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4x4 Trips and Safaris in Africa

The Four Wheel Drive Club of Southern Africa organises a wide range of outings throughout the year for club members. These 4x4 trips take in local and international venues and are an ideal way to see Africa in an organised way that takes the chore of planning routes and making bookings out of your hands so that you can simply 'arrive and drive'. How can you participate if you are not yet a club member?

  1. Join the Four Wheel Drive Club of Southern Africa. Join the club here.

  2. Book yourself on one of our trips. Visit our Club Events page here.

  3. Join our friendly members on one of our many excursions into the Southern African wilderness. 


Travel Buddies

Here's where club members announce their tour plans to find travel buddies who want to join up with them. To advertise your trip, E-mail the webmaster.

Disclaimer: Please note that the following trips are not organised by, nor sanctioned by, the Four Wheel Drive Club of Southern Africa, and you participate therein entirely at your own risk. For FWDCSA trips, click here.

Serengeti - mid-June 2012
Myself and at least one other vehicle are going to Serengeti in mid-June to approximately end-July 2012. I'm looking for one passenger as well as another vehicle with at least two people. Anybody interested can contact me at home after 16h00 on 011-793-6636 or weekends, or at work 06h00 to 15h00 on 011-239-5536 or cell 082-501-1504. Dave Westwood Email: dwestwood@hatch.co.za

Three Provinces
Inexperienced new 4x4 enthusiast wishes to do the Three Provinces experience. If you are going on it, I would like to join you and share expenses. I do not have a roof rack and tent. If you are thinking of replacing and yours is in good condition, I would consider purchasing it from you. Contact Roland on 083-675-1056


Travel Tips

Yellow Fever inoculation

There has been a recent important change to Yellow Fever regulations for Zambia. A valid Yellow Fever "Yellow Card" is now required for travel to western Zambia - see the attached map. Officials at border posts (in Zambia and SA) are unlikely to be able to distinguish between the high and low risk areas and are likely to demand certificates from all travellers. My recommendation is that all travellers to Zambia obtain a Yellow Fever card from an accredited WHO travel clinic. This needs to be done at least 10 days before travel, and is valid for 10 years. Get a map here showing where inoculationa are required in Africa.

Dr Allan Milne 
Travel Doctor and 4x4 traveller

Reflective vehicle markings and reflective vests for Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

If you are planning a trip to Mozambique in the future please be aware of new road laws. Each vehicle must have two triangles (red reflective type) as well as a reflective vest. If you are towing, the blue and yellow triangles must also be attached to the front of the vehicle and at the rear of the towed vehicle, caravan or trailer. Unless your vehicle is longer than 6m you do not need to worry about the reflective signage, but you are advised to have reflective strips on the edges of the front and rear bumpers. White in the front and red at the rear. This is the same requirement for both Zambia and Zimbabwe. It also helps others to spot your vehicle, especially when tucked away in a camp site. These items and further advice can all be purchased at the AA. This law came into practice on the 8th November 2009.

ARTICLE 1
Objective
This regulation defines the characteristics of advanced warning signs, reflective vests and reflective signage.

ARTICLE 2
Scope of Application
1. The present regulation applies to all vehicles and trailers on public or private roads, open to public traffic, and to the drivers.
2. Two or three wheeled vehicles, mechanical cultivators and tractor vehicles are exempted from that required in the previous paragraph.

ARTICLE 3
Characteristics of Advanced Warning Signs
1. Advanced warning signs take the form of equilateral triangles each side of which is 500 millimeters long, with a tolerance of more or less 5 millimeters, and with external strips of not less than 50 millimeters wide, and uniformly covered in red reflective material, in accordance with Annex 1.
2. The advanced warning sign must have an opening of not more than 360 millimeters on each side within the triangle.
3. The warning sign must be visible from at least 100 metres when light shines on it 
4. The back of the warning sign must be white which must be on the three vertices of the triangle or form a border 5 millimeters wide on the edges of these.
5. The surface which borders the unbroken reflective strip and the back side of the triangle must be yellow.
6. The warning sign must be such that it can be erected vertically with a tolerance of no more than five degrees, and its lower border must be horizontal and between 50 and 100 millimeters from the ground.

