Andrew Stegmann

Gauteng Still to Reach Tourism Potential

As a tourist guide who conducts tours in Gauteng every day, Johan van Biljon, Chairman of the Institute of Professional Tourist Guides of Southern Africa, says Johannesburg and, to a lesser degree, Pretoria, do not enjoy the perception of being significant tourist cities.

As a result, tourists limit their stays to one, sometimes two nights in Gauteng, and then head off to other attractions in South Africa, such as the Kruger National Park or Cape Town.

Van Biljon says most tourists visit Soweto, as the political history of former South African President, Nelson Mandela, is a major drawcard. “The Apartheid Museum has probably got the greatest reputation and is visited by all. Walking tours of the inner city are also gaining quite a following and are generally well accepted.” He says most major attractions are open seven days a week.

According to Van Biljon, most tourists are surprised when on tour in Johannesburg, as they realise that the city offers a wide range of activities and attractions, more than most expect. Furthermore, it is close to areas such as Welgevonden, which is home to the Big Five.

Van Biljon says there are sometimes gaps in Johannesburg’s offering for foodie lovers, as many restaurants have specific hours. “Try finding a good restaurant open for lunch on a Monday,” he says.

While there are a variety of food markets that take place over the weekends, such as Fourways Farmers Market in Johannesburg, many tours do not accommodatethese weekend schedules and, as a result, tours are conducted during week days. Visitors to the city may read about facilities in Maboneng – such as the Living Room, which pumps over the weekend – but are disappointed on Mondays to find they are closed. Parking in the city is also often an issue for tour groups,

Johannesburg, Van Biljon believes, is not sufficiently accommodating to tourism, and still has a long way to go in terms of development to achieve its maximum potential.

“Johannesburg has great tourism products, but my thoughts are that they are not marketed to full capacity, such as the heritage sites of Constitution Hill in Braamfontein and Liliesleaf in Rivonia, which honour the South African liberation movement,” concludes Van Biljon.

Mareike Pietzsch, Digital Marketing and Communication Specialist at Giltedge says: “We always recommend that clients visiting Johannesburg immerse themselves in the culture of South Africa.”

The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, as well as Constitution Hill in Braamfontein and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton Estate, are a must-do says Pietzsch.

Furthermore, she suggests Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, previously a refuge for apartheid struggle leaders who were forced to go underground in 1960. Nowadays, it’s an impressive interactive museum that documents the history of the liberation struggle. Another great spot, according to Pietzsch, is 8115 Vilakazi Street in Soweto, Mandela’s modest home before his arrest.

According to Pietzsch, Maboneng Precinct in east Johannesburg has a lively vibe and travellers can enjoy strolling through the district with its trendy restaurants, art and flagship stores. “Another spot that is great but not as well-known is Alexandra Township, where Nelson Mandela lived for a short time. Take a township tour with Tour2.0 and get to know the heart of the community and eat some traditional South African food.”

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: Kylie Granat via Tourism Update [1]. Image sources: [1].

Andrew Stegmann

Home Affairs Department Goes Digital

The Department of Home Affairs is launching its new bio-metrics identification system on Wednesday.

The system uses unique biological traits such as facial recognition to identify individuals, and is part of the department’s ongoing revamp of facilities across the country.

Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba says the department is working on improving its services, and hopes the efforts will bring an end to long queues.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: eNCA [1]. Image sources: [1].

Andrew Stegmann

SA Public vs Private School Prices in 2018 and Beyond

According to an April 2018 report by the Sunday Times, South Africa’s top private schools have lost thousands of students over the last year due to rising school fees and other costs.

Two of South Africa’s biggest private school chains, Curro and AdvTech, lost 3,881 pupils last year – mainly because parents could not afford to pay fees.

In addition, St John’s College in Parktown and St Stithians College in Sandton have confirmed that they had seen a number of drop-outs as well as an increase in students who had fallen behind in school fees.

Worse still, Old Mutual found that the cost of education is expected to increase by about 9% per year.

This means that within five years, you could be facing school fees of around R130,000 per annum for a private school, and over R50,000 for a public school.

Similar increases can be expected across the education sector Old Mutual said, with the expected cost of one year of university rising from R58,860 in 2018 to R254,725 by 2035.

Private options

While many parents can simply no longer afford to send their children to private schools, there are still a number of schools that are actually cheaper than many public offerings – especially at the primary school level.

Factoring in Old Mutual’s expected cost of R34,613 for a year of schooling at a public primary or high school, BusinessTech looked at the biggest players in the market, and how their fees compare.

SPARK (https://www.sparkschools.co.za)

SPARK’s primary schools offer facilities for students from Grade R – Grade 7.

Each curriculum used encompasses the requirements of the CAPS curriculum, however there special focus is given to dynamic and individualised teaching, which ensures that scholars are learning the curriculum in new ways that are interesting for them.

According to the school’s website, two payment options are available for the 2019 school year – an annual tuition cost of R23,100 per year, or a monthly tuition cost of R2,310 over 10 months.

In addition, the school will provide all necessary stationery for students upon receipt of an annual stationery fee and parents are not responsible for purchasing textbooks or replenishing school stationery (a R500 once off cost).

Pembury Lifestyle Group (https://www.plgschools.co.za)

Pembury’s Lifestyle Group and its school’s have grown aggressively since its official listing on the AltX board in March 2017.

It currently boasts more than ten schools across Gauteng, the North West and Limpopo, with facilities for students from Grade R through to matric.

Each school offers vastly different fees, with the PLG Willow View Academy charging R26,400 to R36,300 between Grade R and Grade 7. While you can expect to pay between R46,200 and R51,700 between Grade 8 and matric.

