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Newsletter of the South African Embassy in Berlin
Dear readers, friends of South Africa,
During the past few months, the Embassy has been involved in many exciting opportunities and events, including the hosting of our National Day on 27 April 2018, to mark South Africaâs 24th year of democracy, or South Africaâs participation in the 829th Port Anniversary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, as this yearâs partner country.
In this year dedicated to the celebration of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Year, several events have already taken place to honour the life of our remarkable icon, including, the first of the UNICEF and Peter Krämer Foundation's Mandela fun-run initiative to raise funds for South African Schools. I also presonally attended the First Mandela Soccer Youth Cup in Barsinghausen and I was honoured to attend the opening of a Film Series in honour of the 100th Anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela at Berlin's Kino in der Kulturbrauerei.
Additionally, further exciting events are scheduled to take place throughout the year to celebrate the Nelson Mandela Centenary Year, such as the Mandela Tribute Concert: Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Special Guests live at Columbia Theater on 20 July 2018 and the launch of the South African-German Joint Commemorative Stamp, 2 August 2018.
In this edition of our quarterly newsletter, we have put together news and activities concerning the above mentioned topics, events involving South Africans in Germany, as well as selected news from South Africa that we deem relevant for our audience here in Germany.
I hope you enjoy the read!
With warmest regards
Ambassador Stone Sizani
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa to the Federal Republic of Germany
(Picture Credit: fotodesign-klaus-dombrowsky.de)
Paul Simonâs legendary album âGracelandâ made them famous overnight â in the meantime Ladysmith Black Mamabazo have won five Grammys and collected another 19 Grammy nominations while entertaining their worldwide public with their wonderful singing harmonies and impressive choreographies on the highest level since more than five decades. On Friday, 20 July 2018 at 20h00 they will be honouring Madiba with a live concert in Berlin's Columbia Theater, with the South African Indie-Pop band Dear Reader as an opener and an after show party with DJ Floyd Lavine.
On the occasion of the Mandela Centenary celebrations, the South African Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services, the German Federal Ministry of Finance and the German Federal Foreign Ministry have agreed to jointly issue a commemorative stamp in honour of Nelson Mandela, and reflecting the friendship and cooperation between their respective countries. Officially released in Germany on 12 July 2018, the German commemorative stamp will be launched at a special event on the 2nd August at Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt with a special tribute concert by South Africa's youth orchestra MIAGI (Music is a Great Investment). The German stamp has been designed by Design: André Heers and Annette le Fort.
|+| more info & tickets for launch
Twelve world-class, South African component suppliers and industry experts from the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), the Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC), and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) will proudly showcase their products, services and innovations at the dti-led South African National Pavilion at the Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt from 11 â 15 September, 2018. Automechanika is the worldâs leading trade fair for the automotive services industry / aftermarket.
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On 4th July 2018, the Mission had the priviledge to welcome a group of young adults from Bremen and Durban under the direction of Dr. Matthias Reick (Bremen Track and Field Association). The group consisting of 16 young athlets from Bremen und 16 from Durban is working on the UN Sustainable Development Goal of sustainable cities and communities, using sports, movement and health as their common denominator to explore and experience different projects and get inspiration in order to engage in their local communities in the future. This was a great and inspiring example of youth exchange, facilitated by MP Dagmar Freitag!
Minister Plenipotentiary, Advocate Mohamed Cassimjee, Mr Jacob Moatshe, Minister Counsellor: Economic and Mr Mike Basson, Counsellor: Bilateral paid a two-day visit to the Federal State of Schleswig Holstein. During the visit, meetings were held with the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Schleswig-Holstein, the IHK Flensburg, companies in Kiel and the leadership of the European University of Flensburg, to discuss cooperation between South Africa and Schleswig Holstein.
Advocate Cassimjee also delivered a lecture on the legacy of Nelson Mandela at the European University of Flensburg. The visit was covered in the local media and kindled considerable interest in opportunities in South Africa.
The Mission, represented by Minister Plenipotentiary Cassimjee and Counsellor Basson, participated in the so-called "Business trifft Afrika" meeting in Chemnitz. Initiated by MP Frank Heinrich in cooperation with IHK five years ago, the event is today well established and greatly successful, with around 180 participants from German businesses and African embassies. The key note speech was given by Dr. Maria Flachsbarth, State Secretary at BMZ. There was also plenty of time for B2B talks. Let this great initiative continue!
