South Africa works best for executives in the UK, Europe and the Gulf: on UTC+2 with no daylight saving, an EA in Johannesburg shares 7 to 9 hours with London, Madrid, Dubai or Riyadh, but only 2 to 3 with New York. English is one of 12 official languages and widely used in business, and the outsourcing sector added 26,346 jobs serving international markets in 2025. A local EA earns an average of about R301,000 a year (PayScale, 2026).
Shared hours with your city
Hours shared on a 9:00–18:00 day between an EA in Johannesburg and an executive in each city. More cities are in the time-zone overlap table.
| Executive in | January | July |
|---|---|---|
| London | 7 h | 8 h |
| Madrid or Amsterdam | 8 h | 9 h |
| Dubai | 7 h | 7 h |
| Riyadh | 8 h | 8 h |
| New York or Toronto | 2 h | 3 h |
South Africa uses UTC+2 all year; Europe and North America change their clocks, so the gap moves by an hour.
Language and business culture
English is one of South Africa's 12 official languages, and the government notes that most South Africans speak at least two of them. The country's business process industry body, BPESA, describes "a large availability of good quality English speaking talent". For an EA, that means correspondence, calls and documents in the same business English your team uses.
A growing outsourcing sector
According to BPESA, South Africa's global business services sector created 26,346 new jobs serving international markets in 2025, its highest annual total since 2018, and is recognized as a preferred offshore delivery location for the UK and U.S. That depth gives EAs corporate experience with international clients before they work with you.
What an EA earns locally
PayScale reports an average base salary of R301,056 a year for executive assistants in South Africa in 2026, from 498 self-reported profiles, with a range of roughly R25,000 to R572,000. Service fees for a remote EA include more than salary: vetting, payroll, tools, backup coverage and replacement. Compare models in what an executive assistant costs.
How Hedly works in South Africa
Hedly's founders built Talent Sam, which recruited and managed South African professionals for international companies until Simera acquired it in 2026. Today Simera's network includes 2,000+ South African professionals with executive-support experience. You meet 3 vetted EAs, each with a video interview, within 24 hours. See the South African EAs.
Frequently asked questions
01What time zone is South Africa in?
South African Standard Time, UTC+2, all year. South Africa does not use daylight saving time.
02Is South Africa a good fit for U.S. executives?
Mainly for the morning: a Johannesburg EA shares 2 to 3 hours with New York on a 9:00–18:00 day. Many U.S. clients use the time difference for overnight work and a morning handover.
03Do South African EAs speak English?
English is one of 12 official languages and widely used in business. Every Hedly EA is vetted on video for spoken and written English.
04How much does a South African EA earn?
PayScale reports an average base salary of about R301,000 a year in 2026, from self-reported profiles.
Sources
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