In contrast you can expect to pay significantly more at PLG’s Northriding Academy which charges R32,450 to R42,350 Grade R and Grade 7, and R52,800 between Grades 8-10.

Curro (https://www.curro.co.za)

Arguably no other South African private school group has seen as much growth as Curro over the last few years.

The group develops, acquires and manages independent schools for learners from the age of three months to Grade 12.

The different school models are Curro Castles (nursery schools), Curro, Curro Academy, Meridian and Select schools – with construction on five new campuses across the country planned for 2018 and beyond.

Despite this, the school was named directly by the Sunday Times due to the number of drop-outs it has seen due to rising schools fees.

As with the other options on this list, the fees differ depending on the school – however they are no longer directly accessible on the Curro website and you are required to contact the school directly for more information.

However a recent Business Insider report notes that the average school fee per pupil was R41,600 in 2017 – with increases of up to 12.2% in 2018.

Advtech (https://www.advtech.co.za)

AdvTech was also named by the Sunday Times as one of the groups which saw some of the biggest drop-outs due to rising school fees.

Owner of the Crawford college and Trinity House schools, the group offers options for Grade through to matric, at a number of schools across the country.

While each school offers its own pricing structures, many were notably more expensive than other options on this list, with pricing starting at R54,670 for Grade R at Crawford Pretoria, rising to R118,280 in matric.

Similarly you can expect to pay R68,030 to R132,830 between Grade R and matric at Crawford’s Sandton College.

Trinityhouse’s fees are slightly less expensive, charging between R56,900 and R99,300 for Grade R through to Grade 12.

New SA Schooling Option Piloted

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has commended the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for implementing the three-stream model in the South African curriculum. The model, which was piloted across 58 schools in 2017, features three streams of education – academic, technical vocational and technical occupational.

As explained by the Helen Suzman Foundation’s Charles Simkins, up to now, basic education has only featured two streams – the academic/technical pathways.

However, both streams are built on a common school programme of general education up to the end of Grade 9, after which learners can either stay in schools or transfer to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.

The third stream being introduced by the department is a technical occupational stream which will instead offer skills and vocational programmes and is aimed at producing students who can leave matric and immediately enter the workplace – with skills like spray painting, woodwork, and hairdressing.

This includes the introduction of subjects such as technical mathematics, technical science and entrepreneurship with the goal of producing 30,0000 artisans by 2030.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: BusinessTech [1], [2]. Image sources: kazuend via Unsplash [1], [2].

Andrew Stegmann
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Survival Tips for the 5 Most Expensive Cities for South African Business Travelers

Taking the average cost for four-star hotel accommodation, meals, drinks, laundry, transport, other essentials as well as general demand, Corporate Traveller has named the five most expensive cities for South African business travelers.

Says Oz Desai, Corporate Traveller South Africa GM: “When we travel for business, our choice of destination has little to do with how expensive it is to visit that city. Rather, we travel to cities where we have business interests even if it costs a great deal to fly there, stay in a hotel and buy a meal.

“The bulk of the daily spend will usually be the cost of a hotel room, but other business expenses like taxis, food and drink and even the cost of Wi-Fi quickly add up when you’re travelling for business.”

Here’s a list of handy rand-savers in five popular South African business haunts.

1. New York

Number one at R10,375 a day.

Accommodation prices in New York are subject to extreme fluctuations depending on the season and whether there’s a large-scale event in town. Plan your business travel so that it takes place at off-peak times. Rule of thumb is that from mid-January to mid-March is a good time to visit New York for business even though it’s winter. Also look for hotels uptown or downtown instead of staying midtown. Public transport is excellent in New York so provided you’ve clustered your meetings smartly you will have no issue getting down to business speedily.

2. Hong Kong

Number one in Asia at R6,065 a day.

Hong Kong is the most expensive location for business travelers, overtaking Tokyo which drops to second in the rankings. If you want to eat cheap in Hong Kong, consider taking a foodie tour after hours where you’ll be introduced to some of the lively local hot spots and indulge in dim sum, noodle soups and barbecued meat. If you don’t have time to go on a foodie tour, take a trip to Hong Kong Island and find Dim Sum Square, or be adventurous and visit one of the night markets which always serves up an array of delectable street food.

3 and 4. Switzerland – Zurich and Geneva

Number one and two in Europe at R9,408 and R8,728 respectively.

An easy way to save money in Geneva is to grab a free transport pass when you arrive at the airport. The pass is good for 80 minutes and covers trains, buses and trams for Zone 10, which is pretty much anywhere in Geneva you’d want to go. Throughout Geneva, there’s free Wi-Fi. Simply look out for a network called “((o)) Ville de Geneve.” Unfortunately, affordable eateries are difficult to find in Geneva but don’t despair. Just hop on the 12 tram to the end of the line and walk across the border to the French town of Gaillard for some great restaurants.

For Zurich, it’s a good idea to purchase a city card, which will offer free public transportation as well as discounts or free admission to local attractions. If you like to eat out, it might be worth considering the Easy Dining app. It costs 95 francs (R1,210) per year but the app claims to cut your bill by half with its discounts at restaurants across the canton.

5. Luanda

Number one in Africa.

As Angola’s largest city, Luanda takes the No. 4 spot on the global list – in part because of security factors. Travelling executives end up staying in pricey tourist areas, rather than more competitively-priced business areas.

Although it’s tempting to explore the upper-end restaurants on Ilha do Cabo, if budget is a concern, rather head to Luanda’s central neighborhoods with their backyard restaurants (quintais) where you’ll be able to eat fantastic local specialties at a fraction of the price.

 

For information as to how Relocation Africa can help you with your Mobility, Immigration, Research, and Remuneration needs, email marketing@relocationafrica.com, or call us on +27 21 763 4240.

Sources: Bizcommunity [1]. Image sources: Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash [1].