South Africa-United Kingdom Bilateral Forum in London
17 May 2006
During the working visit of President Mbeki to London, South African Foreign
Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will simultaneously lead the South African
Ministerial delegation to the seventh session of the UK-SA Bilateral Forum
scheduled for London on Tuesday to Wednesday, 23 - 24 May 2006.
The forum is entitled, "The United Kingdom and South Africa: Building
together on the 2005 Year of Africa," and will be co-chaired by Minister
Dlamini Zuma and the UK's newly appointed Foreign Secretary, Margaret
Beckett.
The following South African government departments will be represented at
the forum:
* Foreign Affairs
* Arts and Culture
* Defence
* Education
* Environmental Affairs and Tourism
* Home Affairs
* Science and Technology
* Trade and Industry
A roundtable discussion on Africa entitled "Africa 2005: Putting Our
Promises into Practice," will focus on achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and ensuring implementation of the commitments made in
the report of the Commission for Africa and at Gleneagles in 2005. Discussions
will also include the operationalisation of the African Union (AU), the
implementation of New Partnership for Africaâs Development (NEPAD) and the
promotion of peace and stability in Africa.
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 (UK) remains the largest foreign investor in South Africa and over 200
South African companies have established a presence in the UK.
For the first time ever, South Africa is in surplus in terms of its visible
trade with the UK. UK is considered and ranked as South Africa's second biggest
export trading partner.
The top five export commodities from the UK 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 UK are non-metallic
minerals, coal, coke and briquettes, road vehicles, vegetables and fruit and
non-ferrous metals.
The UK's Trade and Industry Department is actively encouraging direct
investment (currently R144 billion) and joint ventures in South Africa. The
general aim of this policy is to use South Africa as regional hub to export to
Africa and Asia.
The SA/UK small business partnership programme was launched in 2000. This
programme aims to develop business partnerships between the UK and South
African companies owned and managed by previously disadvantaged groups. Funds
from British Trade International and the European Union (EU) are supporting the
programme.
Over 50 percent of total South African exports to the UK 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 percent
of all those employed by foreign firms. Nine of the top 20 foreign companies in
SA are British. It has recently emerged that South Africa is the top
commonwealth provider of teachers to the UK, with 4 700 teachers having left
for the UK since 2001.
South African exports to the UK (ZAR'000):
2005: R32 377 308 000
2004: R27 869 388 000
2003: R24 170 332 000
2002: R27 568 126 000
The UK is South Africa's second largest export market with an annual growth
of 16 percent between 2004 and 2005.
South African imports from the UK (ZAR'000)
2005: R20 129 842 000
2004: R21 125 373 000
2003: R22 596 969 000
2002: R25 117 075 000
Between 2004 and 2005, South Africa's imports from the UK declined by 4,7
percent.
Tourism
British tourists regard South Africa as a world class tourist destination.
The United Kingdom is by far our most significant source of (non-African)
tourists, a position it has not relinquished for the past 15 years.
According to South African Tourism, the number of tourists from the UK from
January to October 2002, amounts to 338 853.
In 2004, a total of 456 368 British tourists visited South Africa and the
latest statistics indicate that the figure for 2005 increased to 469 599.
Contact:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
17 May 2006
Source: SAPA
