Shop Together
Reflecting both the first and third worlds in a free-market economy, South Africa will offer you a rainbow of irresistible bargains. Whether it is a gold and diamond bracelet (tax-free) at the country's top tourist destination and shopping "palace", the Waterfront in Cape Town, or a prickly pear from a roadside hawker in mist-strewn mountains, the current rend value leans heavily in your favor.
Creative and trendy decorative items are sold from sidewalks or shops. Your shopping gems in the cities might include a soapstone sculpture from the pavement hawkers; a samoosa -fragrant curry wrapped in pastry - from a food vendor; bags, belts and books from flea markets or an ostrich-skin briefcase from stylish suburban shopping malls.
The more exotic products of South Africa can be hunt down in craft villages and roadside stalls that are a consistent feature of every country road. You will be able to fill your car with pineapple beer, tablemats woven from grass, ostrich eggs, colorful bead necklaces and deeply craved calabashes.
Local manufacturers set a high premium on workmanship, and at the current Rand value, you can afford to be extravagant. In the cities, you can buy anything from a karakul coat to a crocodile skin bag, hand-woven rugs and designer jewellery. Indian bazaars specialize in oriental ornaments, silks saris and spices. If you are interested in ethnic items, flea markets and curio shops are worth a leisurely browse. Shopping hours are generally 08:00 to 17:00 on weekdays and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays. Supermarkets and most large shopping centers are open on Sundays.
Brochures on arts and crafts routes, such as the Crocodile River Ramble (Gauteng) and the Midlands Meander Arts and Crafts Route (KwaZulu- Natal), are obtainable from local tourism associations.
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