jsnydcsa

In my more than 25+ years of traveling to/from SA, it's been this way for SA.

konagirl2

Yesterday (22 June 2022), the SA Health Minister repealed the entry requirements for international visitors including the requirement to be vaccinated or tested before travel (Part 16(c) of the Health regulations), as well as the mandatory requirement to wear masks or face coverings indoors. No idea how long these changes will take to filter through the Gov websites and airline databases.
source: https://businesstech.co.za/news/tren...-mask-wearing/

T8191

Good news for many! I agree it may take a while for clear guidance to dribble though the 'system' and be obvious to travellers!

Sadly, ZA is off our list for the coming winter. Air fares are waaaaay beyond what we are prepared to pay ... Matrix offering £4.5k + per person in Business from UK, essentially double what we paid in 2019. So c. £10k before we start looking at our usual hotels. Sad to not be returning, but other sunny destinations exist at a fraction of the cost.

Stewie Mac

At ORT now and I’d estimate about 30% of people not wearing masks - I am mask free and not been challenged by anyone. It’s great! (Unlike the weather…)

cheltzel

We are seeing similar fare increases her in the US going to southern Africa (not just South Africa). Fares for business class going from $3100 - $3300 (USD) to well over $5000 (or almost double).

But If you are really good at finding airfares, you can find non-BA fares to JNB for approximately £2k per person and you can get fairly inexpensive SA and 4Z fares between JNB and CPT. I know not your preferred way of going (no earnings on BA for sure). But at half the cost.

T8191

Hmm … an option to explore! Today’s booking to Greece in October will leave us just 300 BAEC TPs short of Gold renewal … perhaps time to stray from OneWorld? Although we would really like to avoid JNB, from all we’ve heard/read!

Time to revise Matrix searches!

cheltzel

I stopped chasing status a while ago. I believe that you typically book premium cabins (Business or First) as I do. I've found that your experience doing this is at minimum 90% - 95% of travelling with status. The big difference is you don't get the priority with the airline in unusual circumstances (weather, cancellations. mechanical issues, etc).

As far as JNB goes, we don't like it much either. But if you arrive early enough you can get to CPT easily on separate tickets the same day (the last flight is on SA departing around 20:30). The only issue is JNB airport isn't the greatest place to spend 4 - 6 hours. If you are flying a *A carrier you should be able to get your bags checked through and could avoid the hassle of having to check in again at JNB.

jsnydcsa

https://umhambi.blogspot.com/2022/06...a-repeals.html

Covid-19: South Africa repeals regulations on mask-wearing, gatherings & entry!
South Africa has repealed Covid-19 regulations on mask-wearing, gatherings and Covid-19 tests for incoming overseas travellers. The country's Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, signed a document on 22 June 2022 lifting sections 16A ("wearing of masks indoors), 16B ("limitations of gatherings") and 16C ("vaccination proof or PCR negative tests at Ports of Entry") of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions made under South Africa's National Health Act.
Minister Phaahla said the Department of Health has been working with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NIDC) on monitoring the epidemic. As of mid-June 2022, the critical indicators showed:
decline in daily cases
decline in hospitalization
decline in positivity rate
decline in reproductive number
decline in reported deaths
On this basis, the Department of Health approached the National Coronvirus Command Council (NCCC) and the National Health Council with a proposal to repeal the regulations 16A, 16B and 16C.

B747-437B

You still need to pick up your bags to clear customs and then drop them off again though.

DFW_CK

This is awesome news. It is already reflected in Timatic as of this morning.

cheltzel

I meant being able to use the post customs bag drop and not have to completely exit and lug them back up to domestic departures for checking in.

B747-437B

Post-customs bag drop was closed this morning FWIW.

B747-437B

Arrived this morning at JNB into a typical South African chaos.

I had downloaded and pre-filled my Health Declaration form, but a bunch of jobsworths manning the queues to health check insisted I had to fill a new one out again using the exact same forms they were handing out. I took a blank form from one and then handed the pre-filled form to another guy who accepted it just fine.

Immigration was another mess. The queue marshal was telling everyone to keep their vaccine certificates out which got some people into a panic as they didn't have them because of the new regulations. The marshal insisted that there was no new regulation and even pointed to a sign that said you needed to show your PCR test or vaccine certificate. Even at the immigration counters, some officers seemed to be demanding the vaccine certs and others didn't. I fortunately got a very pleasant lady who smiled, stamped my passport and said "have a nice day" as the entire extent of our interaction but there were raised voices elsewhere down the line.

So come prepared for anything, regardless of what the regulations may say!

cheltzel

That's almost as bad as our last security exiting South Africa at JNB last summer. We had to take every single piece of electronics out of our bags and place each one in its own tray (one for phone, one for tablet, one for USB battery bank, etc). Belt and shoes off, etc.

theebigjuan

Planned on meeting friends in CPT in October. My wife is on a Bulgarian passport, so started contacting SA embassy in DC and consulate in NYC about a visa as it requires a full application and interview in person. Received a single reply to "Apply in September" with no explanation or instructions. She has tried for 4 weeks to call (no one picks up the phone/the line is busy/voicemail is full and does not accept messages) or email (multiple emails to multiple people with no reply).

Any suggestions? She is off to Europe for all of August, so if this doesn't happen in the next few days, then we don't see our friends or CPT, which would be a pity. Thanks.