems exotic to Americans. It is not uncommon to see a banana tree growing in someone's backyard. Guavas, Mangoes, Passionfruit, Sponspek (aka Cantaloupe), Leechies, Granadillas, Pawpaws, and more. It will be obvious to you why South Africa is famous for fruit.
• If you are lucky you will be invited to share a potjiekos. This is a big black cast iron pot which is layered with meat on the bottom and faster cooking items layered toward the top of the pot. It is then cooked over coals in a hole dug in their backyard (maybe in the middle of the grass.) It is much like Dutch Oven cooking but even more savory.
• You will probably be luck enough to experience a Braaivleis or Braai, as they are much more common. The translation for this is Barbecue. They serve Boerewors (Borevors) which looks like a long sausage and is spicy, along with steak and chicken. These meats are "Braaied" over hot coals. This meal is usually accompanied with Salads and Cool Drinks. The braai can be enjoyed with fingers only.
• Curry and Rice is another favorite. The spicy curry base is made up of a gravy type sauce with beef, chicken, or lamb. Layered on top of this are fruits, nuts, coconut, and chutney. It tastes sweet and sour.
• Indians enjoy their food very hot when it comes to spices. They like to serve missionaries curry and rice and then watch them sweat! A common dish is a mutton (old sheep) curry. Watch out for the grease.
• Indian custom is to serve only the guests at the head table without a single family member joining them. They wait and serve their guests as much as they can hold and then they serve them more. They keep filling your plate even when you say that you are done. What ever you do don't tell them ahead of time that you don't enjoy mutton. One sister had to eat a whole chicken and bushel of potatoes all by herself.

GREETINGS

• The European way of greeting people holds true in South Africa. Don't be surprised to see two women greeting one another with a friendly kiss, or a kiss on either cheek. Family members or close friends also use this kind of greeting. Missionaries should, of course, stick with a good firm handshake.
• Americans tend to use louder, more boisterous greetings. A loud slap on the back is generally not appropriate. Greet people warmly and genuine, being aware of those around you.

HOLIDAYS

2002	Holiday
1 Jan	New Year's Day
21 Mar	Humans Rights Day
29 Mar	Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
1 Apr	Family Day (Monday after Easter Sunday)
27 Apr	Freedom Day
1 May	Worker's Day
16 Jun	Youth Day
9 Aug	National Women's Day
24 Sep	Heritage Day
16 Dec	Day of Reconciliation
25 Dec	Christmas Day
26 Dec	Day of Goodwill
Source: www.gov.za

LANGUAGE

• The official Languages at National Level are English, afrikaans, isiNdebele, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Siswati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda, isiXhosa, isiZulu.

MONEY

• South African money is based on the RAND or R. R1 equals 100 of their cents.
• The money is very colorful and each bill comes in a different size. R2, R5, R10, R20, and R50.
• R1 is a large silver coin. Nickel coins come in 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, and 5 cents, all different sizes. Copper coins come in 2 cents, and 1 cent.
• Exchange Rate: rand (R) per US$1 - 9.256 (October 2001), 6.12439 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995)
  Graph from x-rates.com

PHONES

• The ring of the telephone sounds like a bird chirping.
• There is a charge for every phone call, even every local call. The rate is determined by the length of the call. This is a hard concept for most missionaries and they wind up with huge phone bills. Keep in mind that you may be transferred before your bill comes and it is not honest to leave another with your phone bill.

VOLTAGE

• 220/230 Volts AC, 50hz

WEIGHTS & MEASURES

• The metric system is used.
• Conversion Table

  Convert From:	To:	Multiply by:
  Centimeters	Inches	0.394
  Centimeters	Feet	0.0328
  Meters	Yards	1.093
  Yards	Meters	0.914
  Kilometers	Miles	0.621
  Miles	Kilometers	1.609
  Liters	Pints	2.113
  Pints	Liters	0.473
  Liters	Gallons	0.264
  Gallons	Liters	3.785
  Kilograms	Pounds	2.205
  Pounds	Kilograms	0.454
  Celsius	Farenheit	multiply by 9, add 32, divide by 5
  Farenheit	Celsius	subtract 32, multiply by 5, divide by 9