Municipality provides sets to boost draughts game in the Bay

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has given the game of draughts a major boost to in the city by donating 45 boards and sets of draughts to the Nelson Mandela Bay Association of Draughts at an event held in Zwide Stadium on Thursday, 28 November 2013.

The Nelson Mandela Bay has twelve draughts players who are currently at an international level, including the world’s second best player, Lubabalo Kondlo. The Nelson Mandela Bay Portfolio Chairperson for Sports, Arts and Culture, Cllr Nomamerica, could not hide her excitement as she handed over the equipment to the Association Chairman.

Magopeni said she was pleased that the Municipality had helped to reach this milestone, but was “concerned” that she “did not see any women at the handover ceremony".

"We want to thank the Association for the commitment they have shown in this pursuit. Their commitment has managed to put the city on the international map, as they have produced the world's second best player from the dusty streets of New Brighton Township. As the Municipality, we would like to see more young people, especially females, participating in this pursuit and occupying leadership positions as well," said Councillor Magopeni.

Association Chairperson, Phumezile Marwana, stated that there was great talent within Nelson Mandela Bay, with Lubabalo Kondlo having played overseas. “Our target is to send all the other eleven players overseas so that they can compete on the world stage.

“Unfortunately, draughts are associated with drugs and unemployed people who stay on street corners. We are now working hard to change the image of this game. Positive spin-offs are beginning to show,” said Marwana.

He announced that the Association would be hosting eight to ten American players in February. "The fact that the leading country in draughts will be coming to the city means that we have got something strong going on right here," he added.

He explained that the reason for the small number of ladies in the clubs was the fact that the game had been stigmatised. “We are, however, growing the number of participants by encouraging  schools and women players to come on board," said Marwana.

The equipment will be equally distributed to all the clubs across Nelson Mandela Bay. Councillor Magopeni called on the players and clubs to look after the equipment, as the Municipality still had to support other associations with limited financial resources.

Boomtown Advertising wins more awards

Last week, Boomtown walked away with a gold international EPICA award and four Assegais for its World's First Stethoscope Radio Ad for Africa Health Placements.

The gold EPICA was awarded in the B2B direct mail category and Boomtown was one of only three South African agencies to be recognised. At the Assegais, the agency was recognised in the alternative media category (leader award) and won a bronze in the 3D direct mail category, silver for creative solutions (craft) and the cream of the crop, gold for public sector service.

Boomtown Creative Director, Andrew MacKenzie, said “The gold for public sector service is particularly gratifying as this is why the campaign was developed in the first place, to make a difference in the public sector.”

The World’s First Stethoscope Radio Ad direct mail works by the recipient placing their stethoscope on the box, where a pressure sensor activates the audio clip. 

In addition to the Assegais and EPICA, Boomtown's innovative branding and communication solutions for Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) won its client recognition at the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Excellence Awards.

Port Elizabeth Youth Conference on safety

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Since late 2012 Grade 10-12 learners from Masifunde Learner Development have been preparing for and conducting workshops on community safety at schools around Nelson Mandela Bay.

To date, the young facilitators have gone to 24 schools and conducted a total of 40 workshops, reaching over 1000 learners. The aim of the workshops is to give learners an opportunity to think about their role in creating community safety through non-conventional methods.

They are exposed to such examples through the stories of local heroes in the bay who have started soccer clubs in their community, drama clubs and even young people who are hosting radio shows with a positive social impact.

With this as inspiration they came up with their own project ideas and voted for the best ones.

From 29 November to 1 December at the Pine Lodge in Port Elizabeth, all winning project ideas will be presented at a Youth Conference, which is the first of its kind in the Eastern Cape.

Representatives from all 24 schools will come together and share what has been done so far to realise their winning safety projects. As peers the learners will choose one project to work on and come up with something that adds value, is sustainable and integrated in its approach to creating community safety.

This project will be implemented in 2014.

Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini, to meet Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality communities

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - The Minister of Social Development, Hon Bathabile Dlamini, will meet and interact with the community of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, on Wednesday October 27, as part of the Department’s ongoing service delivery improvement initiative, Project Mikondzo.

Through Project Mikondzo, the Department of Social Development seeks to address the prevailing social challenges in the country’s poorest 1300 wards. Project Mikondzo – a Xitsonga word for footprints – allows the Department to increase its footprint and reach every corner of South Africa with its services.  The main aim is to improve responsiveness to the needs of the people and break down the structural barriers created by apartheid that placed government far from people.

