27 is the country calling code for South Africa.
South Africa is a country on the continent of Africa. The capital city of South Africa is Pretoria.
How to Call South Africa from the UK
To call a telephone number in South Africa from the UK:
- Dial the international call prefix. For calls from the UK this is 00 (or '+' from mobile phones).
- Dial the country code for South Africa - 27.
- Dial the number of the person/business, omitting the first zero if there is one.
Area Codes and Landlines
The following are the area codes for the country’s major cities:
- Cape Town – 021
- Durban – 031
- Johannesburg – 010, 011
- Port Elizabeth – 041
- Pretoria – 012
Even when calling from inside the same region, all digits are dialled while making a domestic call to a landline in South Africa.
When phoning from another country, do not use the 0 prefix of the area code.
For example, to call a number in Cape Town XXXXXXX:
- From a landline in Cape Town dial 021-XXXXXXX.
- From a landline in South African outside Cape Town, dial 021-XXXXXXX.
- From a mobile phone in South Africa, dial 021-XXXXXXX.
- From the UK or overseas, dial the international call prefix (00/+), the country code for South Africa (27), the area code without the 0, then the subscriber number, e.g., 00-27-21-XXXXXXX or +27-21-XXXXXXX.

Time Difference
When calling South Africa from the UK, please note there is a time difference between South Africa and the UK.
The time right now in South Africa is . The date is .
The current time in the UK is . The date is .
The time difference between South Africa and UK (United Kingdom) is 1 hour.
Exchange Rate
The currency used in South Africa is the South African rand (ZAR).
The current exchange rates between the South African rand and the British pound (ZAR to GBP, GBP to ZAR) are:
- 1 South African rand (ZAR) = 0.05 GBP
- 1 British pound (GBP) = 19.866 ZAR
Exchange rates on this page were last updated on .
South Africa – Facts and Figures
According to data from the World Bank, the population of South Africa in recent years is:
- 2018 - 57,779,622
- 2017 - 57,000,451
- 2016 - 56,203,654
- 2015 - 55,386,367
- 2014 - 54,545,991
- 2013 - 53,689,236
Map of South Africa
The location of South Africa is shown on the map below.
