One of the more complicated errands for a newly arrived expat in South Africa is figuring out your technology. Getting your TV, Internet, and phones all hooked up will likely keep you busy for months because of the excruciatingly slow-moving South African bureaucracy and the sheer number of choices. In this article, an expat who has been there helps you sort through it all with relative ease.

South Africa is one of those countries with a relatively weak public transport system (practically non-existent in the case of Johannesburg) so buying a car is a must for expats. In order to streamline the process of finding, purchasing, and registering a car, there are a few things you can get started on before even moving here.

To the surprise of many newly arrived visitors and expats, South Africa is a very Westernized country - at least on the surface. This will become evident when you turn your attention to (almost) the first task at hand upon arrival - shopping.