What is the weather like?
Your internship in South Africa will be remembered for the temperate Cape
climate which greets you daily with sunshine and calm breezes. While any true
Capetonian will tell you that there are four seasons in Cape Town (sometimes
daily), in reality winter and summer are the only true constants.
The summers in Cape Town are wonderful. The temperature usually falls within a
consistent range of 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit (27-35 Celsius). A consistent
south-easterly wind blows daily (we call it the Cape Doctor), ensuring that Cape
Town is never too hot or smoggy. The sun is very intense in the daytime (usually
a 10 on the UV scale) so we highly recommend that our participants remember
their SPF 30 sunscreen!
The winters in Cape Town are nothing like the snowy, frozen sense of the word.
Rather, “winter” in Cape Town is defined by extended spells of rain and cool
evenings. Temperatures on a cold winter day are in the low 50’s (11-13 Celsius)
with occasional dips into the high 40’s (8-10 Celsius). However, the average
temperature in winter can reach the high 50’s to lower 60’s and on a clear
winter day temperatures can easily spike into the mid 70s. You may enjoy winter
during your internship in Cape Town, as
there are fewer tourists, making the roads and pathways far easier to navigate.
Am I at risk of getting malaria in Cape Town?
No. However, we will strongly recommend that you take anti-malarial medication
if you plan an independent trip to Kruger National Park or neighbouring Africa
countries like Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana. It would be a good idea for
you to meet with your physician before departure to make sure your vaccinations
are current.
Can I drink the tap water in Cape Town?
Cape Town and most of South Africa has potable tap water and boasts one of the
cleanest, natural water supplies on the planet.
I only speak English. Will this affect my internship experience?
English is the predominant language spoken in Cape Town. Many South Africans
have a working knowledge of English, so you will get by fine without any prior
knowledge of Xhosa or Afrikaans, two languages also spoken in Cape Town. Xhosa
speakers are typically surprised and thrilled to meet North Americans and
Europeans who make an attempt at speaking their mother tongue. Afrikaans is
widely spoken throughout as well and you will encounter many dialects as you
move from one area in Cape Town to another. The youngest recognised language on
the planet, Afrikaans is a combination of German, Dutch, French, English and
even Scottish – paying tribute to the diverse array of settlers that originally
populated the Dutch East Indian Company’s Cape Outpost.
Is there an application process?
Yes. Participants are ambassadors of African Voluntourism and as such, we
only want students who are sincerely interested in our programs. The application
process begins with an email-based dialogue between you, the applicant, and an
African Voluntourism staff member. After you have sent us a preliminary
application form [located on our application page)
We will ask you a series of questions that will help us identify the most
appropriate Cape Town internship / volunteer placing you. If you
have applied for an internship with academic prerequisites, we will also ask for
a copy of your student resume so that we can forward these details to your
potential place of internship.
What currency do they use in South Africa?
We use the South African Rand. For the past few years the USD to Rand exchange
rate has hovered around $1=R8. Check www.xe.com
for the official rate of the day.
Should I bring my cell phone to South Africa?
There is no need. All of our program participants will be provided with a mobile
phone for the duration of their internships in South Africa.
If you are joining our program from the United States and can't bear to leave
your personal phone at home, your phone will need to be ‘unlocked’ for a South
African SIM card. (Check whether your US Mobile Service Provider/Network is on
GSM. CDMA and other analogue systems do NOT work in South Africa.) This costs
around $50 [R450]. If you are using a GSM Service provider/network, please apply
for International Roaming with your network BEFORE you leave your home country.
All European and Asian phones are compatible with the South African cellular
network (See International Roaming note above). Participants who choose to use
our phones pay a deposit of R500 that is fully refundable, provided that the
phone hasn't been seriously damaged or lost. Our phones come preloaded with the
following contact numbers: African voluntourism staff members, EMS, police and
several reliable taxi companies.
South African Rand Exchange Rate