Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Meet and greet in Johannesburg

There is a thread on AR about whether or not to use a meet and greet service in Joberg. The majority recommended using such a service to expedite going through SAPS and avoiding all the potential hassles and need for potential bribes.i have only one experience with SAPS and it was not pleasant. The outfitter somehow neglected to have his outfitter number on the letter of invitation. SAPS seized on this and life was difficult for a while. My hunting partner is a Texas judge and realized how to solve the problem. A discreet discussion and $40 solved the problem. This only reinforces TIA, This is Africa. Namibia has one of the easiest if not the easiest gun entry and exit processes. When we were leaving Namibia, again the Judge, my hunting partner has a problem. The serial numbers on his rifle have an alleged discrepancy with the paper work. But if he makes a $10 donation to the inspector's daughter's soccer team, all will be well. Needless to say a team donation was at hand. I am very frugal and hate to spend money unless necessary , so The point being I will use a meet and greet to not only save time money and aggravation,and reduce my blood pressure by 10 points. Porsche73

A meet and greet won't save you money as the fees are far larger than the bribes involved but I use one because I hate to be shaken down.

I think I was told that even though my hunt is in Namibia I will need an invitation letter because I am going thru JB.

Meet and greet in JHB is usually about $180,money well spent unless you like to pay bribes or take five hours to get through customs.

Bribes and shake downs in Africa? TIA, yes. When you pay it, it's AWA (Africa Wins Again).

Or as we call it, "The African Salute." (Outstretched palm discreetly next to your hip)

You have to have an invitation letter from your outfitter in Namibia regardless of whether you go through JB or not.

I've been to Africa 3 times, so I'm hardly an expert. However, take some friendly advice, FWIW of course.......Call Steve Turner at Travel With Guns, have him book your flights, have him book Africa Sky guest house and buy their VIP service which includes meet and greet at the airport, SAPS gun permits, a fantastic steak dinner, fantastic breakfast, clean, spacious rooms, and all the beer you want at your disposal. This costs around $275 IIRC for the whole ball of wax.

Last year I did the above. The AS guy met me in the arrival hall, took me to the SAPS office, and after a couple of other hutner's quickly got their rifles, all came to a standstill. There happened to be a shift change in progress, and since it is indeed Africa, the whole process stopped. He whisked me off to some office where the nice lady confirmed my rifle was indeed made it to JB, so back to SAPS we went, where approximately 12 others were wondering what the heck was going on. My guy was having a conversation with one of the SAPS guys, and off behind closed doors they went, and in 5 minutes they were back with my rifle, which was immediately cleared, and off we went. The other dozen guys were still standing there helplessly. Turns out, the shift that was leaving just left all the rifles out in the back somewhere for someone else to sort out, and the guys up front could have cared less.

The whole "ordeal" lasted probably 45 minutes total, but I was off to Africa Sky with my rifle to eat steak and drink Tafel's while everybody else was still trying to figure out where their rifles were. The choice is obviously yours, but I'll use Africa Sky's VIP deal every time I go, and am doing so again in August.

Oh, the next morning after breakfast I was taken "by the hand" by the AS guy back to SAPS, checkin, etc, no questions asked by anyone, nobody with SA Air asked me about ammo, or to check it separately like they sometimes do, nothing. Everything went off to perfection, no hassles. I feel it is well worth the cost.

Namibia is painless, but you will have to have your paperwork in order there too, but it is very simple.

M & G in Joburg might not save you money, but it will sure as hell save you some time and hassle.

donsm70

I am using Travels With Guns to book my flights and handle the other details. My plans have changed radically over the last month and the crew at TWG have been nothing but polite and professional.if all goes as I expect they will continue to get all of my business. Porsche73

My buddy and I used African Odysey (sp) without a hitch. Picked us up literally when the door of the plane opened and went thru customs, guns, luggage and also to us to our hotel there at JBerg. i will use them again and can recommend them.

There are a number of M&G services. I know the Afton House has one as well, as I am using it for my trip in May.

The question was, will the invitation letter from the Namibian outfitter satisfy the requirements of the RSA authorities or does the letter have to come from someone in RSA?

Make sure you check over your paperwork thoroughlybefore leaving the SAPS office....I heard from our booking agent that one of his clients had an issue with the serial number on his rifle, and he just assumed that they (SAPS) were doing their job correctly....until he had left the building with his firearm and they ran after him and dragged him back. Then the usual shake down occured as to how his rifle wouldn't be allowed in country, but for a small "fee" of $50 it could be corrected quickly. The client knew he was being shaken down and refused to pay, but it took him several hours and dealings with several people to get out of that situation.
Our booking agent informed us to look over our paperwork and make sure that EVERYTHING matched correctly: caliber, serial numbers, etc.
Well, sure enough....before I left I checked and they had the caliber listed wrong on my paperwork for one of my rifles. They had me bringing in two rifles of the same caliber (which is illegal) and I caught that mistake before I even left the office......fortunately, I used the Afton house M&G and the "mistake" was quickly fixed and we were out of there......could have been an innocent mistake, but from what I heard, most of the mistakes in SAPS are not "innocent".

