Prescription medication on your travels to the 2010 World Cup

Visitors to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa are advised that should they require their prescription to be filled by a pharmacy in South Africa; the prescription will first have to be signed by a local doctor.

Prescription Medicines

South Africa has a sophisticated pharmacy industry and will be able to provide for all the needs of visitors. Most foreign drugs should be locally available, however they may trade under different names.

Medical Doctor and Pharmacist

Visitors should also make sure that they have ready access to copies of all their prescriptions and medical insurance details in the event of an emergency. Any specific medical conditions should also be recorded and be accessible for the paramedics, nursing staff and doctors who may need to provide medical treatment.

Breaking down between towns out in the country.

On Saturday morning at 07h15, 21st May 2010, the call centre received a call from a client who was travelling down to Durban from Johannesburg. Their Nissan Qashqai had broken down with engine problems along the N3 freeway between Ladysmith and Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal. A distance of about 70 kilometer seperates the two towns. 

Scenes along the N3 road to Durban

The client immediately phoned the SafeTour Action and Response Centre, which after ascertaining what the problem was, arranged for a tow truck to be dispatched from Estcourt to tow the vehicle into the town. 

Loading onto a rollback

After this, the call centre operator phoned the Nissan dealership in Estcourt to ascertain whether they were open on a Saturday. This required a number of calls as the dealership had moved premises and their telephone lines had not yet been moved. The workshop manager was located on his cell phone and advised that the workshop would close at 11h00, but that on arrival in town, the client could contact him and he would book the vehicle into the workshop. 

In the mean time the workshop manager undertook to pay for the tow charges and also to arrange for a hire car with tow bar at Nissans expense which would be ready once the towed in vehicle arrived. The tow hitch was required as a trailer was in tow. 

The vehicle duly arrived in Estcourt and all the necessary formalities were concluded, whereupon the client was able to proceed with their trip to Durban, tired but relieved at the support received from SafeTour and the excellent service from the Nissan dealer. 

Pinkdrive mammogram truck and Comrades runners

The client is involved in a Breast Cancer awareness program in Natal, which will culminate with the running of the 85th Comrades marathon where 2010 runners will run in pink as a show of support for cancer awareness and to raise funds for the operation of a mammogram truck.

The scenic wonders of South Africa

South Africa has much to offer the tourist in terms of scenic beauty. There is a huge diversity of landscapes, from the sub-tropical to the deserts and from the cities to the wildlife reserves. The following are a few images which highlight these vistas.

View from Table Mountain - Cape Town

Table Mountain fro Bloubergstrand

Sunset in Kruger Park

View from God's Window

Cathedral Peak in the Drakensberg mountain range

This is but a small sample of what Southern Africa has to offer. South Africa has its problems but a trip to South Africa can be made much less stressful when utilising the support provided by SafeTour. Your helping hand every step of the way……

One week later…..and life goes on.

It’s now a week since the murder of Eugene Terreblanche and his burial took place peacefully on Friday in the small town of Venterstad. We saw the performance of one Mr Visagie of the AWB on eTV and this was followed up with the press conference of Mr Julius Malema, leader of the ANC Youth League. Both these performances which ranged from the farcical to the absurd, received international coverage and once again highlighted how difficult it is to sell South Africa as a travel destination to foreign travellers.

The faces of South Africa

Fortunately the State President Mr Jacob Zuma, today issued a statement condemning the behaviour of Julius Malema and distancing the ANC from his recent statements and utterances. This will go a long way to calming a few fears.

Despite all of the drama on the political front, for the average South African, life goes on as normal, the world keeps turning, the sun rises and sets and South Africa remains a tourist paradise.

2010 World Cup Stadiums - Cape Town and Durban

The world cup is now only 66 days away and the anticipation and excitement mounts by the day. All the stadiums are ready, waiting to host the teams and hordes of spectators. Much additional construction work has been in progress over the past year, all aimed at improving the country’s infrastructure. Upgrades to the transport infrastructure have been one of the major benefits to hosting the world cup.

