MungoP
The company's also are responsible for positioning you in and out of the "field", so they would infact pay for your positioning ticket, hotel etc.
All South African contract company's usually include accomodation, food, local transport and laundry in their costs so this is another saving to you, most contract pilots only ever open their own wallets for booze, while on contract.
Most contract company's are HIGHLY negotiable regarding captain salaries, its up to you to negotiate the best deal you can, even more so if they are desperate for crew.
Start with a high number and negotiate downwards from there, Ive also known of guys who negotiated extra perks in lieu of more money, eg , only bussiness class when postioning to and from contract.
Go for it !