I'm not sure what you mean by "satisfy the requirements of the RSA authorities"? If your final destination is Namibia, have the Namibia invitation letter handy just in case someone asks. You won't need one from RSA just for transiting through J'Burg. I don't remember if I needed the Namibian invitation letter or not for the SAPS permit but I can check later and let you know.

I've used the meet/greet and pre-approved SAPS service every time I've gone, and once my rifle showed up in the SAPS office I've never spent more than 5 minutes actually clearing the rifle.

If you are over nighting in Jo'burg and have to have a RSA permit, you will need a letter of invitation from your outfitter. At least I did on my way to Mozambique in 2014.

southpaw is right. I checked, and the invitation letter is in the batch of paperwork needed in RSA.

I have to wonder how many "Meet and Greet" companies just go ahead and pay the bribes out of their fees ahead of time? In that case the M&G is nothing more than a middle man, getting their cut IMO.

However, if they do save you time and aggravation, it might be worth the extra money.

BH63

BH63 - that's an interesting thought. They grease the palms so you don't have to.

I AM overnighting in JB, and my thought was if you don't have to have an invitation letter from someone in RSA itself then you could have anyone anywhere in the world write one for you. But maybe they look at the ticket for your next destination country to see if it matches the invitation letter. It's a little hard for me to believe that they're that thorough though.

This is correct.

I prefer for the middleman to pay "the bite" if one is paid. At least I won't be paying bail if the recipient gets pissed off. I will be using a service this summer, not worth the hassle of the do-it-yourself plan.

I agree wesheltonj. I don't care who is paying whomever, whatever. I'll be drinking Tafel's at Africa Sky by the time the do it yourselfer gets out of the SAPS office.


.

And I will toast with you

Africa Sky will get my business when I return to Africa

I' m using Afton House this May, it's my second hunt, but first with my rifles

Charlie

I used Air-2000 three times and will again. After that 15 hour flight the last thing I want is hassle and long lines.
I have been through customs and baggage in less than 30 minutes each time, far less than 30 minutes actually.

I've just booked with Afton House for this Sep. Let me know how it turns out.

Do you how much they are going to charge for a "pre-approved firearms" service? I queried them and they sent me all the information except the price!

From what I understand the Afton House is a nice place to stay and offers free transportation to where ever you want to got to eat, if you get tired of their restaurant.

What are you game are you after on this trip?

BH63

Being a white guy running around J.Burg after dark wouldn't exactly be my idea of fun, but hey, what do I know?

Just check out the latest Dept of State travel advisories for South Africa. Not a very friendly place for out-of-towners.

BH63

I just went back and checked my correspondence with the M&G company. Yes, I had to supply the invitation letter from my Namibian outfitter over to the M&G to include with the SAPS520 for pre-approval. No other invitation letter is necessary.

I don't know if it has been explained for the first-timers, but the M&G used to just consist of getting a copy of the SAPS520 and filling it out in advance and then having the M&G personnel walk you thru SAPS.

Now, you can send your completed SAPS520 and other documentation over in advance of your trip and the M&G company turns it in for pre-approval. I highly recommend you do this.

I strongly suggest all my hunters use Air2000

The owner Anne was the first business to offer this and they have nailed this process with flawless perfection.

My hunters importing guns traveling in coach are getting in my truck before the first class passengers with one checked bag are still in the immigration line!

Why waste any time in lines when you will be treated like royalty or Hollywood elite for 100-150 bucks

JJ, since you know Anne quite well, I wish you'd ask her a question if you don't mind?

Last year I talked to her at DSC, wishing to use her pre-approved SAPS service. I knew the drill since I'd done it before with someone else, but she "threw" me when she said I'd have to mail the completed and signed paperwork to her. I told her I would just scan and email and she said that was not acceptable. Do you know why by any chance?

I've done it 3 times now, and scan and email was perfectly acceptable with everyone else. Just curious, but this would add and extra $100 in shipping charges to her $150 fee.

Well, today I had Travels with Guns make all the arrangements for my flights. It looks like I will be forced to overnight in Joberg. Even as frugal as I am read that as cheap, I decided to bite the bullet and use Afica Sky's meet and greet and spend the night there. The long flight took a lot of starch out of me ten years ago, and a night of relative luxury will go a long ways to helping me overcome jet lag. I will post on the end result when I return. As plans can still be flexible, if anyone has any other suggestions or advice, I would appreciate it. Porsche73

I will.
This trip I'm after a truly trophy kudo (@ least to my mind), blue wildebeast, springbok, addaanimal or two, and jackals. The excellent company of the chief Minister of Sex and Finance and our hosts are a given. I'm like a high schooler a month before summer vacation...

Porsche73, TWG and Africa Sky is an A++ combination. You will enjoy it, guaranteed. When is your trip, and where are you going?

Interesting timing.

