BTA is a ruse by a scammer to get more money out of a would be victim.. It is fake. It does not exist. To confirm what I am telling you write to your embassy in South Africa.

yes...always check with your immigration services equivalent. never trust ANYTHING or ANYONE else. your checking account depends on it.

Thanks for the 2 answers,im still no closer to a answer,ive wrote to The S.African Gov,no answers there,strange,thats what i expected they dont care.The British Gov,no answer either,it must be a scam,that is myanswer.So its back to the drawing board for me.
Sham about the girl i left in Cape Town.

That is a clear scam. I still believe that any lady out there, you have the capacity to communicate on the net, has basic education. If she loves and cares for you, she can solicit her own ways to make sure she is with you in uk. Or otherwise, invite you to visit her wherever she is.

First, who says you need this? If the information is directly from the airline I'd question them and then check other airlines. If this was just something you were told I'd say it's B.S. I've never heard of basic travel allowance before. If it's something you were told in an email then I'd question the sender. Simply tell them you've found a carrier that doesn't require BTA and hope your 'lady' doesn't have an accident on the way to the airport. They get expensive :)

BTA (Basic Travel Allowance) aka PTS (Personal Travel allowance)

What is it?

As the others have mentioned it is a trick played by scammers. There is no such thing in the way a scammer explains it. There is NO requierement to have an amount in cash with you. Hell who travels with such amount of cash nowadays?

It is true that some countries (Australia is a good example) will ask for some proof that you can support yourself if you go there for a long period. However this usually means; if you go there to live. You either need a sponsor or sufficient funds in a banaccount.. This will always be approved BEFORE you get a VISA. Scammers however claim that they are held on the airport and have to show it there.

What was BTA?

BTA is something that has existed. It simply meant; "The MAXIMUM amount of foreign money you were ALLOWED to take OUT of the country"

It WAS introduced in poorer countries to not let the amount of foreign currency bleed dry as byuing it cost to much. However this rule has been suspended long ago and ceased to exist.

Google is your friend. Use the words: "Basic Travel Allowance" and you find all the information you want.