ARTICLE 4
Conservation of the Warning Sign
The sign must be maintained in such a way that the reflective surfaces are not damaged.

ARTICLE 5
Reflective Vest
1. All vehicles and trailers on public or private roads, open to public traffic must be equipped with a fluorescent vest with reflective stripes in accordance with the diagram provided in Annexure 2.
2. It is compulsory for drivers of vehicles to wear the reflective vest in the following situations:
a) When repairing a vehicle at the road;
b) At a road accident;
c) When loading, unloading or removing cargo which has fallen onto the road or roadside.

ARTICLE 6
Characteristics of the Reflective Vest
1. The reflective vest must be visible in the day and at night, must be made from polyester with a front closing and side adjustments, with polyvinyl reflective strips in yellow or green, and be fluorescent.
2. The reflective strips must be at least 400 millimeters wide and must be placed on the front, each side and the back.

ARTICLE 7
Reflective Markings
Reflective markings must be used on all vehicles and trailers of over 10,000kg in weight or more than 6 metres long, in accordance with the diagram provided in Annex 3.

ARTICLE 8
Placement of Reflective Markings
1. Reflective markings must be placed on the sides and back or on the side and back edges of vehicles and trailers, in continuous or contiguous rectangular bands.
2. Markings must be between a minimum of 0.25m and 1.5m from the ground and may be extended up to 2.1m.
3. Reflective markings must permit the total identification of the vehicle or at least 80% or its length or width.

ARTICLE 9
Characteristics of Reflective Markings
1. Reflective markings must be made from reflective material and be yellow.
2. Reflective markings must be at least 50 millimeters wide, their length depending on whether or not they are continuous.
3. The distance separating markings which are not continuous must be no more than 80% of their length.

ARTICLE 10
Penalties
1. Infraction of that provided in Articles 5 and 7 of this regulation is punishable by a fine of 1,000Mt
2. The use of warning signals, reflective vests or reflective markings which are not in accordance with that required in this regulation is punishable by a fine of 500Mt.
3. The fine provided in the previous paragraph shall also be applied to anyone using a warning sign which is in a poor state or which has incomplete or damaged reflective areas, or anyone using a reflective vest not of the type required under this regulation.

Polio in Namibia

There is currently an outbreak of wild poliovirus 1 in Namibia. As such we would like to provide the following information and advice:

Travellers to Namibia 

  1. All travellers to Namibia (including returning residents) are advised to obtain a booster dose of polio vaccine at least 10-14 days before travelling. If travel will commence in  10-14 days individuals should still be immunised.
  2. Travellers should always practice strict hand hygiene and use safe water sources.
  3. Choice of vaccine: the trivalent oral polio vaccine (TOPV) is the most accessible polio vaccine in SA and will be provided free of charge at government clinics. The vaccine is safe. Vaccine associated paralytic polio is a very rare complication and occurs in 1 in 2-3 million doses in susceptible individuals only. The only absolute contraindication to vaccination with TOPV is in persons with severe humoral immunodeficiencies. These individuals can be vaccinated with the inactivated polio vaccine alone (available only on section 21 through the MCC) or using the combination Td and inactivated polio vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria and inactivated polio). Pregnant women who have essential travel to Namibia should receive an inactivated polio vaccine.

Individuals entering SA from Namibia (includes returning SA citizens and visitors to SA) 

  1. These individuals should be advised to report to the nearest health care facility if they develop acute onset of paralysis (weakness or an inability to move any of the limbs) and to inform the health care worker of their visit to Namibia.
  2. There is no role for vaccination of individuals from Namibia at border entry into South Africa. The vaccine will not prevent paralytic disease if individuals are already infected. Spread of infection can be prevented through scrupulous hand hygiene (washing hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before handling or preparing food) and always using a toilet or designated ablution facility to prevent faecal contamination of the environment. If these individuals are returning to Namibia they should be immunized before they return (see travellers above).

Issued by Epidemiology Unit NICD June 15th 2006


Foreign Currency Exchange Rates

To convert from any international currency to any other currency at the ruling daily rate, click here.

 


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