Ah, thanks chaps/chapettes.
My view was the same as Shunter's before I contacted the flying club in SA. Perhaps the SA FI misunderstood my intentions. I'll check.
172driver - I know the whole process could take a long time from start to finish, but my understanding was that most of the prep work could be done from the UK, with only the final 3-4 days of actual check flight and air law exam in SA. The prospect of nav flights etc etc and then a long period of paperwork chasing came as a shock.
I'll look into Irv Lee's book. I'm a regular visitor to SA having grown up in Cape Town, so it may come in handy.
If anyone knows more, please pm me. Thanks