Why partner with Rockstone – Benefits for Expats

Any move into a new environment can be daunting even for the most experienced Expat – from choosing where to live, to making choices that will suit your family and lifestyle, and even finding how to connect and enjoy an active social life with other expats, there’s just so much to decide! Luckily the team at Rockstone is on hand with unbiased advice.

Whether you’re prone to seasonal allergies and need to get hold of a great General Practitioner and a pharmacy that does deliveries, or have no idea how to even find the visa and emigration requirements you desperately need to be able bring your pets with you, the team at Rockstone is on hand to help you transition smoothly into your new life in South Africa.

Rockstone provides unbiased recommendation and expert advice for all the ESSENTIAL DECISIONS you have to MAKE WHEN MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA

Choosing the right accommodation

In South Africa expats have to choose from living in Estates, Clusters, Boomed Areas, Townhouses, Individual Stand-alone Houses, Flats or Apartments. As an independent relocation advisor, Rockstone has extensive knowledge in this area and is well able to guide your family through this critical decision. In addition, we provide expats with unbiased recommendations in this regard.

Deciding on your neighbourhood

The choice of area in which the expat family will live is a critical decision to make when relocating, and the choice you make will shape the specifics of your lifestyle. In Johannesburg there are a few attractive residential neighbourhoods in which the expat community has bonded together to create a home away from home. Rockstone’s qualified consultants will help you understand what each neighbourhood has to offer, and how you can make a decision that will be right for your family.

Unique first-hand experience on education

South Africa offers top quality private education solutions, with options including International schools such as the American, French and German schools or South African schools. The Rockstone team has comprehensive knowledge of schooling options in the country and real life experience in assisting parents to choose the best school for their child/children.

Feel at home straight away

We’ll spend time with you, helping you to settle in and get to know your geographic area, from the local locksmith to your post office box and most convenient shopping centres.

We’ll also put you in touch with doctors, dentists, your local hospital and a veterinarian in your area, and we’ll help you open accounts and fill in the necessary paperwork so that you don’t have to worry about it in the case of an emergency.

Local expertise

Unless you’ve lived in a country and spent time getting to know it’s products and brands, it can be very confusing to choose suppliers for essentials like Internet access, phone lines, medical aid cover and short and long term insurance.

Luckily, the team at Rockstone is on hand to help guide you through the many forms you need to fill in to access these services, advise you on required supporting documents and ensure you fulfill all legal and statutory requirements. 