South Africans await the arrival of the foreigners travelling to attend the world cup with much anticipation and a huge effort is being made to ensure the safety of all visitors. Those that do come will be safe provided they take the necessary safety precautions and will thoroughly enjoy their visit to South Africa.

Cape Point and the Cape Winelands

 

Hopefully most visitors will take the opportunity to see the sights and experience the splendours of the country. South Africa has a huge amount to offer the foreign visitor, from the winelands of the Cape to the wildlife sanctuaries across the country, including the world famous Kruger National Park with its teeming wildlife.

South African wildlife

Murder of extreme right-wing leader Eugene Terreblanche

Saturday evening’s brutal murder of Eugene Terreblanche led to much concern in the South African community as to what the implications would be. Despite an initial threat of revenge by one of the AWB (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging Party) leaders, calm appears to have returned.

 

All leaders are calling for calm, including the leadership of the AWB who have committed themselves to peace. This statement was issued by party leaders on Monday and will help to allay fears.

Travellers to South Africa can rest assured that there is almost no likelihood of any violence as a result of this killing. The FIFA World Cup soccer will not be impacted by this event.

Sadness at SafeTour

The past ten days have been tinged with sadness for those of us at SafeTour and our associated companies. Ten days ago one of our marketing staff underwent a very traumatic experience. She, her husband and her son were asleep in their house in a gated security estate, located in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

At three am in the morning they were awakened by intruders who held guns to their heads, tied them all up and then proceeded to rob them of their cell phones, computers and other valuables. All this was loaded into one of their cars and the robbers then drove off thorough the security entrance with their loot having used the stolen remote control to open the gates. The car was later recovered in a Johannesburg township.

We were greeted with the sad news this morning that one of our buyers, Benedict, had passed away. He had been in hospital the past week and was also a diabetic sufferer. Benedict had however been the victim of a shooting during a robbery a number of years ago. The bullet had not been removed and had over the past week caused complications which ultimately led to his death.

It is with great sadness that we report these events in this beautiful country of ours, which sometimes is so cruel yet most of the time seems so good. On the surface things can seem so calm, yet one must remain vigilant at all times. Common sense will generally ensure that one is not a victim of crime.

We wish the families all the very best during their times of distress and sorrow.

SafeTour services – a unique offering to travellers to Southern Africa

Using our local knowledge and experience to anticipate and pro-actively prepare for every type of emergency, we have empowered our SafeTour 24/7/365 National Action Response Centre with direct preferential communication with our national network of professional and emergency service providers. SafeTour provides safety support and active travel assistance with, amongst others, the following services:

Travellers are encouraged to provide SafeTour with the necessary information which will enable us to provide assistance in any given situation. This information is maintained in a secure database and is never divulged to third parties without the travellers approval.

Information includes medical details which will assist with treatment in the event of an emergency, contact details of next of kin, travel arrangements and itinerary, medical and travel insurance details and other information.

Ninety days to the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa

Sunday 14th March 2010 sees the riding of the Pick ‘n’ Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour around the Cape Peninsula. This is an annual event attracting many thousands of cyclists from around the country and this year includes Lance Armstrong.

Table Mountain and the Waterfront

This event also marks 90 days to the opening of the 2010 soccer world cup in South Africa, which will be the largest sporting event yet held in the country. The excitement is starting to build and final preparations are now in full swing for the arrival of the anticipated soccer visitors.

Scenes from the race

SafeTour will be offering visitors to South Africa the opportunity to subscribe to our Travel and Safety Support services. These services will ensure that travellers have 24/7 support from the SafeTour Action Centre.

Scenes from the race

Support packages start from US$99 and will ensure that no matter what happens, there will be support and a helping hand 24 hours a day, no matter what the situation and circumstances.

 

 

 

Emergency call to Action Centre leads to armed security response.

“Germiston taxi rank closes after shootout   19 February 2010

Four minibus taxis were set alight. Commuters have been ordered out of the Germiston taxi rank in Ekurhuleni following a shooting incident. One commuter has been seriously injured and three taxis set alight. Police suspect the incident could be related to taxi violence. Ekurhuleni Metro police spokesperson Kobeli Mokheseng says they were called to the taxi rank at about 6:30 this morning after a shooting incident. He says a commuter who was shot has been rushed to hospital.

