Cablegate: Country Clearance Granted for Acota - William G. (Chip)
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RR RUEHJO
DE RUEHSA #2873/01 1950435
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140435Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4551
INFO RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 4859
RUEHDR/AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM 2352
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 002873
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA PREL MARR ASEC SF TZ
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR ACOTA - WILLIAM G. (CHIP)
BECK AND JOHN SEVOLD
REF: STATE 104907
STATE 109668
1. Embassy Pretoria welcomes and grants country clearance to ACOTA
Coordinator William G. (Chip) Beck and John Sevold from July 15-22,
2006. The purpose of the visit is follow-up on the JUN DEFCOM
meeting requirements and for a site visit to Bloemfontein Mission
Readiness Training center and other areas in preparation for the
series of upcoming ACOTA training events and plans with SANDF.
Lieutenant Colonel Brian Smith is the primary point of contact for
this visit. Embassy points of contact are: Political Officer
Timothy Trenkle, office (27) (12) 431-4372, home (27) (12) 460-7842,
cell 084-950-0694, email: TrenkleTP@state.gov; Army Attach,
Colonel Michael Garrison, office (27) (12) 431-4182, home (27) (12)
346-3699, cell (27) (84) 950-0510, email: GarrisonME@state.gov;
Chief Office of Defense Cooperation, LtCol Brian Smith, office (27)
(12) 431-4708; cell (27) (84) 950-0659, email: SmithBP@state.gov.
Please see CRIME below for information concerning baggage pilferage
at Johannesburg International Airport (JIA).
2. Hotel reservations for Beck and Sevold have been made for late
check in on July 15, and check out on July 19 for Sevold, and late
check out on July 22 for Beck, at the Whistletree Lodge; Queenswood
Pretoria. Phone: (27) (12) 333-9915/6, fax (27) (12) 333-9917.
Room rates are within per diem and include breakfast.
Transportation has also been arranged.
3. VISAS
Please Note: Your passport must 1) be valid for 30 days beyond
planned stay in South Africa and 2) contain at least two clean
(unstamped) pages whenever you enter South Africa. Otherwise, you
run the risk of being turned back.
Initiating Travel from the U. S.
South Africa no longer requires that U.S. citizens obtain visas for
a stay in South Africa of 90 days or less--this applies to bona fide
TDY, business, medical or tourist travel. (Visitors overstaying
this visa limit may be assessed a fine upon departure or renewal of
visa.) Upon arrival in South Africa, the traveler will be issued a
visitor's permit for a maximum stay of 90 days.
Initiating Travel from a Third Country
Similarly, at this time visas no longer are required for U.S.
citizens bearing tourist, official or diplomatic passports and
traveling to South Africa for any purpose. However, please check
prior to your departure with the South African Consulate in the host
country for up-to-date visa information.
4. ACCOMMODATION EXCHANGE AND PER DIEM
At the Embassy, accommodation exchange facilities are available via
Citibank, which is located in the lower lobby of the Chancery.
Embassy Pretoria has recently acquired an ATM, and ATM/credit cards
are accepted at most major establishments throughout South Africa.
Due to constant currency fluctuations and special events, Post
strongly recommends that travelers to Embassy Pretoria request
actual subsistence authority in travel authorizations in accordance
with 6 FAM 156. By doing so, travelers can avoid being "out of
pocket" when actual lodging exceeds the maximum lodging allowance.
5. THREAT ASSESSMENT
While there are no areas within South Africa where travel is
restricted for official visitors, they should consult with the
Regional Security Office at post for the latest threat assessment,
or check the post Web site.
6. SECURITY TRAINING
All persons traveling to Pretoria for TDY stays of 30 days or more
must attend the four-day Security Overseas Seminar/Working in an
Embassy course at the Foreign Service Institute prior to arriving at
Post (please contact FSI for details). Agencies that choose to
provide equivalent security training must provide written
certification to the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic
Security (William Armor, Assistant Director for Training,
armorwd@state.gov; 703/205-2617) that its course meets FSI's
criteria for overseas personal security training.
7. CRIME
Crimes common to urban destinations worldwide--ATM scams, credit
card fraud, hotel theft, muggings--are very much present in urban
South Africa. To a lesser extent, counterfeit U. S. currency and
PRETORIA 00002873 002 OF 003
check-cashing scams have been reported. Please use all available
means to protect credit cards, credit card numbers and personal
identification numbers.
There is a serious problem of baggage pilferage at JIA, particularly
travelers changing airlines and those flying on smaller
airlines-passengers flying on major international carriers are not
affected to the same degree. Post recommends that travelers lock
their luggage, use an airport plastic wrapping service and avoid
placing electronics, jewelry, cameras or other valuables in luggage.
