Changing your IP address can bring you many benefits in terms of bypassing geo-restrictions online. That especially rings true when talking about a South African IP that lets you access SABC, Soweto TV, and Channel O abroad, along with the South African Netflix library.
However, changing your IP can’t be done just like that, except if you’re willing to travel to another country. Thankfully, you don’t have to do that, as you can still get a South African IP address from the comfort of your home, all while reaping all of its benefits effortlessly.
Today, I’m here to show you how to do that and give you a step-by-step guide so that you can perform the solution with no problems and slowdowns.
How to Get a South African IP With a VPN?
If you want to get an IP address from another country, in this case, South Africa, you should know one thing. The only way to obtain an IP from this country is to use a VPN. As some of you know, a VPN is a tool that lets you change your IP address to another location, and thus, hide your original IP.
In fact, you can check why you should use a VPN here, as I explain everything in depth. For now, it’s vital to know that this service lets you not only bypass geo-restrictions but also keeps you protected online through encryption and other security features.
The trick is that very few providers offer servers in this country, making it hard to get a South African IP address. However, I can recommend ExpressVPN – a provider that I’ve been using for a very long time for changing my IP to any country I want.
Let’s see how to use it to get the IP address from this country.
1. Subscribe to ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a premium provider and as such, it requires a subscription. By using the link below, you can get a 49% discount and 3 free months on its annual plan. Also, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is useful if you need a South African IP temporarily.
For example, if you’re on a vacation abroad for 2 weeks, you can get it, enjoy local content with ExpressVPN, and get a refund when you’re home. Besides, this is one of the few providers with quality servers in this country, hence my recommendation for it.
2. Install ExpressVPN on Your Device
Once subscribed, you can access its apps. Keep in mind that ExpressVPN lets you install its apps on a variety of platforms, so you can perform these steps even by using a VPN on your iPhone or Android phone.
For this guide, however, I will use my Windows PC, but rest assured, the process is exactly the same on mobile devices. In this case, you’ll have to download a setup file and install it, which is a one-minute process.
After that, open the app and sign in with the previously provided credentials. ExpressVPN will then open up a dashboard with the connection button in the middle.
3. Connect to a Server in South Africa
From here, you need to find South Africa on the server list. To do that, open the server list by clicking on the three horizontal dots next to the country. Then, choose All Locations and click on “Middle East and Africa” to see the available countries.
Right under it, you’ll see South Africa, so to connect to a server there, double-click on it. In about two seconds, ExpressVPN will establish a connection, giving you a South African IP address in the process. You can see this when ExpressVPN turns green.
4. Make Sure Your New IP is in Place
Having done everything correctly, you can be sure you got a South African IP. However, if you want, you can check if this is really the case by using a website like iplocation.net. It will show you your current IP and the location associated with it.
As you can see, my IP address is based in Mbazwana, which is a city in this country, indicating that my attempt was indeed successful.
Benefits of Getting a South African IP With a VPN
When using a Virtual Private Network, you can be sure you get more than just a simple IP change. Here’s what benefits you’ll have.
Accessing Local TV Channels Abroad
As said, those on vacation in a foreign country can easily stay on track with shows and movies on local South African TV channels. These channels are geo-restricted to this country, preventing users abroad from accessing them due to licensing.
However, you can always pretend that you’re in this country. Once you change your IP to South Africa, you can access any channel you like anywhere on the planet, with no limits in terms of bandwidth and performance.
Watching Netflix South Africa
Netflix SA (South Africa) isn’t the biggest catalog out there. However, it has some unique shows and movies that you can access only in this country. The good news is that a VPN can let you access them with this IP address!
Once connected to a server in the country, you can visit Netflix and watch awesome series and movies available just in this library.
Encrypting Your Connection
Another worthy benefit is online security. As said, a VPN will encrypt your connection and make all your online activities invisible and untraceable to your ISP, hackers, snoopers, and people alike. This is great for avoiding government surveillance and staying anonymous online.
In addition, these benefits are useful for playing games online with no risk of DDoS or swatting attacks. Plus, you can stay safe on public WiFi networks if you’re a tourist, all thanks to the power of encryption and other security features that a VPN has.
Saving Money on Online Purchases
Prices of digital and physical goods tend to vary from country to country. You can, as such, use a VPN to save money on your travels, hotel rentals, and flight tickets by using an IP address from somewhere else. This is a pretty simple concept that always works.
Even a South African IP address will do, as it’s a less developed country with lower standards than, let’s say the US, the UK, and Germany. Thus, getting this IP can surely bring the prices down and let you go on a vacation for a significantly cheaper price.
Summary
With a VPN like ExpressVPN, obtaining a South African IP address isn’t very complicated. The only trick is to connect to a server in this country, which will give you the IP you want. I strongly suggest avoiding free proxies and free VPNs simply because they don’t work.
They have no servers in this country, which instantly makes them useless for this exact purpose. After all, you have nothing to lose by trying ExpressVPN. Thanks to a 30-day refund period, you can use it for 30 days risk-free and get reimbursed in the case of dissatisfaction or anything else.
If you want, you can also check out my review of CyberGhost VPN, which is a great alternative to ExpressVPN and can also give you an IP from South Africa.
FAQ
To finish everything off, let’s answer a few more questions.
Can I get a South African IP with a free VPN?
Unfortunately, we’ll have to answer with NO. Free providers are usually pretty bad, offering limits in more than a few ways. They frequently come with traffic limits, but more often than not, you’ll also find they’ll slow down your connection speed drastically.
When talking about free VPNs, it’s good to know that almost none of them will give you a South African IP. Why? Because they have no servers in this country, that’s why! We can mention TunnelBear, which does offer them but this free service limits you to only 2 GB of traffic a month.
This isn’t ideal if you use the internet often and you want to be able to enjoy VPN protection each session. 2 GB a month will evaporate in less than 2-3 hours, and for the rest of the month, you’ll stay unprotected and be vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Not to mention that free VPNs often have security problems and many of them even store logs. Compared to ExpressVPN or even CyberGhost, these VPNs are all but exceeding in quality. That’s why never recommend them in the first place.
Is it legal to use a VPN in South Africa?
Yes, it is completely legal. This isn’t a censored country and VPN bans aren’t present like in China, Iran, or Turkey. During our VPN testing in this country, we had no issues. Every service works well and VPNs are legal to use if you’re not doing anything illicit online.
Do I need a VPN if I’m in South Africa?
If you don’t need a South African IP because you’re in this country, do you even need a VPN? Well, we’d be lying if we said NO. A VPN is a nice addition to your day-to-day browsing, especially if you struggle with geo-blocks, DDoS attacks, torrenting safely, ISP throttling, and so on.
As you probably know, a VPN can fix these problems in an instant by connecting you to a server. Once your connection is encrypted, it’s easy to go online and enjoy the magic of the internet without any limits and problems.
