Do I need a converter or an adapter?

What type of converter/adapter do I need to use in South Africa (from US)?

• I am traveling to Cape Town & Johannesburg in South Africa and want to charge/plug in a digital camera, laptop, and curling iron. The laptop is grounded, but I do have a 3 prong to 2 prong converter. What type of outlet is used in these cities/this country? What type of converter/adapter do I need to buy in order to use these electronics? Are they easy to buy in Cape Town? (What stores-- I don't want to buy at airport?) Any links would be very helpful... Thank You!!

• Answer:

  I know the AA (the Automobile Association here) sells what they call "international" adapters, and I assume those will cover US to SA too. I reckon airport shops here in SA will probably have them too. I don't know how much luck you will have in the US trying to find adapters for SA. Not much, I reckon. We use 3-point plugs with fat round points in SA. Sometimes 2-point ones too, but it's usually best to get a 2-point to 3-point adapter for these, for those situations where 2-point sockets aren't available. Possibly more important than all this is to note that our mains here is 220 volts. I think yours in the US is 110 volts. Getting around this may be your biggest problem. Maybe these pictures will help you with identifying the types of plugs: (scroll about half-way down the page): http://www.tumuga.co.za/general%20Information.htm