Prime Minister Tony Blair to pay Official Visit to South Africa

Pretoria - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will on Thursday 31 May 2007 arrive in South Africa where he is expected to pay an official visit from 31 May - 01 June 2007 to hold discussion with President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings, in Pretoria. This will be Prime Minister Blair's last visit before stepping down as Prime Minister of Great Britain.

The visit is significant since it takes place on the eve of the G8 Summit scheduled for Germany to which President Mbeki has been invited as part of the African group. In addition it is anticipated that Prime Minister Blair will deliver a major policy speech focusing on Africa.

Prime Minister Blair has consistently emphasised the importance of Africa's development by designating the year 2005 as the Year of Africa. As a consequence, Africa's development was primary item on the agenda of the G8 Summit held in Gleneagles and many of the recommendations of the Commission for Africa were taken up at the Gleneagles Summit building on the G8 Africa Action Plan launched at Kananaskis in Canada in 2002.

Much of this was incorporated into an agreed, detailed set of commitments by the G8 to address the areas of poverty, covering aspects such as peace and security, good Governance, human development and growth.

The British Government views South Africa as a major strategic partner in Africa and South Africa expects that this relationship will be consolidated by Prime Minister Blair's successor. Accordingly Prime Minister Blair's visit will afford us an opportunity to review our bilateral political, economic and trade relations and how they can be deepened.

Bilateral Economic Relations
The bilateral trade relations between the two countries have shown an upward trend over the years. It reached 27.8 billion pounds sterling in 2004. In addition, there is a healthy flow of investment in both directions. The United Kingdom remains the largest foreign investor in South Africa and over 200 South African companies have established a presence in the UK.

The top five export commodities from the United Kingdom to South Africa are: Non-metallic minerals, office machines, road vehicles, telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus as well as medicinal and pharmaceutical products.

South Africa's top five export commodities to the United Kingdom are: Non-metallic minerals, coal, coke and briquettes, road vehicles, vegetables and fruit and non-ferrous metals.

The SA/UK small business partnership programme was launched in 2000. This programme aims to develop business partnership between the UK and South African companies owned and managed by previously disadvantaged groups. Funds from British Trade International and the EU are supporting the programme. Over 50% of total South African exports to the United Kingdom are either precious metals or "unclassified goods". With about 12 billion pounds worth of investment in South Africa, Britain holds the greatest amount of total foreign investment stock in South Africa. British companies employ more than 40% of all those employed by foreign firms. Nine of the top twenty foreign companies in SA are British.

The UK is South Africa's 3rd largest export market with an annual growth of 16% between 2004 - 2005.

SOUTH AFRICAN IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM (ZAR'000)

TOURISM

South Africa is regarded as a destination of choice by British tourists. The United Kingdom is, after Africa, by far our most significant source of tourists, a position it has not relinquished for the past 15 years.

According to SA Tourism, the number of tourists from the United Kingdom, from January to October 2002, amounted to 338, 853.

In 2004, a total of 456,368 British tourists visited South Africa and the latest statistics indicate that the figure for 2006 increased to almost 500,000.

Media Programme for Official Visit to South Africa by British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Thursday 31 May - Friday 1 June 2007

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853

Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

30 May 2007