Situated on the southern tip of the African continent, it is home to over fifty-five million people who speak eleven national languages. Business practice bears a very similar resemblance to western etiquette, however cultural observations vary between each locality. Approximately ten percent of all South Africa’s mother tongue languages is English whereby almost all corporate matters are conducted.
Business Guide to South Africa
The Introduction
Attendance for meetings should always be punctual and confirmation of the appointment should be made a day earlier. This should clarify when it will commence and how long it will last. If the meeting requires senior management such as directors to appear, this should normally be organised well in advance to ensure attendance. Setting up an opportunity to discuss business will become more complex from mid-December to early January since peak holiday leave begins around this time. Easter may also be problematic as well for getting around the table. Dressing conservatively is important and whilst business attire is becoming more informal, a good first impression shows respect.
Most introductions with foreigners begin with a handshake, although it is best to see how the host initiates a greeting since the ethnic heritage of some communities may propose an alternative welcome gesture. Women on occasion prefer to avoid handshakes entirely and offer a simple nod of the head as acknowledgement. Waiting for an extension of a hand is best practice to avoid awkwardness.
It is commonplace to exchange business cards with a counterpart and there is no specific procedure or timing during the interaction in which this should be performed. Similar to Western etiquette, surnames and titles should be used in the first instance unless otherwise directed. The initial stage stages of the meeting will be to establish a strong working trust and build rapport between both parties.
The Meeting
Discussions are often orientated towards mutual agreement and positive outcomes for all involved. The initial gathering will allow the host to see whether their guest can work with them and if they have displayed enough good character to fulfil their role pleasantly without confrontation. Further appointments should be followed up with a written letter from the guest outlining the details discussed and the progression of key points made by both parties.
Conversation should be calm, clear and uninterrupted whilst negotiations over money should be reasonable and not involve quibbling over price. Deadlines are not necessarily fixed and are more suggestive than imposed. Business deals are a very slow affair since it involves discussion between senior and junior staff prior to agreement. Hierarchy and seniority in business is still a prevailing aspect of South African corporate culture. International working processes have recently influenced the old infrastructure and more globalised working practice is demonstrated through lower level management decisions.
Eye contact establishes trust and some humour may be used to relax the formal atmosphere to an agreeable level of professional working. Intonation and body language should be calm and professional. Hard selling is not appropriate and patience should be exercised. Some hosts may be very diplomatic by not objecting to something in which they disagree. The intention is not to offend their guest but they may in due course express a different opinion from the original discussion. Business language and jargon is side-lined for more clearer and simpler terms of understanding. It does not infer disinterest in conducting negotiations but is considered easier to reach a common agreement without any confusion.
Gifts and Dining
Business meals are commonplace in South Africa from breakfast to dinner. Conversation will focus on corporate matters although negotiations specifically are held in more formal environments. Dining etiquette is very westernised and highly relaxed. Certain foods such as barbecued meat may require use of hands for consumption whilst in more rural areas a good stew and ‘mealie pap’ is equally good finger food. It is customary in rural South Africa to use the right hand when eating since the left has always been considered the hand used for manual labour and therefore unclean.
Exchanging presents is uncommon in business circles and clear efforts must be made to ensure they are not considered as a bribe. In some circumstances, they are permissible and should be accepted to ensure that no offence is taken by refusal. One scenario would be an invitation to dinner where a bottle of wine, flowers or chocolates may be offered.
South Africa follows a very similar style of business etiquette to that of the West. When launching a business or trade, knowing the local customs and potential language barriers will increase chances of success. If business is conducted outside of the main cities where English and Afrikaans is less spoken, attention to cultural values, local knowledge and even religious practice will ensure that respect is given to the hosts. If the meeting is planned to avoid national holidays and takes in account all these factors and potential dialect issues, the foundations for a strong working relationship would have been created before the initial introduction.