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| SA CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACK IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA |
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| The South Africa Government condemns all forms and manner of terrorism. |
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The South African Government condemns in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack which took place in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in Northwest China, on 22 May 2014.
The South African Government sends it deepest condolences to the Government and the people of the People’s Republic of China, and in particularly to the families of the deceased and wish the injured speedy recoveries. |
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| SA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER THAI MILITARY COUP |
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| The South African Government condemns the coup and calls on all relevant parties to work speedily and through an inclusive process towards the restoration of constitutional order. |
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The South African Government has called for the return of constitutional order in Thailand following a coup d’état in that country last week.
The spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Clayson Monyela, advised all South Africans planning to travel, living in or visiting Thailand to register on the department’s ROSA System. ROSA, or the Registration of South African Abroad, is an electronic system that will assist DIRCO in locating you during an emergency, verifying your status and informing your loved ones. To access ROSA, go to www.dirco.gov.za, phone 012 351 1000 or e-mail rosahelp@dirco.gov.za.
South Africa said it would monitor the unfolding situation. |
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| AU MEMBERS MARK AFRICA DAY |
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| 25 May 2014 also marked the official closing of the year-long celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the OAU/AU. |
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South Africa joined the rest of the continent in commemorating Africa Day on 25 May. Held annually on 25 May, the day marks the anniversary of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, now known as the African Union (AU), by 32 governments in 1963.
Twenty other nations gradually joined the founder states over time. South Africa became the 53rd member of the AU on 23 May 1994.
Since its inception, the AU has advocated for enhanced cooperation and unity of the continent. |
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| SOUTH AFRICA CLIMBS BUSINESS TOURISM RANKINGS |
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| The ICCA's 2013 rankings, released recently, confirm South Africa's position as the top business events destination on the continent, followed by Kenya and Morocco. |
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South Africa has climbed from 37th to 34th in the International Congress and Convention Associations' (ICCA) latest rankings of business tourism destinations worldwide, with Cape Town and Durban being rated Africa's top two cities for meetings and events.
In the African cities ranking, Cape Town and Durban were followed by Nairobi in third place, while Stellenbosch outside Cape Town was placed 10th. Internationally, Cape Town came in at 52nd (behind Melbourne at 44th and Vancouver at 38th), while Durban jumped a massive 60 places to rank 97th in the world.
"Before 1994, the first year of our democracy, South Africa hosted 12 international association conferences," SA Tourism CEO Thulani Nzima said in a statement. "Fast forward to 2013, and we have grown this number to 118 ICCA recognised meetings.
"We have also hosted 1 038 international association conferences that met the ICCA's criteria since 1994, and remain ranked under the top 11 long haul destinations globally."
Major international events successfully hosted by South Africa include the International AIDS Conference in 2000; the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002; the 2010 Soccer World Cup; the 123rd Session of the International Olympic Organising Committee in 2011; COP17/CMP7 in 2011; the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) Summit; the World Congress on Intensive and Critical Care Medicine; and the One Young World Conference in 2013.
An estimated 20 000 delegates will converge on Durban in 2016 when the country hosts the International AIDS Conference for the second time. – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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| C-CLASS PRODUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA |
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| “The R5,4 billion that Mercedes-Benz South Africa had committed to investing in the plant was the largest single project investment by an automotive assembler since the inception of the Government's Automotive Investment Scheme in 2009.” |
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German automaker Mercedes-Benz has officially launched production of its new-generation C-Class sedan at the company's upgraded assembly plant in East London.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said the Government's Motor Industry Development Programme had successfully positioned South Africa sector as a competitive supplier of exported automotive products, and the recently implemented Automotive Production and Development Programme aimed to consolidate these gains and significantly increase the volume of products being manufactured in the country.
According to the company, over 550 direct jobs have been created at the plant, with 10 new suppliers adding to the tally of new jobs created around the new C-Class.