The Department has over the past few weeks conducted Community Dialogues in ten wards of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to get the community’s perspective on the socio-economic challenges they face.  The dialogues reveal that youth unemployment, the neglect of people living with disabilities, alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and the abuse of women, children and the elderly are among the most critical challenges within the Municipality.

Issues of gender-based violence are expected to receive special attention during the Imbizo as the event takes place during the 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Children Abuse.  The event also takes place just a few days before the launch by the Department on December 2 of a 24-hour call centre for reporting gender-based violence.

The Minister will also use this opportunity to listen to the concerns and challenges of the Nelson Mandela Bay community and, in consultation with the community, introduce interventions to tackle the social challenges that prevail in the area.

The Imbizo promotes participative governance and will allow the community of Nelson Mandela Bay to have a say in decision-making processes affecting their future, as well as make them aware of the services available from the Department and its agencies, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and National Development Agency (NDA).

Members of the media are invited to cover the Imbizo.  The details are as follows:

Venue: Kuyga Sports Field, Kuyga Township, Port Elizabeth

Date: 27 November 2013

Time: 11h00

Nissan World Cup Qualifier 2013 Celebrates Equestrian Winners

Port Elizabeth Riding Club – 18 November - Port Elizabeth played host to the Nissan World Cup Qualifier 2013 with some of the country’s top equestrian athletes participating on a magnificent course designed by the world renowned Frederic Cottier from France. This event was one of six qualifiers held in South Africa this year and the winner of the South African series will receive an invitation to participate in the final, which takes place in a different country each year.

Lorette Knowles Taylor took top honours, followed by Bronwyn Short, while Jeanne Engela took the third place in the main event, the Nissan World Cup Qualifier held on Sunday 17 November 2013.

The new and exciting addition to this year’s event, the Nissan 6 Bar competition, sported a very interesting result with Jayde Mangold, a local lass, tying with Emma Garson and Robyn Gerber for the title. They managed to clear the highest jump on 1.80m. This was a charity event and the funds raised were donated to East Cape Horse Care Unit in Port Elizabeth.

“It was a challenging course and Mr Cottier definitely lived up to his reputation for setting the bar very high,” said Knowles Taylor “My horse Nisan Watch Me P was amazing though and never let me down despite the wet and very slippery field.”

Managing director Nissan SA Mike Whitfield said the equestrian event has gained in popularity since Nissan partnered with the Port Elizabeth Riding Club in sponsoring the event and it was evident in the increased number of entries received for this year.

“It’s become one of the major highlights on the equestrian calendar, reconfirming that this type of sponsorship needs a long-term commitment, which is our intention.”

“It’s been a fabulous ride in terms of the hosting of this event and the focus has not only been on the fantastic horses and riders but also on Nelson Mandela Bay as a destination able to host very successful events of an international standard.” says Tanja Radke the organizer of the event.

“Nissan’s sponsorship is important for the sport and we hope to maintain a long and fruitful relationship.”

Whitfield said that while the festival attracted predominantly the equestrian fraternity to Port Elizabeth – with more than 170 horses participating in various events over the four days – it is essentially a family affair. Included in this year’s equestrian programme was the nail-biting Nissan Six Bar event - familiar in international competitions - which had the crowds on tenterhooks as riders battled it out for the highest jump.

Radke explained: “Top riders compete in six jumps in a row with each jump being raised. If the rider knocks the bar or the horse refuses to jump, they are out of the competition.”

As sponsors of the festival, Nissan took the opportunity to display a selection of its range of SUV, crossover, commercial and passenger vehicles.

Port Elizabeth voter registration stations for 2014 general elections

Port Elizabeth South Africa - The second mass voter registration campaign for the 2014 general elections is set to take place in February 2014. Nelson Mandela Bay, which includes Port Elizabeth, Despatch and Uitenhage, has 293 voting stations.

But if you miss the voter registration campaigns, don’t despair, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says you can still register to vote in 2014 just by visiting an IEC office at your local municipality before 17:00hrs on the day that the President announces the date of the election.

To register, you need a barcoded ID book, smartcard ID or temporary ID certificate. Home Affairs offices will be open between 8am and 5pm on both days for ID applications and collections.

