Embassy Activities

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the South African Embassy website and a new month. Please find below the highlights for this month and specific activities that were facilitated by the Embassy;

EMITT 2020
South Africa will be participating at the 24th East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition from 30 January-2 February 2020 at Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center, Istanbul. Led by SA Tourism, South Africa’s participation will be facilitated by the South African Embassy in Ankara and South African Tourism (SAT). The MEC of Free State Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs will attend EMITT 2020 on the margins of their investment promotion part of economic diplomacy duties.

EMITT is a valuable business platform providing new business and cooperation opportunities to the Turkish and global travel sectors. The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, TOBB, Turkish Airlines, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and organised with the help of Hyve Group, TUROFED and TTYD. South Africa’s participation is expected to showcase a whole spectrum of South Africa’s tourism potential.

INVESTMENT PROMOTION
A delegation of SMMEs, led by the Free State province MEC of Economic Development, Small Business and Tourism, Mr Makalo Mohale, will attend meetings with organised business structure Bursa and Istanbul. Courtesy calls were also paid to the Governor and the Mayor of Bursa. The delegation promoted Free State as an investment destination.

Free State Province will be receptive of investment from Bursa and the Bursa business community will consider import products from Free State. Issues of possible cooperation in skills exchange and technology came to the fore and were given the necessary attention. The SMMEs were particularly focusing on the ICT, Hospitality, Agro processing, textile and automotive sectors in relation to the SEZs demand and supply of goods and services.

EXPORT PROMOTION AND MINING INDABA 2020
2020 Mining Indaba Conference will be held on 3-6 February 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. Investing in African Mining Indaba is the world’s largest mining investment conference, dedicated to the capitalisation and development of mining in Africa. 

With a proven track record of bringing together Heads of State, Ministers, senior Government representatives, Major, Mid and Junior Mining Companies, Investors, professional services as well as mining equipment and service providers, Mining Indaba is the place to meet everybody who’s anybody in the African and global mining industry.

The Conference drives the mining industry forward, provides attendees with an unmatched access to the entire value chain and the most influential players in African mining for four days of high quality content, deal-making and networking opportunities.

A business delegation led by Petrofer Chairman and Honoray Consul, Mr Tamer Taskin will visit the City of Rustenburg for interaction with chambers of commerce and in Cape Town for Mining Indaba. For leisure, the delegation visited the lion park in Johannesburg and officially the delegation will grasp a mine shaft experience in Rustenburg and Cape Town. This visit aims to consider South Africa for importing mining equipment’s, minerals and commodities. Nevertheless, the visit contributed towards South Africa’s increase in tourist arrival statistics and business relations.

SONA 2020
State of the Nation Address 2020 will be held on Thursday 13 February 2020 at the Parliament Buildings in Cape Town. SONA marks the official opening of Parliament for the New Year, after a long Christmas recess.

The SA President Cyril Ramaphosa will talk about policy, what their administration aims to achieve over the next calendar year and how they plan to deal with challenges ahead. It is important for all South Africans because it tells all what government’s Programme of Action is for the year ahead. The Programme of Action is government’s plans for the country and people of South Africa. The President will address both Houses of Parliament, the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces to a joint sitting and will highlight key policy priorities for the year.

30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY 11 FEBRUARY 1990
The key critical milestones for the year 2020 will be the 30th Anniversary of the late former President Nelson Mandela’s historic release from the Victor Verster Prison on 11 February 1990.

On 11 February 1990 Nelson Mandela walked out of prison and embarked on a decade of historic endeavour. These were years of peace-making, negotiating, reckoning and transforming. South Africa’s transition from apartheid ended formally on 27 April 1994 with the first democratic general election.

33rd AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).

The 33rd African Union Summit will be realized in Addis Abada, Ethopia on 9-10 February 2020. The theme will be Silencing the Guns: Creating Conductive Conditions for Africa's Development. South Africa aims to promote peace and security and advance the effort to silence the guns by 2020 during its tenure at the African Union.

The Republic of South Africa will assume the Chairship of the African Union officially on the 8th and 9th February 2020. The African Union Chairship will aim at affirming South Africa's commitment to peace, security and stability on the continent.

I wish you all a successful month.

Tshepo Ranamane
South African Embassy in Ankara, Turkey