Home Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini and Deputy Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile today Sunday, 17 October 2010 held discussions with the senior Vice President of Huawei Technology Junfeng Guo in Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is in China where she will present the keynote address at the official closing of the South African Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo on Monday, 18 October 2010. Under the umbrella of “South Africa: The rise of a modern economy. Ke Nako” the South African Pavilion at the expo has highlighted the vibrancy of the economy and demonstrated that South Africa is open for business.
Minister Dlamini Zuma speaking on conclusion of the meeting said, “Discussions with between the Vice President of Huawei Technology and the South African delegation which also included South Africa’s Ambassador to China and the Consul-General to Shanghai, looked at the impact Huawei Technology is making on the mobile phone and wireless market in South Africa in particular and the world in general. The company currently cooperates with MTN, Vodacom and Neotel in South Africa and offers a wide range of services that contributes to mobile accessibility for all South Africans.”
“Huawei Technology has established one of its few research and development facilities in South Africa through which South Africans are able to access employment opportunities in addition to benefitting from skills development programmes. Government welcomes the company’s investment in South Africa including foreign direct investment and well as the company’s contribution to the country’s human capital.”
“We also encourage Huawei Technology to use South Africa as a gateway to access the region and indeed the continent. The company has many lessons to teach us since it has grown from a small enterprise in 1998 to one of the leading providers of mobile services and technology to the world 22 years later. It is also impressive that the company registered a profit even during the recent global financial crisis,” concluded Minister Dlamini Zuma.
Minister Dlamini Zuma will later today attend a cultural performance at the South African Pavilion at the Expo. Artists are expected to include, amongst others, Jonas Gwangwa, Don Laka and Woutter Kellerman.
