I lived in Johannesburg in 82 and 83 when SA was a safe and nice place to live. Even then getting a handgun was a little bit of a hassle the first time. There was no limit on ammo and I shot IPSC and was going through 200+ rounds a week. Compared to here the reloading was expensive but cheaper than loaded ammo.
I brought in some guns and sold them through a local dealer and doubled my money on them and he did as well. At the time you could have paid for a hunt by bringing in the right firearms to sell after the hunt was over.
I loved the country at the time but it isn't a particularly safe place to be right now. Most of the folks that I knew down there have moved to England, Australia or new Zealand and some came here.
I was just getting some good contacts for hunting down there when my time was up. At a going away party Gerry Gore told me he needed 6 guys to fill a cull Buffalo hunt. All I had to do was come up with a rifle big enough to fill the bill. Even then a Buff hunt was 6K.
When I accepted the job down there the South African Rand was $1.17 US. Last price I heard was about R9 to the dollar. SA was extremely rich in natural resources but the country's economy in is the dumper.