Rtn Flight Ticket longer than 90 days

My husband and I are going to Cape Town at the start of September and planning on staying until the New year. I've heard that's it's quite easy to get the 90 day tourist visa extended but when we enter the country will it be a problem if our flight ticket home is for a date more than 90 days after we arrive? Does anyone even ask to see your return flight ticket? We just don't want to arrive & find that it's an issue that our flight home isn't for another 4 months. Thanks.

I don't know about having a return ticket more than 90 days out, but I did arrive in South Africa in April without a return ticket at all. I was asked about my return date and said I didn't know and was told I had 90 days. I've also just applied for my extension and it is fairly simple.

Just wanted to offer my own experience... I am volunteering in SA from July to December, so I required a 6 month Volunteer Visa. But I understand that any stay over 90 days requires some kind of visa. What happens if you dont get it? I asked the same thing. If they look and see that you've been in the country longer than yo u should have, do you get fined? held back? risk missing your flight?? im coming from Canada, but best thing to do is check with your closest SA Consul. Probably depends what country you are coming from...

You can either apply for a permitfor the full time of your stay in advance at the nearest SA consulate or embassy or you will get a 90 day permit on arrival and be told that you will have to extend your permit in time at the Department of Home affairs.

If you overstay your permit you can get into trouble as you will be regarded as illegal immigrant.
It ranges from fines via deportation to not being allowed to enter South Africa any more (which would be a shame!).

I once overstayed a tourist permit but that's many years ago. They wanted to fine me R 1500 but I told them I changed my flight because I had money left and now I was broke. Then came the last boarding call for the flight I was booked for and they made a handwritten note "Overstayed welcome" :)
I used the same passport a couple of more times to enter SA and a couple of times for permit extensions / work permit stuff at Home Affairs and nobody ever gave a damn about the overstayed permit.
IMHO nice country, nice immigration officials, but don't rely on it.

I've have entered South Africa three times in the last 9 months and been asked to show my onward ticket everytime. last time the sharp-eyed lady pointed out that my return date was 92 days later, so I'd overstay my visa. I just moved flight forward rather than extend, but i've heard it's pretty easy to extend if you need to.

Got mixed up with colons and fullstop.
Meant to say:
IMHO nice country.
Nice immigration officials but don't rely on it.