VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSA #0612/01 0890943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300943Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0562
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0033
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7892

UNCLAS PRETORIA 000612 
 
 
Note - PII Data Removed 
 
DEPT FOR HR/EX 
 
FOR: FRANK P. TALLUTO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: APER AMGT SF
SUBJECT:  WELCOME TO POST 
 
Ref: State 019165 
 
Congratulations on your assignment to Pretoria. You 
will be part of a large and diverse team working 
on a variety of interesting issues whether you work in 
a regional office or strictly on a bilateral basis. 
We warmly welcome you and look forward to your 
arrival. 
 
If you have particular questions concerning life in 
Pretoria, please feel free to e-mail the CLO at 
clopretoria@state.gov. You may also visit the Overseas 
Briefing Center at FSI or access their information on 
the internet at http://fsi.state.gov/.  Our Embassy 
internet website www.southafrica.usembassy.gov has 
useful information related to the Embassy and its 
operations. Any internet search engine will return a 
host of information about South African culture and 
leisure activities. 
 
Please review the information in this document 
organized by topic: 
 
¶A. Check-In 
¶B. Arrival: Pre-Arrival Notices 
¶C. Arrival: Post-Arrival Airport Procedures 
¶D. Driver's Licenses 
¶E. Education 
¶F. Family Member Employment 
¶G. Housing 
¶H. Mail and Packages 
¶I. Medical 
¶J. Passport Requirements 
¶K. Pets 
¶L. Security 
¶M. Vehicles 
¶N. Visas and Members of Household 
¶O. Embassy Points of Contact 
 
¶A. CHECK-IN 
Your first stop on your first day at work should be 
the HR office in room 226.  They will give you your 
check-in package and an HR Officer will give you 
a short in-brief. When you come to this meeting, 
bring your passport and those of your family along 
with two 2X2 photos of each person over 16 years 
of age. HR needs these to begin accrediting you 
and your family. If HR cannot start the process 
immediately, there is a risk your temporary visas 
will expire before a residency visa is granted. 
 
¶B. ARRIVAL: PRE-ARRIVAL NOTICES 
Please send a cable and an e-mail to your new office, 
the CLO and HR informing them of your arrival 
information as soon as you have firm travel plans. 
E-mail addresses are listed at the end of this cable. 
Including the following information will help 
everyone at post make sure your arrival goes smoothly: 
¶1.  the date and time of arrival; 2. the airline 
and flight number; 3. the number of accompanying 
family members; 4. any pets scheduled to arrive with 
you,  including their sizes and breeds; and 
¶5. a personal e-mail address so that we may contact 
you after you leave your current assignment with 
the name of your sponsor and other information. 
 
¶C. ARRIVAL: POST-ARRIVAL AIRPORT PROCEDURES 
You will be met outside the international arrivals 
area by your sponsor or another U.S. mission member. 
In the highly unlikely event you are not met, 
please use a public phone in the terminal to call 
the switchboard during business hours at 
(012)-431-4000, or the Marine Guard at (012)431-4169 
if you arrive after 17:00 or on a weekend or holiday. 
ATMs are available in the terminal and phone shops 
accept credit cards.  Do not use any type of taxi or 
public transportation to get to the Embassy. 
 
¶D. DRIVER'S LICENSES 
A current driver's license from another country, which 
is in English and has a photograph and the signature 
of the bearer, is acceptable for use in South Africa 
as long as you have your South African Department of 
Foreign Affairs (DFA) identity card or a copy of your 
diplomatic passport and residency visa with you. 
Please note that if you have a family member or member 
of household who does not hold a U.S. diplomatic 
passport, they must obtain an International Driver's 
Permit (IDP) from AAA in the U.S. prior to arriving in 
 
South Africa and before operating a motor vehicle. 
 
¶E. EDUCATION 
The American International School of Johannesburg 
(AISJ) and the North American International School 
(NAIS) both offer an American style curriculum and 
school year. AISJ's Pretoria campus currently offers 
grades Pre-K to 6. Contact Ben Weinberg, the school 
director at +27 12 344-6242 or by e-mail 
bweinberg@aisj-jhb.com for more information. AISJ's 
Johannesburg campus offers Pre-K through grade 12. 
Contact Elinor Parkes, the admissions director 
at +27-11-464-1505 to 1508 or by e-mail 
eparkes@aisj-jhb.com for more information. 
The website for both campuses is: www.aisj-jhb.com. 
 