I just received my invitation letter from my Namibian outfitter (actually, I think they had already sent it but new office staff didn't know that), and it is addressed to the South African government, not the Namibian government. I don't know if the Namibian government actually requires an invitation letter.

My invitation letters are addressed "To Whom it May Concert", for what that's worth. Who are you hunting with postoak?

I bet. My trip is still 6 months away and I am already starting to get excited.

A kudu bull is one of the best looking plains game trophies IMO. A PH I hunted with years ago, had a rug made from a Blue Wildebeest and it looked pretty fantastic.

Have a great trip, can't wait to hear how it turns out.

BH63

I just received an e-mail from Afton House and they quoted a price of $100.00 USD per firearm if you want pre-approval at the Jo'burg airport.

Seems to be a reasonable price to me.

BH63

For the guys that have used Afton House and African Sky most agree they are both tip top shelf at what they do....with African Sky slightly better at the quality of lodging and meals.

I am scheduled to leave Austin on April13th, fly to Atlanta and from there to Joberg. African Sky will get me through SAPS and I will overnight with them. Then on to PE where my PH should pick me up for a glorious hunt in the Eastern Cape. Then back to PE to Joberg on the 23rd and then home to Austin, Texas. This will be my last African Safari and I have hopes and expectations. Wish me good luck and good hunting.Porsche73

Wishing you a safe journey and a successful hunt. I wish I was leaving from either SAT or AUS, instead of driving to IAH for my August trip. First night for myself will be with African Sky too.

This is my third African Safari and people ask me how I can do this on an educators salary. The simple answer is I can't, there is no way this could/would happen given the level of public education salaries. The only way I have been able to realize my boyhood dreams is that for 10 years I worked a second job and most of that money went to my Africa account. This will be my last one as both financially and physically I cannot do more. I have achieved most of my life goals and have very few regrets. But I have hunted Africa. Jerry Hoover

Porsche, you deserve to have the time of your life....and here's to hoping that happens for you! Good Luck sir, and take some pics to share with us.

Actually it is $100.00 USD for each permit, not each firearm.

My bad.

BH63

Best of luck on your last safari!

BH63

Yea what everybody said. By the time you include airfare and incidentals, you are up to around $10,000. I am not going to let $150 or so keep me from using a meet and greet. After an 18 hour flight from ATL the last thing I want to do is argue with SAPs. Cheap insurance, IMHO.

My wife and I returned this past weekend from RSA and KMG safaris. We used Africa Sky as the meet and greet and spent the night there. Gilbert was a Godsend who got us through SAPS with an absolute minimum amount of hassle. The next morning he took us the where we needed to go and again, no problems. Gilbert seems to know all the right people and we were expedited through the usual process. Hunting with KMG was wonderful and I will post on that when I can post pictures. Arriving at O R Tambo was a nightmare trying to get guns luggage etc together. We could not seem to get a straight answer from anyone about where to go and what procedures we needed to follow.
All of a sudden Gilbert appeared from nowhere, helped us get what we needed and get to the right area. He was a Godsend and saved us an immense amount of aggravation and money. Sometimes using a meet and greet has hidden benefits. He is an asset to Africa Sky and a fine man in his own right. I really think sAPS is trying to upgrade the quality of their services and personnel. The officers in Joberg were polite, professional and courteous. When we arrived in PE, all seemed to go well. All the SAPS officer had to do was to stamp our paper work and we would be on our way. The large female officer stamped my paper work and then holding the forms in her hand asked me for a tip. I took my paper work and asked if she wanted a good tip? She nodded and I told her to buy low and sell high and walked out. In retrospect that may not have been a good idea but I refuse to pay a tip or bribe to a public servant for doing their jobs! Porsche73

+1 for Africa Sky. They rock! Glad you had a good trip, and can't wait to see the pics.

Gilbert was our meet and greet guy from African Sky in June 2014

Great guy.....I hope he is still with them when we return some day

Porsche73,

Tips for ANYBODY are typical in Africa--but believe me, she was already being tipped by Africa Sky. That's part of how meet-and-greets get good service. So actually tipped her more than you did would have amounted to double-tipping....

I guess I didn't make myself clear. The SAPS officer was in PE and signing off on paper work. All she had to do was stamp the paper work. All of the other SAPS officers were polite ,helpful and professional.Porsche73

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I have also experienced "requests" in PE--but the last time I went through Joburg one of the SAPS people also asked for a little extra, even though I was using a meet-and-greet service.

Not to veer the thread, but is there one country noted for "reasonable treatment" of hunters with firearms? Conversely, which country is the worst?
Will your answers be consistent with nations in political turmoil?
Thanks very much.

Which is the better place to stay,Afton House or African Sky? I am planning a trip and would like your opinions.

African Sky has the better accommodations and Awsome rooms

Top that off with a steak for supper and a great breakfast before you leave for the airport.....Bar

I can't forget they have a nice selection of wine, beer and other liquor

My room at Africa Sky

Ditto what ted said. Great place, great people.