As part of the Nelson Mandela Centenary Projects, the Embassy undertook to support the UNICEF and Peter Krämer Foundation's Mandela fun-run initiative, to raise funds for SA Schools. Counsellor Ramalho-Murteira on behalf of the Mission attended the run organised by Berlin's Willy-Brandt-Oberschule in cooperation with UNICEF. More runs are to follow. For participation please contact the UNICEF Office.
The three South African German Schools which participated in the First Nelson Mandela Youth Soccer Cup in Barsinhausen (5-7 June 2018) have on their second last day in Germany visited their Embassy in Berlin. H.E. Ambassador Sizani warmly welcomed the three teams before the kids went on a short tour around the building to the rooftop overlooking the Tiergarden. The trip organised by Mr Reimann and his Rainbow Agency was an exceptional experience for the South African pupils!
The first ever Mandela Youth Soccer Cup took place from 6-7 June 2018, supported by the South African Embassy and organised by Mr Ulrich Reimann and his Rainbow Agency. The event took place in Barsinghausen under the Patronship of Dr. Bernd Althusmann (Vice-Minister-President of Lower Saxony and Minister for Economy, Employment, Transport and Digitalisation) and Ambassador Sizani. While the best South African school, the German School in Cape Town, only reached the third place, the 45 pupils had a unique opportunity to visit several German cities and States, an experience, they all said, they will never forget!
A late 2017 Embassy roadshow to the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen culminated in a 60-members, high level business delegation from Bremen traveling to South Africa on the 1 to 6 June 2018. The Bremen delegation was led by the Prime Minister of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Mayor Dr. Carsten Sieling, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs and Labour in Bremen, Mr Ekkehart Siering, President of the Chamber in Bremen, Mr Harald Emigholz, Industry Associations, Captains of Industries and Minister Counsellor (Economic), Mr Jacob Moatshe. The programme entailed Business conference, B 2 B meetings and site visits. The business delegation represented the following sectors: automotive, food processing, ports and logistics and renewable. The German Port Authorities met with Cape Town and Durban Authorities to discuss ports management and solutions.
On 16 May 2018, Ambassador Sizani opened a Film Series in honour of the 100th Anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela at Berlin's Kino in der Kulturbrauerei! The opening film of the series was the very intimate "Mandela - Son of Africa, Father of a Nation", which was produced with the full cooperation of Nelson Mandela himself and which was nominated for the Oscars! The film series included five films and was organised by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung in cooperation with FuturAfrik.
On 16 May 2018, H.E. Ambassador Phumelele Stone Sizani invited the Honorary Consuls of South Africa, Ambassadors of the SADC countries as well as representatives from the fields of gastronomy, politics, culture and media to a Wine Tasting of two Black owned South African brands. The wine tasting focused on a selection of delicious wines by Ms Thembi Tobie of Thembi Wines in Stellenbosch, and Ms Bunty Khan of Cape Dreams in Robertson as well as the Schalkenbosch Winery in Tulbagh.
Four days long, from 10-13 May 2018, South Africa was the partner country and special focus of the 829th Port Anniversary of the north German city of Hamburg. The so-called "South Africa Festival" at Kehrwiederspitze was a highlight of this year's HAMBURG PORT ANNIVERSARY, putting the focus on South African culture, regional culinary specialities, and tourist destinations throughout South Africa, as far as the Cape of Good Hope. Opened by Western Cape Premiere Helen Zille and Ambassador Sizani, the Festival was also an ideal occasion for a number of meetings of business delegations in Hamburg. On 9 May, for example, a Cooperation Agreement was signed at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce between North Germanyâs Digital Cluster Hamburg@work and the Silicon Cape Initiative from Cape Town/Western Cape province.
The Berlin Mission hosted its National Day event on 27 April 2018, commemorating and celebrating South Africaâs 24th Freedom Day. On 27 April 1994, South Africans of all races, genders and creed went to the polls to participate in the countryâs first democratic and free elections, to elect the first democratically elected president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. The Ambassador of the Republic of South Arica, H.E. Ambassador PS Sizani was honoured to host the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office, Mr Walter Lindner as the guest of honour representing the German Government.
