On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma has congratulated President Alpha Condé on his re-election as President of the Republic of Guinea, following the Presidential elections held on 11 October 2015.

President Zuma further congratulated the people of the Republic of Guinea for conducting a peaceful, transparent, credible, free and fair election, as declared by the African Union and the Economy of West African States election observer teams.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa led a high-level South African diplomatic and trade delegation on an Official Visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 7 to 9 November 2015.

During the visit, the South African delegation explored opportunities for foreign direct investment, creating trading opportunities for South African investors while identifying skills development and training opportunities for South Africans in various Iranian sectors.

At a bilateral political level, Deputy President Ramaphosa paid a courtesy call on Iranian President, Dr Hassan Rouhani; and the Speaker of Parliament, Dr Ali Larinjani; and hold bilateral discussions with his counterpart, First Vice President Es‘haq Jahangiri, to strengthen bilateral political relations, consolidate regional cooperation on strategic regional security and stability in Africa and the Middle East while enhancing bilateral cooperation on reform of global political and economic governance, including reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Deputy President Ramaphosa also inaugurated the South Africa-Iran Business Council. During the 12th Joint Commission, held in May this year, the two countries agreed to elevate and consolidate trade, investment and economic relations and concluded action plans in the finance, trade, agriculture and energy sectors.

Several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were finalised during the Official Visit in agriculture; finance, trade and industry; mineral resources; and science and technology.

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, recently briefed the media on preparations for the FOCAC Summit, which is scheduled for 4 to 5 December 2015 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, under the theme: “Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development”.

The Johannesburg Summit of the FOCAC will be the first FOCAC Summit to be held in Africa, and only the second one in the 15 years since FOCAC’s inception; the first being the historic 2006 Beijing Summit.

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said South Africa assumed the role as co-chair of FOCAC at the conclusion of the Fifth FOCAC Ministerial Conference in 2012, taking over from Egypt. “Our role as co-chair is for the period 2012 to 2018.”

“It is expected that African heads of state and government, representatives from the African Union (AU), heads of regional organisations and multilateral organisations will participate in the summit.

“It is envisaged that the Johannesburg Summit will elevate the Africa-China relationship to a new level that would have a beneficial impact and give impetus to Africa’s developmental agenda. Africa and China have forged strong economic relations, particularly since 2009 when China became the continent’s largest trading partner.

“It is expected that the summit will adopt the Johannesburg Declaration and Action Plan, which will outline specific measures aimed at consolidating the growing mutual partnership between Africa and China.

“The FOCAC platform is based on the principles of South-South cooperation and mutual and equal benefit, with a view to addressing various areas of concern for Africa’s socio-economic development and integration. These include deepening cooperation in the areas of infrastructure development, debt relief, industrialisation, investment promotion, market-access expansion, agriculture, science and technology, health, education, and people-to-people cultural exchanges, among others.”

“The FOCAC platform provides an opportunity to further stimulate growth and unlock new opportunities between China and Africa on trade and other matters.

“South Africa’s overall medium to long-term strategic objective with regard to the FOCAC, as co-chair, is to work closely with China to ensure that future FOCAC declarations and action plans are effectively implemented in line with the AU’s Agenda for Regional and Continental Integration and Development, through its flagship programmes: New Partnership for Africa’s Development and Agenda 2063, including the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.”

Lesotho and South Africa have exchanged views and experiences on issues of governance relating to planning, monitoring and evaluation in order to improve the level of service delivery in both countries.

The Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Chairperson of the National Planning Commission, Jeff Radebe, recently hosted Lesotho’s Deputy Prime Minister Mothejoa Metsing and his delegation in Pretoria.

“Both South Africa and Lesotho have a long history as neighbours and we have strong historical ties as well, as Lesotho is among the countries that gave sanctuary to freedom fighters in order for us to defeat the system of apartheid,” Minister Radebe said.

He said going forward, the countries needed to synergise their plans and monitoring systems to benefit from each other’s experiences.

Deputy Prime Minister Metsing said Lesotho would forever remain indebted to South Africa for its loyal support, as the country was the first point of call whenever Lesotho experienced challenges, and it was the only neighbour Lesotho has.

“South Africa has always been engaged in the problems of Lesotho and there has been a number of agreements that have been signed by the two countries. Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa and the relationship of our countries is unique,” he said. – Source: www.SAnews.gov.za

The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, recently held an interactive multistakeholder engagement in preparation for South Africa’s participation in the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held from 30 November to 11 December in Paris, France.

