CONTACT INFO:

We encourage you to communicate regularly with any leaders you will be working with (school specific contact information is available on our website) and to direct any specific questions pertaining to your school directly to your leaders and staff. That said, here are a few other handy points of contact: 

  • PERSONNEL@ywammuizenberg.org - to

    • To update your information (if you have a new email, changed your ministry focus, have gotten married, had a baby, are transitioning out of YWAM Muizenberg, or to send a copy of a new passport)

    • To inform Personnel that a staff that has been accepted, has officially arrived in person and needs to be added to our communication channels

    • To be added or updated in our Google group, WhatsApp or other community groups

    • To request Proof of Occupation, Income or Residence (these are often needed when applying for a bank account or lease)

    • To request a Staff Account confirmation (these are annual confirmations for international staff that process their funding through other YWAM Bases)

  • VISA@ywammuizenberg.org - after looking on this page for all relevant information, making your Visa appointment and compiling your paperwork, then you can email:

    • To request a letter of Invitation from YWAM

    • Send updates about your visa application - if you run into issues, get accepted and / or to send a copy of your updated Visa

    • To request a provisional ticket / itinerary (this is if you are returning to South Africa with a visa that is about to expire, to demonstrate at the border you don't plan to overstay your visa)

  • FINANCE@ywammuizenberg.org - to contact the Finance Department directly.

  • TRAINING@ywammuizenberg.org - to contact our Base Training Directors.

  • STAFFTRACK@ywammuizenberg.org - forward this link if someone wants to apply for our Staff Development Track, email stafftrack@ywammuizenberg.org for any questions

  • VOLUNTEER@ywammuizenberg.org - forward this link if someone is wanting to come as a volunteer, email volunteer@ywammuizenberg.org for any questions

  • STAFFAPPS@ywammuizenberg.org - forward this link if someone wants to apply to be staff, email staffapps@ywammuizenberg.org for any questions

  • COMMUNITYHEALTH@ywammuizenberg.org - email to learn more about our upcoming webinars or to get involved with serving in our department if you have vision for an area of missionary care

  • Join our Facebook group “YWAM Muizenberg- gift, trade and sell” - and ask to be added for buying, selling and swapping items

Resources Available for Your Development:

  • The Staff Development Track is a crucial part of getting integrated into our community and your season in missions with us! The Track introduces our communal and city culture as well as seeks to encourage deeper encounters with God, others and self. The Track is required for all first time staff and open to any other staff as we all could benefit from the material it covers.

  • Community Health Team is making trainings available for your personal and professional development — so make sure to talk to Gina about getting on our staff email list so you’ll be signed up to get information for what we have coming up!

    • Routine, Post-DTS, Re-entry Debriefing and Exit Interviews for when you end your season with us are available from our team of people that have been trained Debriefers as well as counselors in the area if you want to process with someone outside of YWAM

  • Bethesda House — Bethesda House exists to see people encounter the love of God. A safe place for hundreds of people, facilitating life changing encounters with God, restoration ministry and practical equipping through trainings— sign up for updates on their website.

  • Our YWAM Muiz Prayer Room — prayer and worship sessions hosted in and throughout our community— follow their instagram for the latest updates!

  • If there are other areas where you want to grow personally or professionally many of our Impact Ministries have great opportunities for that!

  • There are also many local spiritual retreat centers and pastoral care available

It is also suggested that you look up, are aware of the closest embassy for your home nation and add their contact into your phone for reference.

INCOMING MAIL:

Incoming mail should be addressed as follows:

Your Name + Ministry

YWAM Muizenberg

Private Bag X129

Muizenberg 7950

South Africa

Physical Address of the YWAM Muizenberg Base:

19 Alexander Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town 7950

Tel. No +27 21 788 7322

BANKING:

There are foreign exchange bureaus at the malls and of course, foreign currency can be exchanged at the airport on arrival. The easiest way to access cash is to bring an ATM card with you. There are many Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) which can take Maestro, Plus or Cirrus, including ATM’s within walking distance from the base. Visa, MasterCard, and Amex are widely accepted at stores and restaurants. The banks will not cash personal cheques unless you have a South African bank account.

