It gives me great pleasure to extend to you, Former President of the Basque Government, Mr. Juan José Ibarretxe and your delegation a very warm welcome to South Africa on behalf of the Honourable Premier, Mr. DD Mabuza to the Province.
I know that you have been entertained on your arrival in Gauteng but we are happy that you felt it important to come to Mpumalanga. We are pleased to host you on this eastern tip of the country Mpumalanga where the sun rises which is without hesitation one of the most beautiful and scenic spots not only in South Africa, but on the African Continent.
I know that you have travelled from very far and from a different climate and hope you will enjoy your stay in Mpumalanga Province, leaving you with lasting fond memories after you have taken a short left to the Kruger National Park, God’s Window, Blyde River Canyon, Majestic Waterfalls and Makhonjwa Mountains which has attracted academics and scientists from all over the world because the rocks found in those mountains seem to explain the origins of life.
It is also a well-known fact that it is only in this Province that when God created the earth he also ensured that the window to see all his creation is in this Province. To cover all those tourism jewels of our Province will need more time than you have originally planned.
Coming closer to the main agenda of our business delegation from Basque Country of Spain, which seeks to introduce itself to the business community of Mpumalanga, this is a business gesture which we must welcome and appreciate.
In this regard as Mpumalanga Provincial Government we will encourage a reciprocal mission of business delegation, as you know Spain and South Africa has signed an economic cooperation agreement aimed at increasing two-way trade and investment.
Your Excellency, this inbound mission coincided with the celebration today of our iconic late Former President Nelson Mandela’s Birthday whose legacy of dedicating time to help the poor is being celebrated throughout the country in recognition of his dedication to humanity and human right. This is confirmed by the political stability that our country enjoy today because of his leadership which is an important consideration for any investor throughout the world.
I want to say, His Excellency, your business delegation could not have made a better choice than South Africa, more precisely Mpumalanga Province because of its stability of its labour market.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government has created and adopted the Mpumalanga Economic Growth and Development Path (MEGDP) which is aligned to the National Development Plan (NDP) to crystallise our country’s 2030 vision of reducing unemployment, poverty and inequality.
To this end this economic trajectory has outlined key economic drivers such as Infrastructure, Green Economy, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Agriculture, Mining, Manufacturing and Tourism.
I am certain that the presentations that will be made by both MEGA and Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) will be able to unbundle a host of opportunities in these sectors. Linked to the sectors, we have also identified high impact projects which we will share with you during the discussions.
If you can ask me off my cuff why you should invest in Mpumalanga I would say that Mpumalanga is a gate way to the South African countries where you can have breakfast here and lunch in Mozambique and dinner in Swaziland in one day.
We have relative economic, political and labour stability; good infrastructure; roads; and bulk supply services like water and electricity.
The City of Mbombela where we are right now is one of the fastest growing municipalities in South Africa and Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is one of the best local municipalities in South Africa ranked number 6 according to Municipal IQ. This is an important consideration because we believe the partnership between government and business is a critical pre-condition for inclusive economic growth.
Our education outcomes and skills development has been aligned to the needs of the provincial economy to be boosted by the building of a new university in the Province.
Mpumalanga Province is also responsible for 25% of mining activities in South Africa and two thirds of the country’s power generation.
Ladies and Gentlemen, what more can I say about this province, except to say yes Mpumalanga Province in South Africa is your business destination of choice.
I take this opportunity to wish you well in your stay and engagement with us in your areas of interest such as:
- research and business in environment and energy sector;
- Mecatronic and advanced manufacturing and Railway Solutions; and
- Team entrepreneurship sustained on co-operative values.
I hope this business mission will produce a very positive outcome for both countries in terms of long term sustainable foreign direct investment and inclusive competitive economic growth and high labour absorption.
I hope you will also share with us your experience as a country known for its sports especially football which you have displayed in our country in 2010 during the FIFA World Cup and lesson for your challenges in Brazil in the 2014 Soccer World Cup which has just ended because as South Africans we were looking at Spain to defend the Cup.
I thank you very much.
