Africa E Molewa cements relations with Sweden
2 October 2006
The Premier of the North West Province of the Republic of South Africa, Hon.
BEE Molewa visited Kronoberg County in Sweden over the weekend as part of her
European visit which ends on Friday. The visit seeks to explore investment
opportunities and to promote tourism for the province. Molewa is leading a
delegation of political leaders, leaders of Government Agencies and senior
public servants.
The Premier expressed appreciation of the invitation from the Vice-Governor
and the actual warm welcome she has received from the Vice-Governor and the
Kronoberg County. The visit flows from the existing relationship between South
Africa and Sweden that were cemented by President Thabo Mbeki and Prime
Minister Goran Persson in 1999 through a Binational Commission. The visit of
the Premier is historic because it takes place at a time when South Africans as
a nation have declared this period as an age of hope.
Addressing the opening session of the Bilateral, Molewa said: "Many of us as
South Africans who dedicated ourselves to the cause of a just and democratic
South Africa have fond memories of how the Swedish people took the leadership
in the international solidarity movement to end apartheid."
Premier Molewa reminded the delegates that Sweden was the first foreign
country to be visited by former President Nelson Mandela after his release from
Robin Island in 1990. She explained:
"This was not a mere accident of history. Sweden was chosen on account of
special place it occupies amongst the international partners of South
Africa."
Both the Premier of the North West and the Vice-Governor of Kronoberg have
expressed the political will and the commitment to implement the Memorandum of
Understanding underpinned by principles of equality, openness, consensus
seeking, and the notion of "win-win" in their resolve to collaborate on the
following focus areas for co-operation framework:
* sharing best practices on good governance
* on tourism and conservation, the focus of co-operation will be on protecting
the environment and enhancing the management capacity of scarce national
resources
* both North West and Kronoberg will jointly enhance each other's capacity in
relation to Sustainable development and the measuring indicators thereof
* learning best experiences on small and medium enterprises, including finding
solutions to the funding challenges
* further explore co-operation on infrastructure development, education,
cultural exchange
* also encourage city to city linkages.
The Premier declared her commitment to the renewed relationship,
notwithstanding the political changes that have recently taken place in Sweden
as way of recognising that the North West province's relationship with
Kronoberg is built on a deeper political will that will withstand any political
whirlwind and storms.
Premier assured the Vice-Governor that South Africa is ready to host the
next FIFA World Cup in 2010. As the President of South Africa said at the close
of the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, "we are determined to make the 2010
World Cup the best global sporting spectacle in history".
The Premier issued invitation to the Swedish national team to consider
making our province one of its training and base camp during the FIFA World Cup
2010.
Enquiries:
Cornelius Tanana Monama
Tel: (018) 387 3456
Cell: 082 578 4063
E-mail: cmonama@nwpg.gov.za
Issued by: North West Provincial Government
2 October 2006