Based on your personal bank, you will want to look into what fees they charge for ATM’s (to withdraw money from an international ATM) and transaction fees (for use of any cards internationally). It may be worth looking into what is the best option for this in your home country, and potentially transferring to that bank, as these fees add up quickly. Alternatively, you can set up a local bank account, and transfer fees to that account and withdraw money locally.

Note: TransferWise has worked best for many of us as it gives lower fees for transferring money

STAFFING FEES:

We currently do not have any staff fees, other than paying R2000 for the seven weeks for our Staff Development Track- which covers the cost for a StrengthsFinder test, outings, etc.

Staff that are staffing a DTS do not pay for Lecture Phase for the Schools they staff, but you will have other ongoing costs during that time if you are staying at or eating on the base (see Budgeting section). Outreach fees will vary from R25,000 to R35,000 depending on location.  Outreach fees cover travel, housing, meals, ministry supplies and team activities. All of this is up to the discretion of your School Leader.

HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS:

While you can obtain health insurance in your home nation, there are also some options locally that are popular that you may want to consider: Discovery or Momentum

Another option for missionaries is Talent Trust an international insurance company specifically designed for missionaries that gives a substantial discount (30%) to YWAMers

COMMUNICATION:

We have 24-hour wi-fi internet access at our YWAM base (though for those that do not live on Base, the open hours are limited). Please note that bandwidth in South Africa is limited and most internet sites and functions that require larger amounts of bandwidth are blocked on our campus (eg. includes YouTube, streaming, downloads, and video chats). So is there wifi? Yes. Is it worth relying on? Probably not.

We encourage our students and staff to stay in touch with family and friends through regular voice chat over Skype or WhatsApp. Though, we also suggest, to integrate into our community well, setting expectations for how often you are Skyping people back home low. Ongoing supporter, family and friend relationships is an important part of your journey in missions, but can also become a way to disengage from community, so we suggest scheduling time to connect with those back home be limited.

You can also get onto wi-fi at a few local restaurants within walking distance include Knead Bakery, Primi, Easy Tiger, Joon, and Empire Cafe (though the wi-fi is not always reliable).

Porting Your Cell Phone Number — a great option to not have to get rid of or not have access to your former cell phone number is to have it “ported” through Google Voice, which has a one time fee of (R300), you can get information for how to do this HERE

Purchasing a SIM card- you can purchase a SIM card at the airport or at the local grocery store with a proof of residence letter from our registrar office. You will need to make sure your phone is unlocked to accept the foreign SIM card. Cell C is the cheapest, though not always the most reliable- they have a great streaming option.

VOLTAGE & ELECTRICITY:

The electric current is 240 volts, 50Hz AC. Plugs have three round pins. South African adapters can be purchased here at the stores like Checkers. If you bring any 110 volt 60Hz (American) appliances you will need to bring a voltage converter unless your power cord adapts. Laptops, phone chargers and some other electronics will say on the power cord “100-240V” if it can convert the voltage itself.

CLIMATE:

In South Africa, summer is from December to February; autumn from March to May; winter from June to August; and spring from September to November. In the southern suburbs, we have a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and wet winters. Although there are no extremes of temperature, bring warm clothing if you are here during winter since most buildings do not have central heating and heaters are not allowed in rooms and cool clothing for the summers. Also be aware Cape Town frequently experiences gale force wind- warm clothing is a good idea for windy days.

Cape Town has also been experiencing a record drought for the past six years! This drought has put a deep strain on the water sustainability of the city and the city has been actively responding to the ever shifting situation. As water-security and sustainability has become our “new normal” we invite you to join us in being extremely water conscience during the course of your time with YWAM, Muizenberg. Save with us! Every drop counts.

clothing

For those wondering how to dress for this context, it may be helpful to know that Cape Town is a very modern city. This means that most of our staff wear “western clothing”, but we also love to wear traditional cultural clothing to our big celebrations - its all welcome!

Incase you’ve never lived in South Africa before, here are a few tips:

  • The date is formatted: day / month / year

  • The country code (for cell phones) is +27

  • Driving is on the left hand side of the road, and “robot” is the word also known as a “traffic light”.

  • There are no daylight saving time changes in South Africa; the clock remains the same throughout the year

  • Where we live in known as the Western Cape, and we live in the Southern Suburbs

GENERAL INFORMATION :