Surprisingly, even though we flew economy (not even economy plus) on this almost 16 hour flight from JFK to Johannesburg, the flight was quiet comfortable. We got two seats accross--window and aisle. (Some passengers opted for the seats four in a row and were able to stretch out on unoccupied seats) Service was good and meals were fine. (We're not picky). South African flies older planes so no USB plug-ins. The price was right. The transfer from JNB to Capetown was smooth even when we had to clear immigration and customs in a relatively short time.

The only reason anyone should fly SAA is for the cheap flight. I would rather pay more and fly on a normal airline. The legroom in economy is very limited compared to SAA's domestic subsidiary, Mango. SAA used to be the best airline in Africa but they've been overtaken by the Ethopian and Kenyan national carriers.
On my return flight, they left my (and other passengers) checked luggage in Johannesburg and I only received it the following afternoon.

The aircraft was a dinosaur, the food barely edible and the service perfunctory. We flew form Capetown to Johannesburg (SA0364), then J'burg to Perth and finally Perth to Melbourne (the last leg with Virgin Australia). The connections were unfavourable with very long waits between flights >5 hours in J'burg and another 5 hours in Perth. This review does not reflect the performance of Virgin Australia which was much better.

The SAA flight was average. The flight did leave on time, but I have to say that the SAA Biz lounge in OR Tambo is dated and leaves a lot to be desired. You walk past the Emirates lounge to get to the Premium Lounge and can only but wonder when SAA will do something about the décor and general service. In the modern age of the internet which needs to be constant and fast, the premium lounge falls way way short of anything I have experienced of late

Well where do I start.

When I tried to board my flight from Nairobi, I learned that South African Home Affairs purposely did not lift a travel restriction which expired in January of 2018. I even had the documents to prove my eligibility to travel but SAA was having nothing of it. So I wasn´t allowed to fly.

Now the Kenyans working in Nairobi did contact Home Affairs, and I was cleared to travel the follow day. The manager even rebooked my flight for free, which must have made somebody angry, for when I arrived at Immigration, I was purposely detained so I missed my flight to Cape Town. Obviously Home Affairs and SAA were working together to ruin my trip.

The next day when I went back to the airport, SAA in OR Tambo airport claimed they have nothing to do with Home Affairs, and unlike the staff in Nairobi, they refused to rebook my ticket, and insisted I buy a new ticket.

At that point I refused to spend any additional money in South Africa and caught a flight to Windhoek, Namibia.

So I have made a formal diplomatic complaint to the US Embassies in Johannesburg and Windhoek, and am in the process of filing lawsuits against SAA, whilst reporting them to the Kenyan, South African, and US Civil Aviation Authorities. I am also preparing a lawsuit against South African Home Affairs.

Lesson: Do not travel to South Africa, and certainly do not fly SAA.

South Africa is a country which simply rips off tourists to such a degree, and has such contempt for foreign visitors I have to say I will never go there again, as it is basically a country where the laws simply do not matter, and government officials regularly use their power to pursue personal vendettas.