Well a couple of new things have developed ...
1. After telling the Stellenbosch establishment to forget it [and we found somewhere more suitable nearby anyway!] they came back this morning to say they didn't need all that after all, and my passport number and card details would be fine. So they didn't need a signed authorisation, or scans of both sides of my Amex and my passport after all!! Anyway, too late - they lost ZAR 22k and someone else wins
2.
However ... during a morning of hotel bookings on-line, at 1026 I received an Amex fraud alert for an unexpected transaction. It was the first hotel on our list, so that cleared easily. Then, at 1959, I received another fraud alert ... "Kate Spade" had tried to spend £1,427!!
Following that, Amex blocked the card, and a new one is being processed/in the post. So now I have had to contact all 3 hotels [who won't be able to get their deposits] and eventually register the new card with people like Amazon and PayPal.
What a great first experience for contacting ZA ...
NOT.
Certainly I now intend to use cash everywhere we go.
<expletive>
<expletive>