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Deputy President starts her Australian Working Visit The
News South Wales (NSW) State Governor, Professor Marie Bashir told Deputy President
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka yesterday (Tuesday, 17 October 2006) that she would really
love to visit South Africa next year. This, she said, welcoming the Deputy President
as she commenced her working visit to Australia. This is the first South
African high level delegation to visit Australia in recent years. The Trade and
Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa, Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi
Mangena, Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser Moleketi,
Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad and senior officials accompanied Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka.
"We are hoping to provide the high profile opportunity to highlight
the further strengthening of the political relations between South Africa and
Australia. We also wish to promote skills development of South Africans, training,
the placement of graduates in Australian companies and institutions of higher
learning and the subsidisation of training in South Africa to reverse skills drain
from South Africa to Australia," said the Deputy President. Australia
is South Africa's 21st largest trading partner; South Africa is by far Australia's
largest and most dynamic market in Africa. Over the past five years, total trade
between Australia and South Africa has grown by 10 percent per annum on average
with South Africa now representing Australia's 15 most significant merchandise
export market. In 2005 two-way merchandise trade was valued at AUSD $3,4 billion.
Australian exports to South Africa were AUSD $1,865 billion (mainly coal, crude
petroleum, passenger motor vehicles and medicaments) and Australian imports from
South Africa were AUSD $1,533 billion, notably passenger motor vehicles (mainly
BMW Series 3 vehicles) worth AUSD $736 million, as well as pig iron furniture
and fertilisers. Therefore, the mission wants to promote investment and trade
in South Africa. A business forum was co-hosted by the Office of the Premier
of New South Wales (NSW) Parliament and Dr Meredith Burgmann, President of the
NSW legislative council. Following the trade and industry minister's address on
the South African economic situation, several business people in Sydney expressed
interest in making business with some of the 25 strong South African business
delegation. Minister Mpahlwa painted the macroeconomic and microeconomic
pictures of South Africa and reminded delegates of the pre-1994 economic situation
in the country. "The South African democratic government's approach
to developing the economy and macro-economic stability has yielded the highest
rate of investment improving levels of competitiveness, and broadening economic
participation," said Minister Mpahlwa. Minister Mpahlwa also put in
a word for the broader African continent. He said that South Africa no longer
talked of investment in South Africa without considering the integral nature of
South Africa's relationship with other countries in Africa. The continent has
opened up new markets for the business community to expand and grow their exports.
"Our economic and political relations on the African continent have
shown dramatic improvements and created many new business opportunities. Trading
with and investing in other countries in Africa represents one of the most dynamic
areas of growth for South Africa business. For South Africa trade in Africa now
exceeds trade with the United States and we anticipate that Africa will be the
investment destination of choice for the next 15 to 20 years," Minister Mpahlwa
told the business people. The Deputy President proceeded to meet with the
representatives of the Queensland State Government and the Executive Directors
of the Macquarie Bank to also promote the Accelerated Share Growth Initiative
for South Africa (AsgiSA) and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition
(JIPSA), and sought firm commitments in terms of training, skills development,
placement and internships. Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka will meet with various senior
government members in Canberra today (Wednesday, 18 October 2006) to seek ways
in which South Africa can benefit from Australia's experience in developing a
viable and world-class film industry and to find ways of enhancing co-operation
between South Africa and Australia in the fields of culture and sport, and to
normalise the political relations between the two countries. She will thereafter
proceed to New Zealand. For further information, please contact: Thabang
Chiloane Tel: 096 1438 9864 778
Cell: 082 888 8783 Issued by:
The Presidency
18 October 2006
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