NAIS, located in Pretoria, offers grades Pre-K through 
grade 8. NAIS will open their high school program in 
August 2009 starting with grade 9 using a curriculum 
accredited by the University of Nebraska.  Contact 
Ken Baucom, the school director at +27-12-460-1154 
or by e-mail kenbaucom@nais.org.za. The school's 
website is www.nais.org.za. NAIS uses the North 
Carolina Public School Curriculum which is accredited 
by the University of Nebraska. 
 
 
For a listing of local South African schools, please 
contact the CLO or the Overseas Briefing Center. 
The South African school year begins in mid-January 
and ends in early December, with breaks throughout 
the year. Some Mission members do send their children 
to local schools. 
 
Schools that accommodate children with special needs 
are listed on the Pretoria Embassy website under CLO. 
If you have a child with special needs, please contact 
the Regional Medical Officer, the Human Resources 
Officer and the Financial Management Officer. Their 
e-mail addresses are listed below. 
 
¶F. FAMILY MEMBER EMPLOYMENT 
Family members who wish to work should begin looking 
at the job vacancy announcements in the Jacaranda 
Journal, Embassy Pretoria's weekly newsletter. They 
should also request and submit a Family Member/MOH 
Employment Interest form to HR. To receive the 
newsletter and the form, please contact the CLO at 
CLOpretoria@state.gov. 
 
Alternatively, you can download the full vacancy 
announcements for all of the Mission's current 
positions,including AEFM positions, on the Embassy 
intranet page at http://web.pretoria.state.gov/ 
sections/per/Vacancies.htm 
 
Applicants should pay close attention to the required 
qualifications section of the job vacancy 
announcements. To be considered, an applicant must 
meet each of the required qualifications. The Family 
Member Employment Coordinator, Monica Ewing, 
Ewingms@state.gov, can provide more information. 
 
Family members interested in employment should 
hand-carry paper and electronic copies of their 
current resume or OF-612 and past performance reviews 
with them to Post. Prior U.S. government or military 
service must be referenced on the resume/OF-612 with 
dates, locations and pay grades. Please provide copies 
of SF-50s for U.S. Government/State Department service 
or a DD-214 for military service when applying. 
Pretoria has a Strategic Networking Assistance Program 
(SNAP). SNAP assists spouses of direct-hire U.S. 
Government employees with their search for employment 
outside of the Mission. For further information on 
SNAP, please contact Monica Ewing at 
EwingMS@state.gov. 
 
Eligible Family Members may apply for consular, 
general services or budget and finance training at 
NFATC on a space available basis through the Family 
Liaison Office in Washington.  If your family members 
are interested, they may read more about this program 
at http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/. 
Qat http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/. 
 
Special Note for Members of Household (MOH) regarding 
Embassy employment: Mission South Africa currently is 
not able to grant any hiring preference to MOH's, 
although they may be considered for jobs in the 
 
Mission.  If an MOH elects to work on the local 
economy, they must work with their employer to obtain 
the appropriate work and residency permits. 
 
¶G. HOUSING 
Embassy Pretoria's Interagency Housing Board (IAHB) 
makes all housing assignments based on your family 
size, the grade of your position and 15 FAM. The GSO 
Housing Office will send you a housing preference 
questionnaire soon.  Please complete and return it 
as soon as possible so the Housing Board is able to 
take your requests into consideration to the extent 
they can. 
 
Due to security concerns, Post is transitioning away 
from stand-alone residences.  Most available housing 
units are in multi-unit compounds or gated 
communities. The GSO Housing Office will provide 
information on your specific house once an assignment 
is made. 
 
All quarters are fully furnished. Post will provide a 
basic welcome kit until your personal 
effects arrive. You will keep the welcome kit during 
your tour and use it again when you are ready to 
leave. 
 
South Africa's electrical power is 220v/50 cycle. 
Post provides three transformers for each household. 
You will need to supply your own UPS, surge 
protectors, and additional step-down transformers 
if required.  These are widely available in South Africa, 
as are converter plugs. 
 
