Most towns of any size have a post office, generally open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm and Saturday 8am to 11.30am (closing earlier in some places). The deceptively familiar feel of South African post offices can lull you into expecting an efficient British- or US-style service. In fact, post within the country is slow, erratic and unreliable, and money and valuables are frequently stolen en route. For important items, it makes sense to use one of the private courier services such as Federal Express, which are more expensive, but far more reliable.

Expect domestic delivery times from one city to another of about a week - longer if a rural town is involved at either end. International airmail deliveries are often quicker, especially if you're sending or receiving at Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban - the cities with direct flights to London. By surface mail, you can expect your letter or package to take anything up to six weeks to get from South Africa to London.