South Africa has signed the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement with the African Union, which will pave the way for the country to benefit from inter-regional trade within the African continent.
âThis agreement is an important step towards South Africaâs participation in a market of over one billion people and will create opportunities and many benefits for South Africa, which would enable South African companies to export goods and services across the continent. It will contribute to the growth and diversification of our economy and therefore create jobs, as well as reduce inequality and unemployment,â said President Ramaphosa.
The President signed the agreement during the AU Summit that took place from 1 - 2 July 2018 in the Republic of Mauritania under the theme âWinning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africaâs Transformation.â
South Africa presented its candidature to fill the non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2019 â 2020. The election for this seat was held during the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly on 8 June 2018. Following a global campaign to garner the widest possible support for our candidacy, South Africa received overwhelming support from UN member states and was elected. The President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, expressed their unreserved gratitude and appreciation to all the UN Member States that voted, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for the nomination and the continental body, the African Union (AU), that endorsed South Africaâs candidature.
This will be South Africa's third term on the UNSC, having previously served in 2007 â 2008 and 2011 â 2012. The countryâs tenure on the Security Council will be dedicated to the legacy of President Nelson Mandela and his commitment to peace under the motto âContinuing the Legacy: Working for Peaceâ.
South Africa is Chair of the BRICS Summit until 31 December 2018. The 10th BRICS Summit will be chaired by President Ramaphosa at the Sandton International Convention Centre from 25 to 27 July. The theme for the 10th BRICS Summit is: âBRICS in Africa: Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolutionâ. The theme is reflective of the core priorities of each one of the BRICS members, notably to strive towards the creation of an inclusive society and global partnerships that will bring prosperity to all humankind.
South Africa wishes to seize the opportunity presented by its 2018 Chairship of BRICS to reiterate its commitment to further strengthening relations with and amongst its BRICS partners, the African continent and the Global South.
Mercedes-Benz has announced the investment of an additional â¬600-million in the brandâs facilities in East London, confirming that the next generation of the C-Class will be built here in South Africa. The expansion of the plant â which earlier in 2018 began building the C43, C63 and C63 S alongside the standard C-Class â will include the construction of a new paint shop and a new body shop, an upgrade of the assembly shop as well as new logistic warehouses. Overall, Mercedes-Benz says the new buildings comprise an area of approximately 100 000 m², which translates to an increase of two-thirds to the existing production space.
Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) reached a historical milestone on June 11 2018 when it produced its one millionth EA111 engine. Production of the EA111 engine started back in January 2010 when the first engines for the then new Polo and Polo Vivo were produced for the local market which was followed by producing engines for export markets including China, India, Taiwan, Mexico and Malaysia. Apart from assembling the engine locally, the grey cast iron cylinder block for the engine as well as the bearing cap for the block is also machined in-house.
A new R3bn investment in Tshwaneâs Rosslyn motor industry hub is a major step in a 30-year plan to create a 7,157ha "auto city" to serve as the heart of the African motor industry, planners said on Wednesday. Rosslyn, on Tshwaneâs western outskirts, is already home to the SA vehicle assembly plants of BMW, Nissan, Tata and Iveco, as well as scores of components suppliers. The intention was to add new housing, schools, shopping centres, a hospital, university campus, conference centre and rail-based distribution centre for newly built vehicles to be transported to local customers and to Durban, the main vehicle export harbour.
The Minister of Small Business Development, Lindiwe Zulu, and the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, launched an Employment Promotion through Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise (SMME) Support Programme for South Africa at Riversands Incubator in Diepsloot on Friday, 6 April 2018. The programme seeks to contribute towards inclusive economic growth and employment creation through support for SMMEs. The programme will support SMMEs through business development services, assist them with access to markets, improve their access to finance and help ease the administrative and regulatory burden on small businesses.
On Monday 16 April 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new and ambitious investment drive on which government and social partners are about to embark to advance investment, growth, job creation and meaningful economic transformation in the South African economy. Alongside the implementation of necessary economic reforms, this investment campaign will position South Africa as an investment destination of choice. To this effect, President Ramaphosa appointed former finance minister Trevor Manuel, former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas, executive chairperson of Afropulse Group Phumzile Langeni, and chairman of Liberty Group Jacko Maree, as the president's special envoys on investment.