 
South Africa can experience frequent electrical outages 
country-wide. Post is currently installing generators, 
but not all residences have them yet.  We strongly 
advise you to bring/purchase surge protection 
for all sensitive electronic equipment.  GSO will 
advise whether your housing has a generator or not. 
By regulation, gasoline-operated portable 
generators are prohibited from use within 50 feet of 
USG-provided quarters. 
 
¶H. MAIL AND PACKAGES 
Embassy Pretoria sends and receives all personal and 
official mail via diplomatic pouch.  Personal mail 
should never be marked with any 'official' references. 
Your new address for personal mail is: 
 
Your Name 
9300 Pretoria Place 
Dulles, VA 20189-9300 
 
Official mail is sent via the Department of State's 
diplomatic pouch mailing address. 
Your new address for official mail is: 
 
Your name 
Department of State 
9300 Pretoria Place 
Washington, DC 20521-9300 
 
Because we send all outgoing mail via pouch, it must 
adhere to the following Department of State diplomatic 
pouch regulations: 
 
Outgoing personal mail: You may send any letter or 
flat from Post with appropriate postage as long as it 
complies with USPS definitions (see www.usps.gov). 
Merchandise ordered from a retail outlet in the U.S. 
during your tour in Pretoria may be returned by pouch 
with the manufacturer's pre-paid return label or 
necessary postage applied. Be sure to bring an 
adequate supply of postage as none are sold at Post. 
 
Incoming personal mail: Individual boxes may not 
exceed a total of 17x18x32, or 67 inches in length 
(the longest dimension) plus girth (around the other 
dimensions) or exceed 50 lbs. in weight. A shipment 
(the combined total of all packages addressed to one 
person and received on any given day at the central 
pouch facility) cannot exceed 250 pounds nor can it 
occupy more than six cubic feet of area 
(about the size of five boxes of copier paper). 
 
¶I. MEDICAL 
No vaccinations are required for entry into South 
 
Africa if you are coming from the United States, 
Europe or Asia.  However, travelers coming directly 
from countries where yellow fever is prevalent must 
have proof of valid yellow fever vaccination given in 
the last 10 years.  The Embassy Health Unit recommends 
that all incoming personnel be vaccinated against 
Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid. There is no risk of 
malaria in Pretoria. However, malaria prophylaxis will 
be recommended and provided,  if you travel to certain 
regions of South Africa or other countries in the 
area.  The Health Unit will give you a briefing during 
your first week at Post to clarify risk areas. 
 
¶J. PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS 
South African immigration authorities will not let you 
enter South Africa unless you have two blank, 
adjoining visa pages in your passport.  They will also 
deny you entry if your passport is not valid for at 
least six months after your arrival. If you or anyone 
in your family has a passport that will expire during 
your tour, we highly recommend that you obtain new 
ones valid for the entire length of your tour.  This 
will eliminate the need to obtain new visas and 
diplomatic IDs in the middle of your tour, which is a 
lengthy process that results in you and your family 
being without passports and diplomatic identification 
until the South African Department of Foreign Affairs 
(DFA) issues new versions of both. 
 
Bring certified copies of marriage/birth/adoption 
certificates with you to Post as well if anyone on 
your orders does not share your last name. The DFA 
requires this documentation before they will issue a 
Diplomatic ID or residency visa. 
 
Special note for regional personnel regarding 
passports: If you plan to use multiple passports for 
your travel, please be aware that the DFA will only 
issue one South African residency visa.  Contact your 
new office in Pretoria for details about arranging 
visas for travel to your serviced posts prior to 
arrival in South Africa. 
 
 
Special note about private servants regarding 
passports: South Africa allows diplomats to bring one 
private servant with them to Post. The same passport 
requirements that apply to Diplomats also apply  to 
private servants, so please ensure your staff's 
passports are in order. South Africa only processes 
visas for domestic servants after you are fully 
accredited, so they should arrive with visas valid for 
at least 90 days. 
 
¶K. PETS 
Owners shipping pets to Post should contact Beverly 
Paolini at JoosteBA@state.gov in GSO Shipping. She 
will step you through the process of getting your pet 
to South Africa, and can provide a list of pet travel 
agencies that can assist you. All pets must have an 
implanted microchip, and owners must have the chip 
details.  If a pet has been in the U.S. for at least 
six months, it will not be quarantined in South Africa. 
The quarantine times for pets arriving from other 
countries varies. 
 