Make an inventory of items in checked baggage to aid in claims
processing if theft does occur.
All visitors should use caution in the downtown areas surrounding
their hotels, especially in the major cities. Increased anti-crime
efforts in city cores have made the suburbs of major metropolitan
areas increasingly attractive targets for car hijacking and robbery.
Visitors should be careful in central city areas near major taxi
ranks, where taxi operators occasionally resort to violence to
protect their routes, especially in KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern
Cape. Visitors should exit taxi rank areas immediately at the first
sign of a disturbance. The Embassy discourages visitors from using
mini-bus taxis, which follow fixed routes and are flagged down by
passengers almost everywhere on the streets and roads of South
Africa. Many of these vehicles fail to meet minimal safety
standards; drivers frequently overload the vehicles and travel at
excessive speeds. Fatal accidents involving these conveyances are
very common. Travelers should also avoid local commuter and metro
trains, even during off-peak, non-rush hour periods, as a number of
Americans have been the victims of muggings and violent attacks.
8. DRIVING
Traffic accidents may be as great a hazard as the more publicized
crime. Visitors should use great caution when driving, given the
relatively high rates of driver speed on major thoroughfares, poor
lighting on rural roads, presence of pedestrians and slow moving
vehicles, aggressive driving behavior and insufficient regulatory
control regarding licensing and vehicle maintenance. Traffic drives
on the left in South Africa, which requires U. S. drivers to
exercise particular caution. Special care should be taken if
driving at night, but travelers should avoid night driving if at all
possible.
9. MEDICAL
Medical care in South Africa is of the standard of the United States
and Western Europe. First-rate physicians and hospitals are
available. However, the following areas are of particular
significance:
MALARIA: The dangerous and potentially fatal falciparum malaria is
endemic to the North Eastern part of the country. It is essential
that visitors traveling to many of the game parks, including Kruger
Park, and those traveling to some other parts of Kwazulu Natal and
the northern provinces, take malaria prophylaxis (either mefloquine
or doxycycline) and use mosquito repellents at all times of the year
regardless of the duration of their visit.
HIV/AIDS: South Africa has more HIV-infected persons than any other
country in the world. All of the usual precautions must be taken to
avoid this easily prevented infection. South Africa has one of the
highest incidences of rape in the world, and while rape of
foreigners has happened on rare occasions, Americans and other
foreigners are not specifically targeted. In the highly unlikely
case of sexual assault, it is recommended that the victim take
post-exposure prophylaxis as soon as feasible, and certainly within
48 hours. The health unit at Embassy Pretoria can advise on this
matter.
YELLOW FEVER: South Africa requires that travelers from sites where
yellow fever is prevalent (other parts of Africa and Central and
South America) present proof of vaccination for yellow fever done
within the last ten years. Such a traveler arriving without this
record WILL BE vaccinated at the at the point of entry and charged
approximately $80.
DVT: Regardless of where you are coming from, the flight to
Johannesburg is likely to be a very long one. To lessen the
likelihood of developing potentially dangerous Deep Vein Thrombosis
(DVT) in the legs during a lengthy trip, it is advised that the
traveler get up and walk around at least every ninety minutes while
awake. Getting an aisle seat is a good idea to facilitate walking
on intercontinental aircraft in which the seating very often is
cramped.
10. VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)
REFUNDS: Non-resident foreign passport holders on a temporary visit
PRETORIA 00002873 003 OF 003
to South Africa are able to claim a VAT refund, provided that the
supplier levied VAT and is a VAT-registered vendor. To obtain a tax
invoice for VAT refunds, you must identify yourself as a tourist to
the shop assistant and request a tax invoice for the goods you have
purchased. Upon departure from one of the three international
airports in South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban), you will
be required to present your purchases as well as the relevant tax
invoices to a VAT refund official for inspection. Once the official
has endorsed the invoices, you must present your claim at the VAT
office located at the airport. Should you require more information
on VAT refunds, information brochures are available upon your
arrival at the airport.
Please note that the vast majority of American visitors complete
their travels in South Africa without incident.
11. Travelers wanting to connect to Pretoria's SBU network with a
laptop must meet the following conditions: laptop must be
government procured and owned;
must be set up with DOS security standards and software; must be
controlled in transit by the user or shipped to post via Pouch; will
be scanned by ISSO for security setup prior to allowing its use on
the network; and SMS client and antivirus software will be installed
on the laptop by the network once connected.
Note: Laptops are not allowed in CAA spaces without prior approval
of RSO.
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