Click here for Eastern Cape voting registration stations.

To find out if you are already registered, you can SMS your ID number to 32810 (R1 per SMS sent/received) or call the IEC on 0800 11 8000 (from a landline). If you are uncertain about your voting district, call the same toll free number. 

You can also find your voting station on the IEC’s website www.elections.org.za. 

Register this weekend for the 2014 Elections

This weekend, on 9 and 10 November, the Electoral Commission (IEC) will open voting stations from 8am to 5pm to register first-time voters and re-register South Africans who have either moved since the last election or whose voting districts have changed.

• Registration stations are located at a wide variety of premises which are leased by the Electoral Commission for registration weekends and voting days. These include schools (65%), community and civic halls (10%), places of worship (7%) and other community venues.
• Are you registered to vote in the 2014 national and provincial elections? If not, it’s time to join the millions of South Africans registering at one of 22 263 voting stations around the country to get your name on the national voters’ roll.

You are eligible to register to vote if you are:

• a South African citizen
• at least 16 years old (you can only vote from age 18) and
• in possession of a green bar-coded ID book, ID smartcard or temporary identity certificate or the new smart card ID.

To find their registration station voters, u can call the IEC Call Centre on 0800 11 8000 or visit the IEC website at www.elections.org.za. Registered voters can also check where they are registered by SMSing their ID number to 32810 (Standard SMS rates apply).

Port Elizabeth: NMMU Accepts Blind Students After SA National Council for the Blind Intervenes

Port Elizabeth South Africa - The SA National Council for the Blind (Council) met with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) on 6 November 2013 in Port Elizabeth to address the concern that the University had refused admission to blind students to the university.

Council had learned that NMMU had refused to admit three blind students who wished to study at the university in 2014. Two students were invited for the university assessment, and on arrival at the university, were informed that they would not be allowed to proceed with the assessment since the university was not able to accommodate their special needs.

The third student had qualified in terms of the university entrance criteria, but was subsequently declined admission on the basis of his blindness.  A delegation from Council, including its National Executive Director, Mr Jace Nair, immediately engaged with the university.

After discussions, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of NMMU, Dr Sibongile Muthwa, stated that the university admission policy was clear that admission to all students was based upon academic criteria and the availability of space in the course numbers.

She went on to say that the one student who already qualified for university entry will be invited to continue with his application whilst the other two students will be invited to undergo the university assessment qualification. Muthwa apologised for the misunderstanding and inconvenience caused by the university.

The Dean of Student Affairs, Khaya Matiso, acknowledged the commitment of the university to transformation and diversity and further said that it is the dream of the university to remove barriers for the equal participation of all students including students with disabilities at the university.

The SA National Council for the Blind thanked the university for the decision to accept blind students and highlighted the importance of providing access to blind students in the spirit of the country celebrating twenty years of democracy, and in terms of the SA constitution, and the South African ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

Mr Nair said that blind people require equal opportunity and removal of artificial barriers to ensure their full and equal participation in all aspects of South African life.

------------------------------------------------

Statement from NMMU Vice-Chancellor’s Office:

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) have taken on review an earlier decision by University Admissions to decline admission of two totally blind students on the grounds that NMMU did not have the facilities to 'reasonably accommodate' these students. 

To date, NMMU has provided for students with partial blindness and other physical disabilities.

The review was instituted by the NMMU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Derrick Swartz, after the matter was brought to his attention following media reports.

'Clearly, declining access to any student on the basis of disability per se is unconstitutional and cannot be permitted. Our staff is rightly concerned about having appropriate facilities to provide reasonable accommodation to differentially disabled applicants, and much more needs to be done in this regard at NMMU, but this cannot be used as a criterion for not considering admission to academic programmes'.

NMMU has already written to convey the reviewed decision and offered an apology to the affected two students on Tuesday this week.

Yesterday, university officials led by Dr. Sibongile Muthwa, also met with the National Council of the Blind of South Africa (NCBSA), a day after the decision.

Professor Swartz believes that this case has highlighted the need for the national higher education sector to adopt a coherent and workable national system providing high-quality support to a whole range of categories of mental and physical disability, in such a manner that clusters of institutions could specialize in providing support for particular kinds of disabilities as it may not be possible for all institutions to provide for all categories. And in the Eastern Cape, there is a need for the universities to work together in providing expanded opportunities to prospective learners with different kinds of disabilities.

