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| PRESIDENT ZUMA TO LEAD SA TEAM TO US-AFRICA SUMMIT |
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| The summit is expected to bring United States (US) and African business executives together to discuss investment and business opportunities in Africa. |
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President Jacob Zuma is scheduled to lead a delegation to participate in the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, under the theme: “Investing in the Next Generation”, from 5 to 6 August 2014.
There will also be side meetings for American and African chief executive officers and an African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Ministerial Meeting. These meetings are aimed at strengthening relations between US and Africa, particularly in trade and investment.
The envisaged outcomes are: the encouragement of regional integration on the continent; support for various African Union economic development programmes; peace and security, including the extension of AGOA; climate change and environment protection issues; and assistance to meet the Africa 2063 Vision goals.
AGOA, which enables 39 eligible sub-Saharan African countries to export most products duty-free to the US, has seen total African exports to the US more than quadruple, and US exports to sub-Saharan Africa more than triple, since its inception in 2000
In August, US Trade Representative Michael Froman told a two-day forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that the US was looking to work with African experts and leaders on forging an improved "AGOA 2.0" before the expiry of its current version in 2015.
Around 43% of South Africa's exports, totalling to about $4,6 billion, have entered the US under the AGOA programme.
– Source: www.southafrica.info |
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| PRESIDENT ZUMA SENDS A MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCES FOLLOWING AH5017 CRASH |
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| The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has been informed that no South African were on board. |
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On behalf of the Government and the people of the Republic of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma has conveyed a message of condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of all the victims of the Air Algerie Airlines plane that crashed over northern Mali on 24 July 2014.
“We also extend our sympathies to the Government and the peoples of all other countries whose nationals perished in the crash." |
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| DEPUTY MINISTER MFEKETO ATTENDS THE 16TH SADC MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE OF THE ORGAN (MCO) |
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The MCO meeting is a legislative meeting held annually to consider the status of decisions and ongoing programmes in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The Ministerial Meeting was preceded by a Senior Officials’ Meeting. |
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The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Nomaindia Mfeketo, undertook a Working Visit to Swakopmund, Namibia, to attend the 16th Meeting of the SADC MCO on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, from 24 to 25 July 2014.
The SADC ministers considered the following matters on the agenda of the MCO meeting:
- Reports of the Inter-State Politics and Diplomacy Committee, the Defence and Security Committee and the Public Security Sub-Committee.
- The political and security situation in the region, the UNIVISA (i.e a single visa system for SADC), the SADC Electoral Advisory Council, mediation structures and building the capacity of the SADC Secretariat.
- Elections that have been held in the reporting period in Madagascar, South Africa and Malawi. SADC election observer missions were deployed to the three countries. Still to take place this year, are elections in Mozambique on 15 October, in Botswana on 31 October, and Namibia in November.
- SADC’s mediation, conflict prevention and preventative diplomacy structures, which were approved in 2010. Provision is made under these structures for the establishment of a Panel of Elders, a Mediation Reference Group and a Mediation Support Unit.
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| DEPUTY MINISTER LANDERS ADDRESSES IGD SYMPOSIUM ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE G77 + CHINA |
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| The theme for the symposium was “G77 + China @ 50: South Africa/Africa and the Changing Multilateral Diplomacy of the South”. |
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The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Luwellyn Landers, delivered a keynote address at an international symposium hosted by the Institute of Global Dialogue (IGD), associated with UNISA, in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
Other speakers included:
- Susana Caputi (Honorary Consul of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Chair of G77+China)
- Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko (Deputy Director-General: Multilateral, DIRCO)
- Roberto Bissio (Coordinator, Social Watch International Secretariat, Uruguay)
- Ambassador George Nene (Former Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations [UN] in Geneva)
- Ambassador James Jonah (Former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs)
- Ambassador John Tesha (Executive Secretary, Africa Forum)
- Ambassador David KA Kikaya (Former Permanent Representative of Kenya to UN-Habitat).
Deputy Minister Landers said that the G77 had played a critical role in promoting South-South cooperation for development as well as successfully strengthening economic and technical cooperation among developing countries themselves.
In the context of South Africa’s 20 years of democracy celebrations coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the G77, the Deputy Minister said: “South Africa is grateful to the past leadership of the G77 for their invaluable contribution towards the defeat of the apartheid regime, for the manner in which they ensured that it became clear in the United Nations General Assembly that apartheid was not only untenable, but also that it was a crime against humanity." |
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| PRESIDENT OBAMA RENAMES AFRICA PROGRAMME FOR MANDELA |
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| President Obama announced the fellowship during a visit to South Africa last year. It connects young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at top United States universities. |
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A programme designed to foster a new generation of young African leaders was renamed after former South African President Nelson Mandela.
President Barack Obama, who has said he was one of the untold millions of people around the world who were inspired by Mandela's life, announced the name change at an event in Washington with several hundred young leaders from across sub-Saharan Africa on 28 July.