South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope has scored an impressive observational victory with the publication of its magnetar study in âThe Astrophysical Journalâ. The journal gave a description of the study, conducted by the radio telescope array in the Northern Cape, which observed a rare burst of activity from the exotic star.
"The first scientific publication based on MeerKAT data is a wonderful milestone," said Professor Roy Maartens, SKA SA research chair at the University of the Western Cape. "Although MeerKAT isn't complete yet, it's now clearly a functioning telescope. We've been training a new generation of researchers, and soon our young scientists will be using what promises to be a remarkable discovery machine."
The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa with profound sadness wishes to inform the German public of the passing away of South Africaâs former Chief of State Protocol and Ambassador Billy Modise. He was a recipient of the National Order of Luthuli and a distinguished gentleman and leader of our people who contributed exceptionally to the achievement of a South Africa free of racial oppression and to the building of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic country.
Here is a |+| Tribute to Ambassador Billy Modise by L N Sisulu, MP, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Tuesday 26th June 2018, O R Tambo Building, Pretoria.
Goldblatt documented the racial divide of his home country during some of its most turbulent years, and was credited with bringing a strong moral and ethical dimension to his work. Through photographing simple scenes, such as children playing or exhausted workers sleeping on their bus journey home, he revealed the power imbalance at the heart of South African society.
The Travelling Art Gallery, an artistsâ initiative will take South African art to three German cities in June and July 2018. The aim of this project is raising the profile of South African art abroad. The Travelling Art Gallery will take between 60 to 70 art works to Germany in June and July 2018, setting up pop-up exhibitions in hip locations in German cities. Each city exhibition will last for eight to ten days, and will be supported by a glamorous opening night party.
âThe aim of The Travelling Art Gallery is to take South African art to the world, and to invite the world back to South Africa,â explains Barbara. âArt adds so much value to our society and helps to bring so many positive elements together.â
On the occasion of the Mandela Centenary, the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation in cooperation with Mayibuye are showcasing an exhibition by the Nelson-Mandela-Foundation. H.E. Ambassador Phumele Stone Sizani will be opening the exhibition toegether with Dagmar Enkelmann (RLS-Vorstandsvorsitzende) and Arnold Isaacs (Mayibuye Südafrika Community e.V.). A podium discussion with Ben Khumalo-Seegelken, Simone Knapp, Jeanette Buis and video clips by Jozi.tv will follow. The discussion will be held in English. The exhibition is showing from 19.7.2018 to 23.8.2018.
South Africa's youth orchestra MIAGI (Music Is A Great Investment), which has been invited to YEC on several occasions in the past, has been selected to open this year's festival! Besides the fact that Berlin's public has long fallen in love with MIAGI and their electrifying performances, it has also been chosen as an opening act because this year is a very special year for South Africa as on 18 July 2018, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela would have turned 100 years! The English conductor Duncan Ward has written a new piece especially for this occasion, and the former assistant to Simon Rattle also conducts the orchestra.
Please help the South African Mission keep track of South African citizens currently residing in Germany. By voluntarily registering, you do assist the mission to determine the number of citizens living in the country and to be able to contact you and your family in South Africa in the event of an evacuation, natural disaster, family emergency etc. Furthermore, your contact details (which will be handled in a strictly confidential way) enable the Embassy to provide you with information related to Embassy events, registration for general election, etc. |+| go to register form
The Newsletter of the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa features Embassy activities and other South African events in Germany.
The Newsletter will be sent out each month and we invite you to share with us your comments and to also inform us if your city or community is organising an event that features South Africa, in any way. Please send us an email on webmaster(at)suedafrika.org and please visit our website: www.suedafrika.org
Get easy and quick information about South Africa or deepen and extend your knowledge about our country on the BrandSA website. |+| read more
Play Your Part is a national initiative that encourages all South Africans to contribute to positive change. There are numerous opportunities, big and small, for each and every South African. |+| get involved
Listen live to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa (DIRCO) 24-hour online radio station aimed at enhancing communication on South Africaâs foreign policy. |+| listen live
Read the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)'s quarterly magazine Ubuntu â South Africaâs Public Diplomacy in action which communicates with and educates stakeholders on South Africaâs foreign policy positions, achievements, objectives and goals. |+| read online
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