South Africa

Top Tips on South Africa

Tip 1
South Africa presents the visitor with a world of contradictory impressions and emotions. It is industrialised and agrarian; affluent and impoverished – all within a few miles of each other.

Tip 2
South Africa is by far the wealthiest country in Africa. It is rich by African terms but poor when compared with regional superpowers on other continents.

Tip 3
Trying to describe South Africa is a daunting task as it has many varying constituent parts, all of which are undergoing periods of rapid change and development. What is true today will probably not be true tomorrow.

Tip 4
The country’s current relatively peaceful internal political situation is viewed by many observers as, at best, fragile. The transition from an apartheid system to a more representative democracy is a slow transformation. Do not arrive in South Africa expecting that this process is complete and well established.

Tip 5
There are many cultures within South Africa with ethnic tensions existing both within the black community and the white community. Exactly who are you dealing with? Do extensive homework before embarking on any project.

Tip 6
The corporate structure, management style, levels of sophistication etc. found within a contact organisation will vary enormously depending upon the type of company you are dealing with. Is your contact company a well established organisation or a more recently established outfit?

Tip 7
If you are dealing with a recently privatised company expect high levels of bureaucracy and a slow rate of progress.

Tip 8
Management power has traditionally been held in the hands of a few (usually white) senior managers. Decisions tend to be made at the top.

Tip 9
Although a great deal of pressure is being put on managers to be more consultative and delegate authority, it has been noted that a great deal of resistance to such change has been felt in many organisations.

Tip 10
The best advice for any manager is to strive to be authoritative but not overly authoritarian. Be in charge of the facts and speak with conviction.

Tip 11
South Africans expect you to have a good knowledge of the situation on the ground in the country at the time you arrive. They are not there to give you a history lesson or explain the intricacies of the system. If you want to do business in the country, the onus is on you to do the research.

Tip 12
Affirmative action policies which promote the development of black talent are in force throughout South African industry. You need to be knowledgeable about this issue and have policies in place to deal with the issue.

Tip 13
One commonality amongst the myriad sections of the South African business community is that they all prize the importance of good, long term relationships. Stress your commitment to a long term involvement in the country. Do not risk being seen as fair weather friends.

Tip 14
Teams can be difficult to build across ethnic divides. This is not only an issue between black and white co-workers but also between, for example, Zulu and Xhosa.

Tip 15
Although a host of different languages and dialects are spoken in South Africa, the common business language is English which is generally spoken to a high standard.

Tip 16
Humour is used by most elements of society as a tension release mechanism and can be used in the most serious of situations to diffuse anxiety.

Tip 17
Punctuality varies across the cultures but can be very elastic.

Tip 18
Women have tended to play a minimal role in business life and although there are signs that progress is being made in this area, it is still unusual to find women in senior management positions.

Tip 19
Dress code still tends towards the formal and it is best to wear conservative, business-formal attire – this applies to both men and women.

Tip 20
Most business entertaining will be done at local restaurants. It is unusual to be invited to the home of a business colleague for a meal.


Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in South Africa only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.

Country Breakdown

55.91

Million

Population

R

South African Rand

Currency

$ 294.8

Billion

GDP

1.22

Million

km2