"NMMU will have to increase its level of annual investments to offer study opportunities to a wider range of disabilities, not simply to meet its constitutional obligations, but to do what is right. Ours is a commitment to create a progressive university that offers new opportunities to potential learners who have intellectual abilities equal to anyone else, but who may have differential abilities to access our educational services'.

East London: Eastern Cape Province Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Symposium launched

East London, South Africa - Hosted by SAFM’s Rowena Baird the launch of the Eastern Cape Province Trade, Investment and Tourism Symposium ushered captains of industries from all sectors of the Eastern Cape Provincial Economy. The event took place in East London at the East London International Convention Centre on the 28 October 2013. An initiative that seeks to stimulate a robust discussion around the province’s economy as well as to provide answers to the challenges that the Eastern Cape businesses are confronted with.

The event also launched the Eastern Cape Province Trade, Investment and Tourism Promoting Guide A publication that profiles the Eastern Cape province, its sectors and local businesses. They also publish Trade, investment and Tourism opportunities in the province, these opportunities are targeted to both local and foreign investors.

The audience included various stakeholders from all over the province with the panel made up of the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize, Economic Development and Environmental Affairs MEC Mcebisi Jonas, ELIDZ CEO Simphiwe Kondlo, Eastern Cape Development Cooperation (ECDC) CEO Sitembiso Mase and the Head of Department from the Provincial Social Development Department Bea Hackula.

During his opening remarks, the event host and Director of BBM Media Mr. Boyce Hlatshaneni said, “Today marks a very important day in the Eastern Cape Province economy, whereby we are launching a very important initiative that’s responds to a call by the minister of trade and industry, Mr. Rob Davis, a call to all South African business and to fellow citizens to play their part towards economic growth and development. Today we are also launching a radio programme in partnership with SAFM to promote trade investment and tourism in the province.

The guest speaker at the event, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize accentuated the following “I am pleased to have this opportunity to participate in the launch of the Eastern Cape Province Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Symposium. Our work together here captures our common recognition of the importance of the Eastern Cape for our national economy. Inclusive growth in South Africa would of course be meaningless if it did not also include this province.

First, and increasingly important, in February 2012 Cabinet adopted the National Infrastructure Plan. The aim of the plan is to stimulate the economy overall by increasing public investment and improving the quality of our core economic infrastructure while steadily overcoming backlogs in historically deprived regions.

The National Infrastructure Plan establishes a 20-year pipeline project. Still, it has already boosted public investment to 7, 6% of the GDP, compared to 6,8% in 2010. And as of mid-2013, it sustained 150 000 jobs.

Second, the National Development Plan is being operationalised through the New Growth Path and the Industrial Policy Action Plan. These strategies identify jobs drivers in the economy and aim to facilitate their growth.  They provide a framework for diversifying the economy and identifying obstacles to growth that should also benefit the Eastern Cape.

The auto support scheme, which is by far the largest in fiscal terms of our industrial policy measures, is particularly important for the Eastern Cape. But sectors that should grow in this province under our industrial policy also include business process services, capital goods, other transport equipment and agro processing.  Said the deputy Minister;

Mr. Mcebisi Jonas, the MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Eastern Cape focused on the status of implementation of provincial infrastructural projects. He highligted progress on projects already underway as well as a plans for other projects in the pipeline. In his explanation he mentioned that the Strategic Infrastructure Projects, or SIPs, with common themes are directly relevant to Eastern Cape and they include the following:

·         The programme to develop the South Eastern coast, which includes logistics and other infrastructure including the new manganese complex;

·         Improving infrastructure in the 23 worst-served municipal districts, which includes most of the former Transkei and Ciskei;

·         Investment in rural productive infrastructure such as silos, fencing;

·         A massive school-building programme;

·         A programme to upgrade hospitals and clinics

·         Forestry (100,000 ha new plantations, Rehabilitation of 30,000 ha forests

·         Agriculture Sector (Small-scale crop farming, Livestock commercialisation, Commercial crop farming)

·         Renewable Energy Sector (Alternative Energy Source Industries)

·         Agro-processing Sector (Two (2) sites have been identified with existing but limited infrastructure. Ncora and Mqanduli over 134 farmers are targeted, 1800 ha to produce 10 000t of maize. DBSA’s Jobs Fund approved R 73 million with EC matched funding of R18 million

