My son recently had a rabies vaccine out of an abundance of caution. It’s a series of unpleasant shots. The first is extremely unpleasant. There’s time to get it after you’ve been exposed. Unless your friend will be someplace extremely remote, it seems unnecessary to do that in advance of the trip. Just don’t pet stray cats and dogs, and seek medical attention if anything does bite.
I have some lightweight nylon clothing that has a very tight weave but has built-in ventilation. You can buy them anywhere hiking clothes are sold. I originally bought that kind of gear when i visited South Africa, to keep the bugs off. And i liked it so much that now i use it for gardening, instead of sunscreen. But it’s also pretty good at preventing mosquito bites. So a nice nylon hiking shirt might be a good gift.
No you don’t, not for prepaid - I always get one. There’s an MTN store (bright yellow) on the right hand side just as you walk out into the arrivals waiting area at JNB.
Second this. My whole family has had a couple of rabies shots each (it takes at least one more to provide full immunity) because we’ve lived in two countries (Mozambique and Egypt) that aren’t rabies free, and US government regulations that we were subject to insisted.
Only my son ever needed a third shot, and that was out of a super-super-abundance of caution because a feral cat nipped him very slightly. No one seriously thought he was in any danger.
Rabies shots are a PITA. Unless you are going somewhere so remote that you are a week or so away from basic medical care, you can wait until there is reason to believe you need one.