Every SIM must be RICA-registered against a passport and an address, which the airport shops do while you wait. Vodacom and MTN have the best coverage; data is expensive by African standards.
- Every SIM is registered to a person and an address under the RICA law. There is no anonymous prepaid option.
- Bring your passport and proof of where you are staying - a hotel booking on your phone is normally accepted - and allow about ten minutes.
- A SIM bought at a supermarket without registration will not activate. People do this and then wonder why the line is dead.
- Vodacom and MTN have the best coverage and are the only sensible choices if you are leaving the cities; Kruger and the Drakensberg are patchy anyway.
- For a two-week safari trip an eSIM is the sane answer - it works when you land, and you will not want to spend an hour of day one in a phone shop.
RICA, and why you cannot skip it
Every SIM card in South Africa is registered to a person and an address under the RICA law. There is no anonymous prepaid option.
- Bring your passport and proof of where you are staying. A hotel booking on your phone is normally accepted.
- The airport shops at OR Tambo and Cape Town International do the registration on the spot, which is the fastest route and worth the small markup.
- A SIM bought at a supermarket without registration will not activate. People do this and then wonder why the line is dead.
- Registration takes about ten minutes and the line works immediately afterwards.
The networks
- Vodacom and MTN have the best coverage and speeds, and are the only sensible choices if you are leaving the cities.
- Cell C and Telkom are cheaper and roam on the others in places, with more dead spots.
- Vodacom tourist bundles run about ZAR 299 to ZAR 699 for 3 GB to 10 GB over 30 days, with some local calls and texts.
- MTN is cheaper, roughly ZAR 99 to ZAR 399 for 2 GB to 15 GB with 60 to 400 minutes.
- Coverage in Kruger and the Drakensberg is patchy. In the game reserves assume nothing and download maps.
eSIM
- All the major networks support eSIM but activating a local eSIM still means a RICA registration in person.
- Saily covers South Africa at USD 3.99 for 1 GB over 7 days, USD 12.99 for 5 GB over 30 days and USD 22.99 for 10 GB over 30 days, with no RICA and no shop.
- For a two week safari trip the eSIM is the sane answer: it works when you land, and you are not going to want to spend an hour of your first day in a phone shop.
- For a month or longer, do the RICA. Local data is cheaper and you get a South African number, which car hire, lodges and delivery apps all want.
Data costs
- Mobile data is expensive here relative to income and to the rest of the continent, which is a long-running political issue.
- Wi-Fi is common in hotels, cafes and malls and is how most visitors get by.
- WhatsApp is the default channel for guides, lodges, drivers and tour operators.
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