·         Telecoms Sector: A commitment to spreading access to broadband across the country; (SeaCom cable (COEGA), SeaCom cable (ELIDZ))

·         Water & Energy Sector

o    Ntabelanga Multi Purpose Water Resource Development worth R7bn,

o    Project Mthombo with cost estimated at R90.0bn (US$10bn): Refinery: R84.4bn, Port Infrastructure: R4.5bn, Desalination plant: R1.5bn

o    CCGT Power Station COAGA with total Investments is R 3bn, 500 construction jobs

o    Nuclear Power station

·         Logistics Sector

o    Integrated Transport Hub

o    Twinned Gateways

o    Road construction - R72-N2-N6 road link,

o    Transshipment Hub of the Ngqura Port with a total estimated and planned investment in the is

R 15.5 billion between 2013/14 to 2019/20 financial years

o    The Port of East London with a total estimated and planned investment is R 2.4 billion between 2013/14 to 2019/20 financial years.

o    Rail connectivity between the Northern Cape to the Port of Ngqura: this is a strategic multi-billion Rand corridor  investment for the country as outlined in SIP 3 for increasing the rail capacity for exporting and beneficiation of Manganese ore  from Northern Cape to Port Elizabeth. Phase 1 is scheduled to come on stream from 2016, Phase 2 will be completed by 2019. The network investments are complemented by the requisite rolling stock investments.  Phase 1 (partial doubling of Kimberley – De Aar) is not linked to any capacity expansion, as it is merely rail work packages with existing EAIs that have been fast tracked. The remaining investments along the route are still required to increase rail Capacity.

o    The Manganese smelter will be located at Coega IDZ and its part if SIP 3 projects, estimated investment is 2 billion for the smelter.

·         Shale gas exploration in the Karoo region, estimates say that developing just a 10th of South Africa's estimated resources could boost the economy by R200bn ($19.56 billion) a year and create 700,000 jobs. In his conclusion the MEC Ensure that in order to develop a social plan to respond to looming mining crisis and mass job losses a need for investor to work with the provincial is essential. He realizes that improved relationship with industry (auto cluster operational, non-auto and agro-industry about to be launched in the new financial year will ensure investor confidence. He conclude by confirming a jobs Fund (R500m leveraged for projects in auto, agro, forestry and skills development. The above projects and programmes form part of the province’s strategic plan to develop the economy of the province, said MEC Mcebisi Jonas.

The Eastern Cape Development Corporation CEO, Mr Stembele Mase in his speech unpacked the immediately available investment opportunities in the province: He started by pointing out that the Eastern Cape has land use potential of 14,8 million hectares for farming (including grazing and arable land). With suitable climatic conditions and rainfalls for the vast agricultural activities, the province is one of the main livestock provinces in South Africa.

·         34% of South African wool produce comes from the Eastern Cape.

·         75% of mohair produce comes of the Eastern Cape.

·         24% of national milk produce is from the Eastern Cape.

This creates opportunities for targeted government support in terms of incentives for mohair producers, dairy farmers and wool producers for example. This could be in terms of targeted incentives and other investment policy support programs.

Opportunities for maize production and other food crops for processing (milling, tomato paste etc.).

In other areas he mentioned that the South African biofuels strategy of 2007 provides opportunities to create jobs in the Energy-Crop and Biofuels value chain. It is estimated that 20, 000 to 25, 000 jobs can be created. It identifies Soya Beans, Sunflower and Canola as the crop (excluding maize), said Mr. Mase

A mandatory blending opportunity starts from October 2015. 125, 000 hectares of land is required to meet the 5% of national blending requirements. Opportunities exist for the planting of Soya Beans, Sugar Beet, Canola crops, for processing and conversion into bio-fuel products.

Other opportunities for business are Cheese, Yoghurts, Sour milk making production.  Horticulture industries for processing of deciduous fruits in (Langkloof Valley), citrus fruits (Sundays River Valley/Kat River Valley, Pineapple (Port Alfred/ Peddie), Chicory (Alexander) already exists, they need to be expanded together with market access initiatives, domestically and international. Tomato paste processing opportunities. There are business opportunities for Ultra High Temperate (UHT) processing plant in the province to create jobs, and skills for the economy.    There is also a need for business to explore opportunies in the processing and conversion of Soya Bean, Sugar   Beet, Canola Crops into bi-products for Bio-Fuels.  Soy bean is also a protein rich crop for animal feed and human consumption (food security issues).

