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MINISTER NKOANA-MASHABANE CONGRATULATES NEW AFRICAN, CARRIBBEAN AND PACIFIC (ACP) SECRETARY-GENERAL |
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The Minister reaffirmed South Africa's support for intra-ACP processes currently underway to reposition the ACP as a dynamic and viable intercontinental grouping representing the common development aspirations of African, Caribbean and Pacific peoples. |
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The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, extended her congratulations to Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni on his appointment as the new Secretary-General of the ACP group at the Special ACP Council of Ministers held on 26 March 2013 in Brussels.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said Mr Mumuni took over the reins of the ACP at a critical time when the group was redefining its mandate and role in light of the momentous changes taking place in the global political and economic landscape, and with the imminent expiry of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in 2020.
Mr Mumuni is the immediate past Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, and assumed his new responsibilities on 1 April 2013. |
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| THIRD SOUTH AFRICA-ETHIOPIA JOINT MINISTERIAL COMMISSION (JMC) MEETING HELD |
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| The ministers noted continued efforts to strengthen and improve coordination and consultations, especially with regard to strengthening regional economic communities (RECs) and the African Union (AU) for the advancement of regional and continental integration. |
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The Third Session of the South Africa-Ethiopia JMC took place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 28 March 2013, led by Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, and Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
The ministers expressed their satisfaction with the prevailing warm relations at political level. They also welcomed the announcement in July 2012 by a South African company, Pretoria Portland Cement Company Limited, which with the support of the Industrial Development Corporation, secured a significant stake in the Habesha Cement Share Company of Ethiopia. Trade and Industry South Africa has committed to lead a business delegation to Addis Ababa in April 2013.
The two ministers also exchanged views on the latest developments in their respective regions and on the rest of the continent. They welcomed the new Somali Federal Government under the leadership of President Hassan Mohamoud and committed to supporting Somalia in achieving its goals for peace, security and development. |
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PARIS CEREMONY HONOURS ANTI-APARTHEID
ACTIVIST DULCIE SEPTEMBER |
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In 2009, Dulcie September was posthumously honoured by the Government of the Republic of South Africa with the Order of Luthuli: Silver for her excellent contribution to the struggle for
a non-racial, non-sexist, just and democratic South Africa. |
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The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Marius Fransman, paid tribute to Dulcie September in Paris, on 29 March 2013 at an event commemorating her assassination on 29 March 1988 in Arcueil.
Speaking during the 25th annual Remembrance Ceremony, Deputy Minister Fransman said Dulcie September’s entire youth and adult life was characterised by a spirit of selflessness, sacrifice, dedication and commitment to fighting all forms of oppression and discrimination. Her ideals until the day she died remained to build a united, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa. |
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| SOUTH AFRICAN RESERVE BANK (SARB) TO INVEST IN CHINA’S INTERBANK BOND MARKET |
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This agreement will deepen the relationship between the SARB and the People's Bank of China (PBoC) as part of the cooperation between China and South Africa on a bilateral basis as well as within the BRICS context. |
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The SARB has signed an agreement with the PBoC that enables the bank to invest in China’s interbank bond market. The Chinese bond market is the world’s fifth-largest bond market and it continues to grow rapidly in both depth and liquidity.
The agreement enables the SARB to invest approximately US$1,5 billion or CNY9,3 billion, which is roughly 3% of South Africa’s official gold and foreign exchange reserves of US50 billion. The agreement will also deepen the relationship between the SARB and the PBoC as part of the cooperation between China and South Africa on a bilateral basis as well as within the BRICS context. |
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| SOUTH AFRICA, RUSSIA SIGN SATELLITE PACT |
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| The agreement not only confirms a strategic role we can play in the area of global space science and technology (S&T), due to our geographic location in the southern hemisphere, but also provides an opportunity to use space S&T to contribute towards socio-economic development. |
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The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) have signed an agreement that will see the RadioAstron satellite mission collaborating with radio astronomy facilities in Africa, including the planned Square Kilometre Array. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the fifth BRICS Summit in Durban on 26 March.
Launched by Roscosmos in July 2011, the RadioAstron project is an international collaboration led by the Astro Space Centre of the Lebedev Physical Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences) in Moscow. Other partners include the European Space Agency, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (United States of America), the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (India) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia).
Telecommunications company Telkom has made an 18-metre C-Band antenna available for RadioAstron tracking in South Africa. Under the agreement signed, Roscosmos will provide the hardware for upgrading the South African tracking station for compatibility with RadioAstron, while Sansa will install and maintain the upgraded hardware and operate the tracking station.
Speaking after the signing, South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, said
that the agreement not only confirmed a strategic role we could play in the area of global space S&T, due to our geographic location in the southern hemisphere, but also provides an opportunity to use space S&T to contribute towards socio-economic development. |
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MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) SIGNED BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND CHINA ON RHINO POACHING |
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| The signing of the MoU between the two countries comes only three months since the signing of a similar agreement with Vietnam aimed at promoting cooperation in the field of biodiversity conservation and protection. |
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The fight against rhino poaching was given a further shot in the arm with the signing of an MoU between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China on cooperation in the fields of wetland and desert ecosystems and wildlife conservation. The MoU was signed by South Africa’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, and Chinese Minister, Wang Yi, at the Union Buildings, Pretoria, on 1 April.
While both agreements are designed to promote cooperation between South Africa, China and Vietnam on broader issues of conservation, they are particularly aimed at curbing the current scourge of rhino poaching through cooperation in law enforcement, and compliance with international conventions and other relevant legislation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. |
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THE DTI LAUNCHES THE INDUSTRIAL POLICY ACTION PLAN (IPAP) 2013/14 – 2015/16 |
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The Action Plan outlines government’s initiatives to accelerate the industrialisation of the South African economy and reflects continuous improvements and strengthening of concrete industrial development interventions. |
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The IPAP 2013/14 – 2015/16 was launched by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, in Sandton on 4 April. In its fifth edition, the Action Plan provides an opportunity to reflect on key achievements experienced since the publication of the first IPAP in 2007.
The IPAP had stabilised South Africa's clothing sector, turned around the automotive sector and added jobs in the business process services sector.
The Action Plan also introduced procurement designation to boost local manufacturing, by designating certain products requiring minimum levels of local production and content in order to qualify for procurement by the State. Earlier this year, Minister Davies further designated electrical valves, manual and pneumatic actuators, electrical and telecommunications cables, and components of solar water heaters to the list of designated products. |
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DIGITAL VISITS TO ROBBEN ISLAND |
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Mandela 27 partners are the Robben Island Museum, Britain's Coventry University, the European Union's Cultural Programme, Belgium's Creative Stories Project, and Elderberry, a content developer. |
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A multimedia project, Mandela 27, will bring the tales of Robben Island to life digitally as part of a new international campaign.
Mandela 27 aims to highlight the social events that influenced change in South Africa and Europe during former South African President Nelson Mandela’s 27 years in prison.
It was launched at Cape Town's gateway to Robben Island last month, and will draw on cultural links between South Africa and Europe during the apartheid era. It is estimated to cost about R5 million (US$539 000) and part of the funding will come from the European Union.
Most of the stories will be told through an interactive website with a map interlinking events of activism in South Africa and Europe. There will also be a video game that will be used as an educational tool to teach children about the island and anti-apartheid activists. |
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