South Africa is a well established market, with a highly developed economic infrastructure, a strong services sector and a growing economy. Although the country still has some major issues as far as unemployment, poverty and inequality are concerned, it still represents a promising market – total UK exports to South Africa amounted to £4.2 billion in the year ended June 2019.
But it is a fair distance away. This is why you need a reliable conference call provider on board.
This growth means South Africa has the most sophisticated and developed economy in Africa, and is regarded as being the ‘gateway to Africa’ for investors.
In comparison to other African nations, it also has the following plus points:
- comparative sophistication
- ease of doing business
- continental expertise
- base for critical services for doing business in the rest of the continent
So it’s no wonder many high-profile UK investors such as Barclays, BAE Systems, BP, British Airways, Shell, Unilever, Virgin and Vodafone.
And if you want to join them, you’ll need a cost-effective and reliable international teleconference provider.
How to set up a conference call between the UK and South Africa
First, visit ConferenceCall.co.uk and pick up your free PIN before clicking on ‘Invite Participants’ to generate an email template.
Tap in the time, date and subject of the conference call, choose UK and South Africa dial-in codes and then click ‘Copy this invitation’.
Then just paste the invitation into an email and send it to as many as 100 participants.
Dial-in numbers to call
At the allotted time colleagues should dial the following numbers and enter your PIN:
- UK participants dial 0843 373 0843 (landline)+44 843 373 0999 (when overseas) 83000 (mobile)
- South Africa participants dial 087-2318992 (from landlines) or +44 843 373 0999 (from mobiles)
Your conference call is ready to begin!
What’s the best time to call South Africa from the UK?
Johannesburg is just over 8,000 miles from the UK and it takes around 11-and-a-half hours on a direct flight from London.
Even so, Jo’berg is only two hours ahead of GMT (so one hour ahead in the summer) and so business calls should be fine so long as you don’t make them late afternoon.
Do you need to dial the worldwide dial-in number when calling South Africa from the UK?
No, the UK participants can simply dial the UK dial-in number when they are in the UK, and our system will automatically match your participants by your PIN.
Where is South Africa?
The southern part of South Africa has by 1,739 miles of coastline that stretches along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north it is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, with Mozambique to the northeast and Swaziland to the east.
What is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice on traveling to South Africa?
If you’re travelling to South Africa, check the latest travel advice where Covid-19 restrictions are concerned and be prepared for plans to change at the last minute.
South Africa has a terrible crime problem. Although there is a high level of serious crime across the country, the risk of visitors encountering any sort of violent crime when travelling to the main tourist destinations is generally low, and the police presence in these areas is high. If you’re planning on heading out on business, you need to be aware that the risk increases as you move away from the tourist areas and into urban and business districts. Crime also increases where large crowds gather.
There have also been an increasing number of terrorist attacks and bomb threats. Hijacking and robberies are common after dark – if you’re driving, try not to do so after dark, and be especially vigilant at junctions and traffic lights, and keep valuables out of sight as there are instances of windows being broken and valuables taken while cars are waiting at junctions.
And the country has seen growing tensions between taxi drivers and Uber drivers, which has been known to erupt into violence, so be on your guard when using either as you won’t want to get caught up in any fighting.
Thefts have been reported at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, so vacuum-wrap luggage where you can and keep all valuables in your carry-on luggage. Keep large amounts of money, expensive jewelry, cameras and phones out of sight. Try to use ATM’s in banks or secure shopping malls and be discreet when making withdrawals.
Call the police (on 10111 or on 112 from a mobile phone) at the first sign of danger.
For more information, go to GOV.UK
If you’re doing business in South Africa, make sure your trip is organised with your contacts out there so they can help keep you safe. But, given the risks, you might be better of doing business via conference call.
Flag header image by DavidRockDesign from Pixabay