Fun facts on SA

  • There are robots on every street corner - this is how locals refer to traffic lights.
  • South Africa is the seventh largest producer of wine in the world and exports about 400-Million liters a year. Route 62, the tourist route between the Western Cape and Eastern Cape takes you along what could be the longest wine route in the world.
  • South Africa utilises UK English as its English language-standard.
  • Vilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel prize winners: Nelson Mandela once lived at number 8115 and Desmond Tutu's house is also nearby.
  • Vilakazi Street in Soweto is the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel prize winners: Nelson Mandela once lived at number 8115 and Desmond Tutu's house is also nearby.
  • The Vredefort Dome is the site of the biggest meteor crater that's ever been discovered on earth, with a radius of 300km.
  • Four of the five fastest land animals in the world live in South Africa: cheetah, wildebeest, lion and Thomson's gazelle.
  • South African grasslands have a greater biodiversity than rainforests, with about 30 species per square kilometre.
  • South Africa is home to: The largest bird – ostrich The largest land mammal – elephant The tallest creature – giraffe The largest reptile – leatherback turtle The largest fish – whale shark The heaviest flying bird – khori bustard The largest antelope – eland The fastest land mammal – cheetah The smallest mammal – least dwarf shrew
  • 46664 – Imprisoned on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela was categorised by his prison number and year of imprisonment. Mandela’s prisoner number was 466, and he was imprisoned in 1964, hence 46664.
  • Ranked third best overall in the world, South Africa is one of only 12 countries supplying tap water that is fit to drink.
  • The largest cut diamond in the world, Cullinan 1, was found in 1905 at the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullinan. Also known as the star of Africa, this diamond forms part of the British Imperial Sceptre.
  • The first ever human heart transplant was performed by South African surgeon, Dr Christiaan Barnard, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town in 1967. A talented man, he was also the first to do a heart-lung transplant as well as pioneering post-operative intensive care system that noticeably decreased patient mortality.
  • The world's first automatic pool cleaning unit, the Kreepy Krauly, was invented by South African Ferdinand Chauvier in 1974.
  • Kimberly was the first town in the southern hemisphere to install electric street lights on September 2nd, 1882.
  • Table Mountain in Cape Town is believed to be one of the oldest mountains in the world.
  • The world is divided into six floral kingdoms. All these kingdoms encompass several countries, and in some cases, several continents. South Africa, which has a floral kingdom wholly contained within the country, is the one exception. The Cape Floral Kingdom has 9,600 plant species, 70% of which are not found…
  • Table Mountain alone has over 1,500 species of plants, more than the entire United Kingdom.
  • South Africa is the second largest exporter of fruit in the world.
  • Kruger National Park supports the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent.
  • South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique are tearing down fences between the countries' game parks to create a 13,500 square mile game park, which will become the largest conservation area in the world. It will be bigger than Switzerland, Belgium or Taiwan.
  • The deepest mine is a gold mine in South Africa. In 1977 the Western Deep Levels Mine reached a depth of 3,581 kilometers. Most mines descend to about 1 kilometer.
  • South Africa is the only country in the world to voluntarily abandon its nuclear weapons program.
  • Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world - and the largest green one. The Grand Canyon in the U.S. is the biggest, and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia the second, but both are very dry.
  • South Africa is home to the world's smallest succulent plants (less than 9.9 millimeters) and the largest (the baobab tree).
  • South Africa is the world's leader in mining and minerals. It has nearly 90% of the platinum metals on earth, 80% of the manganese, 73% of the chrome, 45% of the vanadium and 41% of the gold.
  • South Africa is one of the most generously endowed geographic solar hotspots in the world, soaking up just over half of the world's highest category of solar wattage per square yard of land.
  • South Africa has deserts, mountains, escarpments, plateaus, grasslands, bush, wetlands and subtropical forests.
  • The Karoo region is home to some of the best fossils of early dinosaurs.
  • Although Pretoria is considered to be the capital of South Africa, the country actually has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).
  • Approximately 900 bird species are found in South Africa alone, which represents 10% of the worlds total bird species.
  • South Africa has the highest commercial bungi jump in the world (710 feet).
  • Mossel Bay is in the Guinness Book of records as having the second most moderate climate in the world.
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Photos of SA

  • Mossel Bay
    Mossel Bay
  • The Drakensberg Mountains
    The Drakensberg Mountains
  • V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
    V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
  • Cape Town, South Africa
    Cape Town, South Africa
  • Cape Penguin, Boulders Beach
    Cape Penguin, Boulders Beach
  • Boabab Tree, Limpopo
    Boabab Tree, Limpopo
  • Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town
    Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town
  • Northern Suburbs, Johannesburg
    Northern Suburbs, Johannesburg
  • Blyde River Canyon, Limpopo
    Blyde River Canyon, Limpopo
  • Turtles in Kosi Bay, KwaZulu-Natal
    Turtles in Kosi Bay, KwaZulu-Natal
  • Nelson Mandela Bridge
    Nelson Mandela Bridge
  • Great White Shark, Cage Diving, Cape Town
    Great White Shark, Cage Diving, Cape Town
  • Springbok, Karoo
    Springbok, Karoo
  • 3 Giraffe, Pilanesberg National Park
    3 Giraffe, Pilanesberg National Park
  • African Elephant, Kruger National Park
    African Elephant, Kruger National Park
  • North Beach, Durban
    North Beach, Durban
  • Vineyard, Cape Wine Route
    Vineyard, Cape Wine Route
  • Surfer
    Surfer
  • Game Drive (Safari)
    Game Drive (Safari)
  • Union Buildings, Pretoria
    Union Buildings, Pretoria
  • Table Mountain
    Table Mountain
  • Beach View, Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Town
    Beach View, Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Town
  • Jacaranda Trees, Pretoria
    Jacaranda Trees, Pretoria
  • Sandton Skyline, Johannesburg
    Sandton Skyline, Johannesburg
  • Burchell's zebra
    Burchell's zebra

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