The youngsters were participating in the inaugural Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, as part of the broader Young African Leaders Initiative that Obama launched in 2010 to support a new generation of leadership there. – Source: AP |
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| SOUTH AFRICA TO HOST THE GLOBAL SMART PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE |
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| The hosting will also address the aims and objectives of the National Development Plan on improving science and technology for socio-economic transformation in South Africa and on improving our innovative edge in the region, the continent and globally. |
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Cabinet has approved that South Africa hosts the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue in October 2014 under the theme: “Leveraging Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for Socio-Economic. Transformation through Smart Partnership Principles”.
The dialogue provides a platform for heads of states, business leaders, scientists, academics and student leaders to exchange ideas and experiences related to STI. Furthermore, the dialogue seeks to boosting socio-economic transformation, development and growth in Africa. |
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| BUSINESS SHOWCASED SA IN THAILAND |
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| The business delegation participated in various business-to-business meetings, site visits and trade and investment seminars. |
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| South African Ambassador to Thailand, Robina Marks, with Achana Limpaitoon, President of the Thailand Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, in Bangkok. |
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A South African business delegation visited Bangkok, Thailand, from 28 to 30 July 2014 for the Outward Selling and Investment Mission (OSIM) supported by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti).
The objective of the OSIM was to create market access for South African value-added products and services to enter Asian markets, and profile South Africa as an investment destination of choice. The choice of these two countries is informed by the dti’s diversification strategy, which aims to leverage market opportunities and ensure that South Africa’s exports to dynamic high-growth markets are facilitated.
Sectors targeted for the OSIM were agroprocessing, jewellery and automotive components sectors.
Total trade between Thailand and South Africa was R31,1 billion in 2013, with a trade balance of R22 billion in favour of Thailand. South African exports to Thailand totalled R4,6 billion, while imports totalled R26,5 billion in the same year. South Africa mainly source special classification products such as vehicle parts, which constitute 45% of imports. |
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| SAMSUNG TO BUILD TV FACTORY IN SOUTH AFRICA |
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| The Dube TradePort is an air-freight logistics hub located alongside King Shaka International Airport, 30 kilometres north of Durban. It is poised to become one of the special economic zones that South Africa is busy setting up in order to boost investment in the country. |
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South Korean electronics and technology giant Samsung is set to invest US$20 million (nearly R220 million) in a new television factory at the Dube TradePort in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, in order to take advantage of rising demand for consumer goods in Africa.
"We plan to start construction of the TV plant in South Africa in the latter half of the year," Samsung said in a statement cited by the Korea Times earlier this week. "The investment will be US$20 million through 2018."
Trade and Industry Director-General, Lionel October, in an interview with news agency Bloomberg last week, said Samsung had identified the Dube TradePort "as a space to operate from". President Jacob Zuma "will launch the special economic zone within a month or so, and the first investment anchor will be Samsung," October said.
The South African factory will be Samsung's second in Africa. The first, located in Beni Suef, Egypt, began production in September 2013. – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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| DRILLING BEGINS ON SOUTH AFRICA'S FIRST DEEP-WATER WELL |
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| The multibillion rand drilling operation gives fresh impetus to South Africa's nascent upstream oil and gas industry. |
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French multinational Total and its partner, Canadian Natural Resources International, recently officially launched the drilling operation for South Africa's first deep-water well in the Outeniqua Basin, south of Mossel Bay in the Western Cape.
While substantial gas discoveries have been made offshore of Tanzania and Mozambique in recent years, South African petrochemicals giant Sasol recently announced plans to explore for oil and gas along South Africa's east coast, and Australian company Sunbird Energy is pushing ahead with the development of a major gas project off South Africa's west coast.
"South Africa's deep offshore, in particular the Outeniqua Basin, is one of the few remaining under-explored offshore regions in Africa," Marc Blaizot, senior vice-president for exploration at Total, said in September last year, when his company completed the acquisition of a 50% stake in Block 11B/12B from Canadian Natural Resources.
The block is located in the Outeniqua Basin, around 175 kilometres off South Africa's southern coast, and covers an area of 19 000 square kilometres with water depths ranging from 200 to 1 800 metres.
Mineral Resources Minister, Ngoako Ramatlhodi, speaking at the launch, said South Africa's emerging upstream oil and gas industry had great potential to contribute to economic growth and job creation.
"Drilling in deep water is novel to South Africa and will therefore also bring with it avenues for skills transfer in the deep-water exploration space," Ramatlhodi added. – Source: www.southafrica.info |
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| SA WOMEN OFF TO FRANCE FOR WORLD CUP |
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| The World Cup, which will be hosted in Marcoussis outside Paris, will mark the third successive appearance in the tournament for the South African national women's team. |
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The Springbok Women's Rugby team departed from Johannesburg on 27 July 2014, bound for the IRB Women's Rugby World Cup in France, with high hopes of achieving their best-ever finish in the international spectacle following months of preparation and specialist skills training.
They have been drawn in a very challenging pool that also includes Australia, hosts and Six Nations champions, France, and Wales.
"We have been working very hard in the last few months on our conditioning, technique and our game plan and I am pleased to see the level at which the team is now," Springbok Women's coach Lawrence Sephaka said in a statement.
A R2,3-million grant from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund made the Springbok Women's Rugby team's participation in the tournament possible. Source: www.southafrica.info |
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