Focusing his speech to the work the ECDC has recently achieved, Mr Mase pointed out that the ECDC has invested more than R9 million over the past year in partnership with CSIR, IDC and other government agencies to research economic and business opportunities in high impact strategic sectors. ECDC has invested R3 million to stimulate and promote a SOYA BEAN corridor in Chris Hani district; this will create opportunities for soya bean farmers to embark on processing the Soya Beans into Bio-Fuel to meet the national bio-fuel blending requirements as per the Bio-Fuel Strategy of 2007 which has now been approved.

ECDC has invested R3 million in launching and piloting of Bamboo trial plant fields in Ndakana, Willowvale and Uitenhage. Once more this is an attempt to stimulate new business opportunities and link them to the new industrialisation policy (IPAP, PIDS, etc).

ECDC has provided business finance to the CITRUS FRUIT processors to ensure the industry expands grows and creates sustainable jobs. ECDC has been administering the Jobs Fund and has paid out R35 million to 65 companies in key sectors of the economy for expansion.

ECDC also supported 98 co-operatives, herein are agriculture and agro-processing co-operatives with R36 million to ensure creation of job opportunities in the rural areas, thus linking the economies of the rural and urban areas.

In our efforts to support our SMMEs to gain access to the new markets in the Far East, we have funded a R3 million foreign exhibition stand in NINGBO, China, which is one of the 2^nd largest seaports in the world. This is where seven (7) Eastern Cape companies are exposing their products. This is the first of its kind in South Africa.   There is a lot of interest; many companies from the province are interested in exposing their products in Chinese and Global markets. ECDC will make further investments of R3 million to grow this exposure and the platform. said Mr. Mase.

Explaining the role of IDZs in economic development ELIDZ CEO Simphiwe Kondlo said the focus was on strengthening manufacturing capabilities and to attract export-oriented manufacturers. “As a frontrunner IDZ, part of our mandate is to create opportunities that will reduce the red tape in doing business. We have walked through difficult times where there was minimal support and we had to prove that the IDZ concept can work”, said Kondlo.

In the last year, the ELIDZ has secured eight investors worth over R1 billion in investment value. In addition more than 21 000 construction jobs have been created, over 2 000 jobs in manufacturing with 27 investors already operational in the zone.

Kondlo attributed the success of the ELIDZ to the strategic partnerships that have helped the organisation to reduce the price of doing business citing the ELIDZ partnership with Mercedes Benz as a prime example. “As a government entity, we have proven that investment can be attracted to East London and we have been able to draw inspiration from our strong automotive sector and diversify to renewable energy, agro-processing and other sectors”, he said.

In collaboration with the above key stakeholders the South African Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Symposium (SATITPS) is an initiative designed to compliment the work done by government and its agencies to speed up the pace at which the South African Economy grows. It aim to achieve this by providing a platform for key stakeholders in both the public and private sector to engage on Trade and Investment opportunities, funding opportunities and Trade and Investment infrastructure.

 The key objectives of the initiative are:

·         Pairing potential investors with investment opportunities

·         Pairing businesses with startup, growth and  development finance organisations (IDC, Sefa, NEF, DBSA)

·         Pairing Investors with Industrial Economic Zones IDZ, COEGA, Etc

·         Introducing available trade and investment incentive provised by DTI to corporate South Africa

The South African Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion Symposium will be hosted in each and every province of South Africa. The below schedule provides dates for all the visit throughout the country:

Province	Broadcast Month
Western Cape	22 November 2013
KZN	02 December 2013
Free State	27 January 2014
Northern Cape	18 February 2014
North West	26 March 2014
Limpopo	25 April 2014
Gauteng	23 May 2014

**the above dates are subject to change*

In his concluding remarks Mr. Boyce Hlatshaneni made a call to Corporate South Africa, Government and its agencies to support the initiative by making sure that they engage on the discussions and also by participate on the available marketing opportunities that this platform provides. To view investment opportunities visit: www.southafricanguide.co.za or contact Tel: 012 665 3457, Mobile: 0829234402, E-mail: tradeandinvest@southafricanguide.co.za,. To advertise on the publications and broadcast contact advertise@southafricanguide.co.za