“The UNFCCC Secretariat synthesis of all Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted so far has concluded that the sum of all emission reduction pledges is likely to put the world on track to a 3°C temperature increase.

“In the African context, this implies a 4°C to 6°C temperature rise in many countries,” she said. Inevitably, this will have an impact on water and food security, infrastructure and overall development of countries on the continent, including South Africa.

Minister Molewa said it was clear that collectively the INDCs would not reach the level of ambition that science indicated was required to keep the world temperature rise below 2°C.

“The Paris Agreement must therefore find a way to address this ambition gap. This is a survival issue for many African countries and Small Island Developing States,” she said.

South Africa, which is part of the Africa Group, will negotiate for a Paris agreement under the convention that is ambitious, durable, fair and effective. Minister Molewa said the agreement must balance environmental and development imperatives.

“The deal must have adaptation at its core and there must be an ambitious outcome on finance, technology and capacity-building to support the adaptation and mitigation efforts of developing countries. A key position of the Africa Group is that adaptation is a global responsibility,” she said.

The international climate change talks are expected to be the culmination of a four-year negotiation process that was initiated in Durban at COP17 in 2011.

All parties to the UN Climate Convention are expected to adopt either a protocol, legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force in order to conclude the Durban Mandate.

The agreement will be applicable to all parties and will come into effect from 2020.

South Africa submitted the country’s INDC to the UNFCCC by the 1 October deadline. – Source: SAnews.gov.za

The Fourth BRICS International Competition Conference was held from 12 to 13 November 2015 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre, Durban, under the theme: “Competition and Inclusive Growth”.

South Africa’s strong competition regulation enables citizens to participate fairly in the national economy. It promotes the involvement of more people in the productive sectors of the economy and levels the playing field in business.

South Africa’s competition regulation contributes to greater citizen participation and it has made material strides in combating cartels and price-fixing. It has led the way in the application of public interest considerations in mergers and acquisitions.

The new agreement was signed recently in Johannesburg by Minister Pandor and Madagascar's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Marie Rasoazananera.

Both ministers said the agreement would deepen cooperation between the two countries and boost Africa's research capacity, empowering it to deal with challenges facing the continent through STI.

South Africa's STI cooperation with Madagascar is strategic due to the latter's status and the quality of its basic research outputs. The country produces a high number of university graduates and, like South Africa, has a clear vision and national drive to create knowledge capital through research outputs.

Madagascar is one of the eight African countries involved in the Square Kilometre Array project to build the world's largest radio telescope. The country is also actively involved in the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network, which involves the construction of terrestrial and marine optical fibre networks throughout Africa.

The Danish Minister of Environmental and Food, Eva Kjer Hansen, and Water and Sanitation Minister, Nomvula Mokonyane, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Johannesburg recently.

This comes as the country faces a burgeoning water crisis that has depleted many municipalities and the agriculture sector since last year.

Addressing the situation, Minister Mokonyane said an estimated 6 500 stand-alone rural communities were currently experiencing water shortages, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West.

She said the Danish support would be instrumental in finding sustainable solutions.

Her department said in a statement the country had the opportunity to "learn from the best".

Minister Hansen said the Danish would offer its technology, solutions and experience, which it had spent years developing through trial and error.

"Our hope is that the lessons we have learned can help smooth your [South Africa's] journey," she said.

"Just as we have partnered for democracy and renewable energy, we are starting to collaborate closely on water. I am certain this will be hugely beneficial to both our countries."

The MoU between Denmark and South Africa includes:

• integrated water resources management


• water treatment technologies and management


• water and resource efficiency


• groundwater protection and management


• water governance and science


• capacity-building and institutional strengthening.

The Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, gave a keynote address at the DISCOP AFRICA Conference Gala Dinner on 5 November in Sandton. At the Gala Dinner, the People’s Republic of China was acknowledged as “Guest Country of Honour” for this year’s edition of DISCOP Africa.

Supported by the Department of Arts and Culture under its Mzansi Golden Economy strategy and the City of Johannesburg, the DISCOP Africa trade show, from 4 to 6 November, consisted of a content market and co-production forum, a conference, workshops, and film and television shows and exhibitions.

The gathering brought together producers in the film and television industry under one roof to network and discuss the opportunities and economic potential of the continent, including giving a platform to emerging creators seeking to turn their ideas into marketable content.