Note: This info is forever changing, so before you go please double check that the information is up to date! If you have additional resources you think would benefit the wider community please email us!

Communication in our Community

Once you arrive in person, our Personnel Department will add you to our Google Group and Whatsapp group - if you have not been added, please email to let them know!

  • Our Google Group (YWAM emails) : this is the best way to send out announcements to our YWAM Staff and community about life updates, events or once off advertisements (most advertisements would be still be best on the Facebook group).

  • Our WhatsApp group “YWAM Muizenberg Staff” : this if our group to post community and event announcements -- unlike the staff email only people with an admin status can share on this group so that only important messages are shared on this group. If you have a message that you want to get shared, please contact any person that has an admin status.

  • Our Facebook group “YWAM Muizenberg - Gift, Trade and Sell” : this is the best place for giving, trading and selling personal items, as well as advertise any fundraisers or services

  • Everyone communicates via the app WhatsApp, so make sure to download it!

  • Sign up for Calendars :

    • Training - dates for Training Quarters, Schools & Outreaches

    • Campus Life - link to come

  • Join our Facebook groups : YWAM Muizenberg, YWAM Muiz Prayer Room

  • Follow our Instagram accounts : @ywammuiz and @ywammuizprayerroom

Ordering at a Restaurant

Water will be offered as still or sparkling. It is customary that the server won't bring you your slip until you ask. They must also bring a card machine as payments are done at the table— do not let a server take your card out of your presence. If you are in a group, the slip will not be split by the server, you simply let the server know how much your portion was that you are paying, plus tip which is 10-15% (tax is included). If you have any leftovers, ask for a “box for takeaway”.

Grocery Shopping

Cape Town is shifting away from plastic bags— reusable bags can be bought from most supermarkets. For a place to get all your eco-friendly needs, check out Faithful to Nature, they usually deliver within two days, or their warehouse is in Capricorn Park, so you can pick it up for free!

Drinking + using Water

Although the water often tests as being clean, people routinely have gotten sick from drinking the local tap water. So here are some tips— get some charcoal filters from Faithful to Nature (you can pick them up locally in Capricorn Park— they are cheaper and more eco-friendly than Brita filters as well!) and use them for your water bottles and pitchers. Alternatively, you can buy jugs of water from most supermarkets and get them refilled:

Refilling Water Supply: R03 Oasis (Fish Hoek), H2O International (Tokai)

Another consideration is that our water here is very hard, meaning that there is a high mineral content— so some ways that this affects daily life- often you’ll find that glasses won’t get a clear after you was he them, your hands may still feel slimy after washing, and it will affect your skin and hair as you shower- for example, you’ll get more buildup in your hair when you shower (just get a clarifying shampoo). The hardness of the water is also why using some sort of water filter will be important, and if you own a home, your taps are more likely to get calcified.

Winter in Cape Town

Due to the literal wind from the Antarctic and because the buildings are not insulated (its typically colder inside than outside)— Cape Town actually can be very cold. Some tips for getting through the winter— invest in a hot water bottle, fuzzy thermal socks (you can find them at Cotton On or DisChem starting in March) and load up on blankets. HERE are some more tips from how to make your house winter ready to how to the kind of bedding to invest in.

INCOMING MAIL

Incoming mail should be addressed as follows:

Your Name + Ministry

YWAM Muizenberg

Private Bag X129

Muizenberg 7950

South Africa

 

Base PHONE & FAX NUMBERS

YWAM Office: +27 (21) 788 7322 and Fax +27 (21) 788 1247

Office hours 9 am – 4.30 pm Monday to Friday

Cell phone services

If you get a SIM card its pay as you go- getting a data bundle from Cell C is the cheapest (buy it in bulk for the year at 100gb, and it will last you or there is a service specifically for streaming as well). To get a SIM car your phone will need to be unlocked, and you will need to bring your passport and proof of address (which you can obtain by emailing Personnel).

If you decide on a pay as you go plan, versus an annual contract, then you can purchase additional data or airtime by dialing Dial *135# and a menu will come up

Electricty

Wherever you stay, it is likely that you will need to purchase electricity as there is a pay as you go meters tied to all buildings. You can purchase electricity at most gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies, service stations, at major banks and ATMs. You can also buy through any South African bank mobile app (if you have a personal account) or through one of this website or using Snapscan. You will need to know the code on your electric box (often it can be found in your kitchen), to be able to purchase electricity (if going to a physical store), and then you plug in the code that you will receive into the electricity box.

If your have issues with the electricity box, call the 24 Hour Electrical Faults Council +27 086 010 3089, or SMS 31220 or email power@capetown.gov.za

Gas

Many stove tops use gas as well as the most affordable heating system (long term) uses gas, and therefore the cylinder will need to be refilled— you can get your gas tanks refilled at hardware stores like Builders (Lakeside), Mica (Fish Hoek) or Eddlesgas (Retreat). Its likely that you will need to pay a deposit for the cylinder if buying for the first time.

Clothes Dryers

They are a luxury but the reality of living by the ocean is that clothes and towels are very difficult to get dry- and if they stay damp, they easily can grow mold. So if you happen to be able to afford a clothes dryer— keep in mind that many of them are actually Condensers— which work a bit different from Tumble Dryers in that it sucks out the moisture, and will need to be emptied. An alternative to a large appliance like this (which can be expensive), is to use our Base dryers— which you sign up to use and cost R15 per cycle, or to get an electric clothes dryer. Anything electric uses quite a bit of electricity, so that is something to keep in mind.

Especially if you live in Muizenberg you will quickly discover how difficult it is to keep anything dry due to the ocean air there— keep an eye on your clothes, linens and plants from getting moldy, also keep your hair dry overnight, as you can get mold on your scalp during the winter if you aren’t careful.