Please be aware that if your housing is in a compound, 
you will most likely have only a small yard.  Walking 
pets along the street, especially after dark, isn't 
wise due to security concerns.  Please check with the 
GSO Housing Office on this point before deciding to 
ship a pet to Post. 
 
¶L. SECURITY 
All new arrivals must schedule an RSO briefing for 
themselves and their adult family members at the 
earliest opportunity. Scheduling information is in the 
check-in package provided by HR. All American 
personnel under Chief of Mission authority must 
complete an overseas personal security training course 
before coming to Post.  State employees should ask 
Qbefore coming to Post.  State employees should ask 
their CDOs to schedule them as appropriate. 
Employees of other agencies should contact the office 
that coordinates their assignment to ensure they meet 
all security-training requirements. 
 
South Africa is a critical crime threat post, and 
maximum vigilance must be exercised at all times. Do 
not wear expensive, flashy jewelry in public or show 
 
large amounts of money after you arrive in South 
Africa.  At OR Tambo International Airport in 
Johannesburg, be aware of the possibility of petty 
crime, including baggage theft and pilferage. Post 
strongly recommends that travelers not place 
electronics, jewelry, cameras or other valuables 
in checked luggage. Make an inventory of items in 
checked baggage to aid in claims processing if theft 
does occur. 
 
After you and your sponsor arrive at your house, your 
sponsor will show you how to use your alarm system. 
Personnel are strongly encouraged to use all 
residential security features such as grilled doors 
and locks to make sure your residence is as secure as 
possible. At a minimum, always set your alarm when 
you leave your residence and before you go to bed. 
 
¶M. VEHICLES 
No left-hand drive vehicles may be imported into South 
Africa. Since South Africa changes the requirements 
concerning the importation, purchase and sale of 
motor vehicles often, please refer to the shipping 
instruction cable sent by GSO for the latest 
information on vehicles. 
 
 
If you need information on purchasing a vehicle before 
or after you arrive at Post, contact Jolene Ehlers at 
ehlersjx@state.gov or (27)(12)431-4048 (Department of 
State diplomats) or Cindy Lou Mouton on 
(27)(12)431-4270 (all non-Department of State agency 
diplomats)or by e-mail at moutoncl@state.gov. They 
can provide you with any information you may need. 
Please bear in mind that duty-free vehicles cannot 
be registered until the South African Department of 
Foreign Affairs has issued you your Diplomatic 
Identity Card which may take up to one month. 
 
¶N. VISAS 
Visas are not required for your initial entry into 
South Africa. If you are traveling with non-U.S. 
citizens, they may need a visa to enter South Africa. 
Please check with HR Pretoria on your specific 
circumstances. Contact information is listed at the 
end of this cable. 
 
Special note about Members of Household (MOH) 
regarding visas: The DFA only defines MOH as 
common-law partner of more than two years or 
private domestic servant.  If you and your partner 
have been together for at least two years, DFA will 
require documentation to that effect.  DFA grants 
renewable one-year residency visas to private 
domestic staff. The DFA reviews visa requests for 
MOH who do not fall into the preceding categories 
on a case-by-case basis. 
 
If you are bringing or contemplating bringing a Member 
of Household with you, please immediately contact 
the Human Resources Office at 
PretoriaIncoming@state.gov. 
 
¶O. EMBASSY POINTS OF CONTACT 
 
Management Officer: Jennifer Haskell 
HaskellJ@state.gov 
 
Community Liaison Office: clopretoria@state.gov 
 
HR Officer: Gilda Weech-House WeechhouseGT@state.gov 
 
Regional HRO: Ray Murphy MurphyRH@state.gov 
 
General Services Officer: Peter Drew DrewPW@state.gov 
 
Vehicle Office:: Cindy Lou Mouton Mountoncl@state.gov 
 
Pets/Shipping questions: Beverly Paolini 
JoosteBA@state.gov 
 
Housing: Femi Akinyemi AkinyemiAA@state.gov 
 
Financial Management Officer: Maureen Danzot 
DanzotMM@state.gov 
 
 
Regional Medical Officer: Dr. Kimberly Ottwell 
ottwellkk@state.gov 
 
 
Regional Security Officer: Don Schenck 
schenckda@state.gov 
 
LA LIME