Actions towards a sustainable future
General Information
DISABLED FACILITIES
LIABILITY
LIMIT ON NUMBERS
SAFETY & SECURITY
WEATHER
VAT
VISAS & DOCUMENTS
TRAVELLING TO SWAZILAND
HEALTH
TIME DIFFERENCE
MONEY
LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATIONS
ELECTRICITY
USEFUL WEBSITES
DISABLED FACILITIES
LIABILITY
The programme is correct at the time of printing, but we reserve the right to alter the programme if and when deemed necessary. We act as agents only in securing hotels, transport and travel services, and shall in no event be liable for acts or omissions in the event of injury, damage, loss, accident delay or irregularity of any kind whatsoever during arrangements organised through contractors or by the employees of such contractors.
Accommodation and transportation services are subject to the terms and conditions under which they are offered to the general public. You should make your own arrangements with respect to personal insurance. We reserve the right to make changes as and when deemed necessary, without prior notice to the parties concerned. All disputes are subject to resolution under the Kingdom of Swaziland Law.
LIMIT ON NUMBERS
WEATHER
VAT
VISAS & DOCUMENTS
If you hold a passport from one of one of the following SADC countries you will not require a visa. Citizens of most African member states of the British commonwealth are also unlikely to require a visa. Visas are not required for citizens of most SADC countries. We strongly advise you NOT to travel to Swaziland before establishing your visa status. Please either call the Ministry of Home Affairs on + 268 404 2941 or by contacting the Swazi diplomatic mission in your country.
If you require a visa for entry into Swaziland we strongly advise you to make your application in your home country at least three months before the date you intend to travel. If you want to travel to Swaziland’s neighbouring countries and back you are advised to apply for a multiple-entry visa.
TRAVELLING TO & FROM SWAZILAND
By Air
Most people arrive in Swaziland by land from South Africa or Mozambique, but it is possible to fly in. Matsapha International Airport (often called “Manzini”) is 8km from Manzini. Two major airlines currently operate from the airport, flying to destinations in Mozambique and South Africa.
Swazi Airlink, a joint venture between the Swazi government and South African Airways, and Swazi Express Airways both service OR Tambo (Jo’burg International) which is about a 45 minute flight.
If you are traveling to Swaziland via OR Tambo please check that your luggage is tagged right through to Matsapha from your city of departure. If you don’t or are not able to you will have to collect your luggage, go out through customs and immigration at OR Tambo and then back through security and immigration again.
You cannot change money at the airport and there is no ATM so please make sure you have enough rand or emalangeni handy.
Please NOTE that you must pay a E50 departure tax before you can board your flight to leave Swaziland – so make sure not to spend all your money on those Swazi souvenirs!
By road
Crossing the borders is usually straightforward, you simply have to show your passport and pay the E50 vehicle tax for non-Swaziland registered vehicles.
The main border posts and there opening times are:
Lavumisa - Golela. Open 7am - 10pm. It’s about one and half hours from Manzini.
The other border posts are:
Bulembu – Josefdal 8am - 4pm
Gege – Bothashoop 8am – 4pm
Mananga – Bordergate 7am – 6pm
Matsamo – Jeppe’s Reef 7am – 8pm
Mhlumeni – Goba 7am - 8pm
Salitjie – Onverwacht 8am – 4pm
Sandlane – Nerston 8am – 6pm
Sicunusa – Houdkop 8am – 6pm
Road distances
Driving rules
The speed limit is 80km/h on the open road rising to 120km/h on the national highway. In built up areas it is between 40 - 60km/h. If in doubt drive at the lower end of the scale.
Warning
Away from the population centre and border crossing areas there is very little traffic. The main dangers are people, animals on the road and speeding buses. Drunk drivers are also a problem at night and so you should think twice about taking long drives at night.
HEALTH
Most of Swaziland is free from Malaria including Manzini where the conference will be held. Being July and mid-winter, those areas that are not malaria free, mainly the eastern border areas, will be low risk. But we still have to advise that if you anticipate traveling outside of Manzini to a malaria area it is recommended that you take prophylactics before departure and the necessary precautions while in the area (e.g. protective clothing, insect repellents).
We do not recommend government hospitals. A good stand of medical assistance, including 24hr trauma care is available at Mbabane Private Clinic however, for specialized treatment transfer to South Africa may be necessary. We strongly advise you to take appropriate health insurance prior to your departure that includes cover for treatment in South Africa where first class health care is available.