Geyser Useage

Geyers are the water heating systems found in most buildings in South Africa— which can be around 40-60% of your electricity bill to keep heated if left on all the time (so it is the norm for people to turn off your geyser when it is not in use). Some homes have automatic geyser timers which turns off your geyser during “off peak hours” which is helpful— other homes you have to manually turn your geyser on and off. This is helpful information to know to prevent having unwanted cold showers :)

Dishwasher Usage

They are a luxury, but if you use a dishwasher here, often times an issue that comes up is that the hard water we have will make dishwashers less efficient, fortunately there’s an easy solution— dishwasher salt! This type of salt is specially formulated to soften hard water, which can cause dishes to appear dirty or be covered by a thin layer of minerals, even after washing. Dishwashers should come with a built-compartment where your salt goes. Using it is a matter of checking to see if this compartment needs more salt and then refilling it as necessary.

 

TV License

If you purchase a tv while you are here, it requires an annual license, which can be purchased HERE

BANKING

Banks are open from 08h30 to 15h30 on weekdays and from 08h30 to 11h00 on Saturdays. There are foreign exchange bureaus at the malls and of course, foreign currency can be exchanged at the airport on arrival.

The easiest way to access cash is to bring an ATM card with you. There are many Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) which can take Maestro, Plus or Cirrus, including ATM’s within walking distance from the base. Visa, MasterCard, and Amex are widely accepted at stores and restaurants. The banks will not cash personal cheques unless you have a South African bank account.

Based on your personal bank, you will want to look into what fees they charge for ATM’s (to withdraw money from an international ATM) and transaction fees (for use of any cards internationally). It may be worth looking into what is the best option for this in your home country, and potentially transferring to that bank, as these fees add up quickly.

Alternatively, you can set up a local bank account, and transfer money to that account and withdraw money locally. This makes it easier to send money to people via EFT. There are monthly account fees for most banks. Fees are unavoidable though with needing to transfer money in country.

Note: TransferWise is a website that gives lower fees for transferring money

To set up a bank account here in South Africa, typically you will need: your passport, proof of address (obtain a copy by emailing Personnel) and three months of bank statements. Expect make an appointment at the bank and to give several hours to set this up— it is one of the more tedious processes OR contact Melanie Lowrie from FNB at mlowrie@fnb.co.za, who can come to your place of residence to help you set up your bank account for free, it will take less time and you dont need proof of residence - she can help you set up your account and answer any questions in person.

Once a year, if you have open a South African bank account as a foreigner, you will be required to report that you file your taxes in your country or origin, versus here in South Africa. Your bank will send you notifications about the form to fill out which you can do through Exchange4Free

The unit of currency is the Rand (R) and is divided into 100 cents. See the current rate HERE.

For the most updated information, check HERE.

LOADSHEDDING

Load shedding, or load reduction, is done countrywide as a controlled option to respond to unplanned events to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout. Tips:

  • Invest in a lantern so you can have light (Dealz or CheckersHyper should have one)

  • Download the EskomPush app, and check the schedule to know when the power will be out. If needed- just drive to a nearby city that won’t be loadshedding (often times Claremont and Cavendish aren’t load shedding, so you can go to see a movie at the mall for the duration of load shedding in your city)

  • Plan meals appropriately-- often it seems to happen during dinner prep, so keep a little food around that doesn’t require electricity to prepare— if you learn how to braai you can always cook, or check if your stovetop is gas

  • Charge up your electronic devices in advance

  • Stock up on candles

  • Premake a hot drink and put it in a thermos

  • Wifi / cell service typically goes down, so prepare accordingly— especially in Muizenberg as the cell towers are blocked by the mountain— often you can get service in Fish Hoek

  • As an option, you can invest in a UPS (which is basically a large backup battery) to run your internet / charge your devices

Local coffee shops in the area that have a generator: Gaslight Cafe, Harvest Cafe, Lagerchinos, Tigers Milk, Folk Cafe (St. James)- wifi, Dalebrook Cafe (Kalk Bay), Bootlegger (Tokai)

Saving Water

Cape Town has been in a drought the last few years, which led to water restrictions— so to keep in mind that we all need to continue to save water, here are some tips — take a shower of five minutes or less, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, reuse your bath and shower water in the garden, don’t rinse dishes under a running tap.

Also, don’t waste water when you flush the toilet after use.  Once you are done flushing the toilet, lift the handle up immediately in order to reduce the amount of water running down the drain.

RecyCling

Recycling services are sporadic in Cape Town and depending on where you live, much is still reliant upon your initiative, but please join us in caring for our planet and this country’s resources!

If you live in Muizenberg, you drop your recycling off at the Lakeside containers (by Pick’n’Pay), or you can hire this company to pick it up for you.

Most other local municipalities have recycling pick up— your leasing agent should know that information. If you live in the Valley, you can also drop your recycling off at the Waste Drop-Off Facility on Kommetjie Rd.— they collect everything other than gardening waste.

If you are really passionate about recycling, check out these iniatives by Greenpop

Printing

To print in Muizenberg, you can go to Epic Printing

Public Holidays

There are several South African public holidays to celebrate, click on each to learn more:

Note: the Christmas season is a very big deal in Cape Town, especially in Muizenberg where the tradition post-Apartheid for many of those living in the townships is to come and celebrate on Muizenberg Beach (especially on January 1)— so the city is packed as soon as schools let out for about a month. From around December 12 through the end of January, prepare for ministry to be limited and many shops to be closed or services to be limited

Christmas Celebrations to Know About:

Daylight savings

South Africa does not observe Daylight Savings time (the practice observed by some countries of setting the clocks forward one hour from standard time during the summer months, and back again in the fall, in order to make better use of natural daylight).

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SETTLING INTO LIFE IN SOUTH AFRICA :