Pretoria » City Info » Travel Tips

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Pretoria is a very safe city even though you must use the same precautions and commonsense that you would take in any large city. Avoid walking alone at late night, near parks, streets and other unfriendly places. Do not flaunt your valuables such as camera, wallet and jewellery. Always lock doors while driving on the road. All of your safety depends on you and the government is taking enough precautions so that it can safeguard the tourists. Before you park, keep your valuables under the seats or inside the boot. It is at all times better if you park your vehicle at a security-patrolled parking area. During money transition, you should avoid taking help from a stranger. Right away, contact the bank authority if your ATM card gets misplaced (or stolen).

In Pretoria, the restaurants don’t add up service charge in the total billing. If you wish, you can leave 10% (or more) tip for good service. At some petrol stations, a petrol attendant may wash the windscreen of your car whilst you’re filling up. They expect an applicable tip that is R1, R2 and R5 depending on the service. At some parking places, a parking attendant will help you park a car as well expect a tip of R2 or more dependent on the service.

According to the government rules, smoking is prohibited at public places such as airport and railway station. However, there is a special room for a smoker and a non-smoker. This facility is very helpful for everybody, smokers and non-smokers alike.

Photo Credit:Creative Commons/HJ van Ree

VAT (Value-added-tax) is levied on the purchase of almost all items. However, a tourist can ask for a refund of 14% VAT if the amount of purchased items exceeds R250.00 (the values are subject to change in future). VAT is refunded at the time of departure if you produce the receipts of purchased items upon demand.

There are 11 official languages of South Africa, out of which English is also famous amongst them. The majority of Africans are able to speak and understand English even though it is not their first language. If you are planning to visit Pretoria, you must get familiar with the local language.

• eish - as in, "eish, it's hot today", "eish, that's expensive" or "eish, that's too far to drive"
• lekker - nice, enjoyable
• howzit - how is it? (generally a rhetorical question)
• yebo - yes
• boet, bru, china or ou - brother or man (equivalent to dude or bro)
• koppie - a small hill (can also mean a cup)
• Madiba - Nelson Mandela
• Molo - Hello (in Xhosa)
• robot - traffic light
• tannie - (auntie) respectful term for an older woman
• oom - (uncle) respectful term for an older man
• tinkle - phone call
• just now - sometime soon (from Afrikaans "net-nou")
• now now - sooner than just now! (from Afrikaans "nou-nou", pronounced no-no)
• braai - barbecue
• cheers - use this for saying good-bye, as well as saying thank you and for the occasional toast.
• heita - hello
• sharp - (usually pronounced quickly) OK
• sure-sure more pronounced like sho-sho - Correct, Agreement, Thank you
• ayoba - something cool

Major shops, restaurants and cinemas stay closed on public holidays, although they remain opened on Christmas Day as well as New Years Day. If any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the next day (or Monday) is considered a holiday.

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 21 March - Human Rights Day
• 9 April - Good Friday (the Friday before Easter Sunday)
• 12 April - Family Day (the Monday after Easter Sunday)
• 27 April - Freedom Day
• 1 May - Workers Day
• 16 June - Youth Day
• 9 August - Women's Day
• 24 September - Heritage Day
• 16 December - Day of Reconciliation
• 25 December - Christmas Day
• 26 December - Day of Goodwill

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