Flying to South Africa
There are many ways to fly to South Africa from Canada. The main gateway into South Africa is Johannesburg, although you may be fly to Cape Town directly as well. There are no direct flights from Canada; the most popular routes are Toronto-Washington-Johannesburg, Toronto-New York-Johannesburg, Toronto-Frankfurt-Johannesburg, Toronto-Amsterdam-Johannesburg, Toronto-Paris-Johannesburg, or Toronto-London-Johannesburg.

Airline enthusiasts are in for a treat. If you opt to fly Air France or Lufthansa, you will be flying the A380 down to Johannesburg. Having flown both Air France and Lufthansa's A380s, I believe Air France offers better seats and better service.

However, the best airline to fly down to Johannesburg is South African Airways (SAA). They offer the best in-flight service and in-flight entertainment. The crew is very friendly and they will be happy to serve you numerous servings of wine, liquor and beverages. It is also one of the few airlines left to provide a free amenity kit to all passengers.

Fares vary. A "cheap" fare would be anywhere below $1,400 CAD taxes included, round trip. If you see a fare below $1,400 during the busy seasons (e.g. December), grab it quick. An average fare is around $1,600. I would not consider anything above $1,600 - rather, wait around and watch the prices go up/down like a stock market before you buy. The lowest fare I've ever seen is Air Canada selling round-trip to Johannesburg for $970 incl. taxes for the month of April 2013 (as per Air Canada's website on March 1, 2013). That is a REALLY good deal and you cannot go cheaper than that.