It is not clear at this stage what caused the incident. Motorists, pedestrians and commuters are advised to stay away from the taxi rank until the situation is under control. Two people have been arrested and two firearms have been recovered. Mokheseng says they would be charged with discharging a firearm in public and attempted murder should they be linked to the shooting incident.”

Emergency response:
One of our subscribers had a large truck and a number of staff members doing a Breast Cancer Awareness program, to members of the community, at the Golden Walk Mall in Germiston. The violence at the taxi rank necessitated the safe extraction of the staff and the vehicle. On receipt of the call to the SafeTour Action Centre, a highly trained armed security response unit was despatched to assist with the evacuation of the staff and the vehicle.

The response team was on the scene within 15 minutes of the call being received and escorted the staff and the vehicle to a safe location. The Breast Cancer Awareness team were full of praise for the manner in which SafeTour came to their assistance and for the constant communication which kept them informed of what was happening.

Armed response units

Support..guaranteeing peace of mind

Most tourists to South Africa experience a safe, enjoyable and unique travel experience.  Unfortunately, as in many countries, events may occur that require the assistance of a specialist service provider, like SafeTour.  SafeTour has a thorough understanding of travelling in Southern Africa, backed up by a National Action and Contact Centre which operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  All calls are directly routed to trained and professional agents who will be able to assist travellers in any eventuality. 

Local laws, customs, safety, travel and medical facilities, to name but a few, vary from country to country and it is the lack of knowledge of these that can create anxiety and stress when travelling. SafeTour focuses on providing travellers with the assistance and support they need while travelling in Southern Africa, to ensure peace of mind and the knowledge that they are always in safe hands.

Below are two examples of the assistance and support that SafeTour provides:

Unlawful Arrest:
A SafeTour member was driving to gym when he noticed a police vehicle following him.  He did not pull over as he was not indicated to do so.  After being pulled over, he was harassed by the policemen who demanded to search his vehicle.  He was accused that he had stolen the vehicle and that he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Our client was then taken to a police station, where he was treated very badly. Fortunately he was able to sms (text) his girlfriend, who immediately phoned SafeTour.

The SafeTour agent arranged for our clients release.  Our client is currently being represented by a SafeTour attorney who is fighting the unjust charge that has been laid against him.

Car Accident resulting in two Deaths:

The mother of one of our clients was driving his vehicle when a motor cyclist overtook another vehicle on a solid white line and crashed into our client’s vehicle. The motor cyclist and the passenger in the vehicle were both killed on impact. Our client’s mother lost control of the vehicle and landed up on the side of the road. 

She called her son, our client, who immediately called the SafeTour’s National Action and Contact Centre. The SafeTour agent immediately obtained all the relevant information concerning the accident. The agent called ER24 for medical attention and arranged for an ambulance to be dispatched to the scene of the accident.  The agent then called the South African Police Service. 

Vehicle collision with a motor bike

Two deaths resulted from the accident, which prevents vehicles from being towed until the scene is officially released by the police. Our agent called our vehicle towing partner and gave them the exact location of the accident for the collection of the vehicle. The agent also obtained the case number for the accident which was then forwarded to our client.

Our client was overwhelmed by the level of support and service that SafeTour provided, as well as the compassion that the situation was dealt with.

Vehicle Hijacking:
The client’s daughter was in the client’s car, which was in the client’s driveway, when the car was hijacked. The daughter was fortunately released before the criminals drove away with the new vehicle. The client called SafeTour regarding the hijacking of his vehicle. The client was unsure of whether his car was fitted with a tracking device. 

The SafeTour operator called all relevant contacts checking to see if said vehicle was on their database and in fact could be tracked. The operator also called the SAPS and the anti-hijacking unit was dispatched to the scene of the crime. The operator also went to the client’s premises to inform him of the entire situation. 

The operator is also in contact with the SAPS, who have mentioned that a hijacking syndicate was operating in the area. The car has still not been found and the case is still under investigation.