"Close to R60 million has been channelled into training initiatives, with more than 1 200 training interventions, including assignments to various international plants," the company said in a statement.
"In addition, nearly 900 unemployed people from the Border Kei region have been upskilled." – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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ACSA ASSISTS BRAZIL TO OPEN AIRPORT TERMINAL |
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| Acsa’s involvement in BRICS markets includes similar ground-breaking partnerships such as GVK for the management of Mumbai International Airport in India. In February, the GVK opened Terminal 2 that increased the airport’s annual capacity to 40 million passengers per annum with a retail footprint of 200 000 sq ft. |
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A new terminal at Brazil’s Guarulhos International Airport has been officially opened with the involvement of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa). The opening of the terminal formed part of Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which the country will host.
“Our involvement in projects of this scale and magnitude, while driven by the strategic desire to connect markets, has enabled the company to continue to provide world-class expertise for airport infrastructure development,” said Acsa CEO Bongani Maseko.
The latest achievement follows the successful development of South Africa’s major airports in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Acsa, in partnership with INFRAERO and Invepar who jointly form GRU – the consortium that won the bid to manage the airport in 2012 – has for the second time fulfilled its commitment to have another world-class airport ready in time for the world soccer event. Currently, Guarulhos is the largest international airport in Latin America. – Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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CHINA, AFDB SIGN US$2-BILLION DEAL FOR AFRICA FUND |
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The establishment of the fund will further deepen China-Africa financial cooperation to support Africa's long-term development |
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China's central bank and the African Development Bank Group recently signed a US$2-billion co-financing cooperation agreement for the African Common Growth Fund, the People's Bank of China said in a statement on its website.
The fund will provide co-financing to sovereign and non-sovereign guaranteed projects over the next 10 years to support African infrastructure and industrial development, the statement said. – Source: www.fin24.com |
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| SA, CHINA NATIONAL LIBRARIES TO EXCHANGE IDEAS |
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| The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will remain valid for a period of three years, renewable for another three-year term unless one of the parties decides not to renew the agreement. |
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The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) and the National Library of China (NLC) have signed an MoU that will see the two institutions cooperating in various areas and exchanging ideas on cultural issues.
The NLSA and NLC engaged in successful collaborations under their MoU signed in 2007 and 2010 and continued to enjoy close and cordial relations.
Speaking on behalf of the NLC, Yin Yali, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, said South Africa and China had a long history of cooperation. According to Yali, the National Library of China has about 32 000 books.
The NLSA, situated in Pretoria, holds a collection of South African published books, rare manuscripts, maps, newspapers, technical reports as well as official foreign and government publications. – Source: SAnews.gov.za |
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MANDELA MEDALLION FOR QUEEN AT CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW |
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The South Africa exhibit pays homage to Madiba with a vertical stone gabion memorial wall, inset with a pixel portrait of Nelson Mandela created from everlasting organic material in a palette of eight natural colours. |
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth was presented with a gold medallion minted in honour of the late Nelson Mandela as she paid a visit to South Africa's exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show in London recently. The Queen made the South Africa exhibit the first stop of her traditional tour of the show.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute (Sanbi) exhibit, incorporating a unique tribute to Mandela, was awarded a Silver Gilt medal at the show's opening.
Sanbi communications director Lihle Dlamini and Alan Demby, chairperson of the SA Gold Coin Exchange, presented the Queen with the commemorative medallion, bearing Mandela's image on the obverse and Mandela's Gold Strelitzia on the reverse. – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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| SOUTH AFRICA HOSTS WORLD CUP OF DISABLED GOLF |
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| The event was a 54-hole stroke-play championship and drew entries from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States |
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The South African Disabled Golf Association broke new ground last week with the hosting of the inaugural World Cup of Disabled Golf at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa in Limpopo.
Geoff Nicholas and Shane Luke of Australia chased down South Africa's Reinard Schuhknecht and Daniel Slabbert over the last four holes at to clinch the inaugural World Cup of Disabled Golf. – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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