If you are coming from a Yellow fever infected country, or have recently visited one, you will require a Yellow Fever Certificate to enter Swaziland, i.e. Brazil, certain South American neighbouring countries and central Africa. Without the necessary certificate you will be refused entry.
TIME DIFFERENCE
MONEY
Currency
Emalangeni are difficult to change for other currencies outside Swaziland, so you should reconvert before you leave. If you are leaving through the airport you could you use your last E50 for the compulsory departure tax.
Credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express are widely accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops but not for the purchase of petrol. Most ATMs in Swaziland accept international cards. If you have a Maestro or Cirrus debit card you can use Standard Bank ATMs to withdraw money.
Please NOTE that there is NO ATM AT MANZINI (MATSAPAHA) AIRPORT and you cannot change money – so please make sure you have some rand or emalangeni handy.
Exchange rates
These rates are subject to change so please visit a reliable online currency convertor for the latest rates
Banking
Exchanging money
Costs
LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATIONS
Cellphone network & land lines
Internet access
ELECTRICITY
USEFUL WEBSITES
If you require disabled facilities, please specify when registering.
We have taken all reasonable care in making arrangements for the Conference, including accommodation and technical visits. In the event of unforeseen disruptions, neither we nor EEASA can be held responsible for any losses incurred by you.
Attendance at some sessions, social events and tours may be restricted in numbers. It is strongly recommended that you book for these functions with your registration to avoid disappointment. Preference will be given in sequence as registrations are received.
The weather in July is normally mild and pleasant during the day, with daily temperatures ranging between xxºC during the day and xxºC - xxºC overnight. It is recommended that you bring warm clothes for the evenings and a jacket or raincoat.
Value Added Tax (VAT) at the rate of xx% is levied on most goods and services and is included in the display price of most goods.
To travel to Swaziland you must have a valid passport or travel document with at least two consecutive blank pages in your passport, which lie side by side when it is open (i.e. left and a right hand page). Your passport must also be valid for at least six months. If you travel to Swaziland with passports, which do not meet these requirements, will either be stopped from boarding the aircraft or risk deportation on arrival in South Africa.
With the exception of the Lomahasha and Mhlumeni border posts in the north east of the country, which are entry points to Mozambique, Swaziland’s border posts are all with South Africa. They are all open seven days a week.
Lomahasha - Namaacha (Mozambique) Open 7am - 8pm.
Mahamba - Mahamba (near Nhlangano) Open 7am - 10pm. This is the best border post to use from Piet Retief, Mpumalanga.
Ngwenya - Oshoek Open 7am - 10pm. This border post takes most of the traffic as it is the closest to Jo’burg, so it can be busy on occasions.
Johannesburg – Manzini 411km
Durban – Manzini 595km
Garborne – Manzini 758km
Maputo – Manzini 196km
Maseru – Manzini 696km
Harare – Manzini tbc
Road rules are the same as in South Africa. Wearing seat belts is compulsory. If an official or royal motorcycle motorcade approaches, you must pull over and stop.
Driving standards in Swaziland leave a lot to be desired with road accidents unfortunately very common.
There are no compulsory vaccination requirements for entering Swaziland.
Swaziland operates two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time throughout the year, making it an hour ahead of Central European Winter Time and seven hours in advance of Eastern Standard Winter Time.
The unit of currency in Swaziland is the lilangeni - plural emalangeni (E) - which is fixed to the rand (1 rand = 1 lilangeni). Rands are accepted everywhere and there’s no need to change them, although outside tourist areas most places will not accept South African coins.
The lilangeni is tied to the rand. On xx January the rates were as follows
Standard Bank, First National and Nedbank have branches in all the main centres. All three banks have branches in Manzini CBD, about 1km from the conference venue. Opening hours are generally 8.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday and until 1pm on Saturdays.
All the major banks change cash and travellers cheques. Rates are about the same at all banks, but you may want to compare commission.
Costs in Swaziland are similar to those in South Africa, though food and fuel here is a little cheaper. The game reserves here are particularly good value.
The official languages are siSwati and English; English is the official written language.
Fast and affordable internet access is available at internet cafés in Manzini, including Real Image in the Bhunhu Mall. Some hotels also have internet facilities available. There will be no access at the conference venue.
Swaziland uses 220/240 volts AC. Power sockets are generally of the three round pin type.
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Contact us:
Email: gdladla@sea.org.sz
Tel: (+268) 404 6960 Fax: (+268) 404 1719