Jean
22 November 2006
Pretoria - South African President Thabo Mbeki will host the Canadian
Governor-General Michaelle Jean on her first State Visit to South Africa
scheduled for Friday, 1 to Friday, 8 December 2006. While in South Africa the
Governor-General will visit Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
President Mbeki will host Governor-General Jean within the context of South
Africa's commitment to consolidate the African agenda through, among others,
the promotion of North-South co-operation through the Group of 8 (G-8).
The Governor-General's visit to South Africa is part of a five-legged
African visit which will see the Governor-General also visiting Algeria, Mali,
Ghana and Morocco.
Issues on the agenda for discussion at the Union Buildings on Tuesday, 5
December 2006, are expected to include, among others:
* the status of bilateral political and economic relations between both
countries
* a briefing on operationalisation of the institutions of the African Union and
the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD),
seeing that Canada has strongly supported that both these issues be included on
the agenda of the G-8
* conflict resolution and peacekeeping in Africa
* other issues of multilateral importance including the need to restore the
centrality of multilateralism, the comprehensive reform of the United Nations
and South Africa's election to the United Nations Security Council 2007-2008,
as a non-permanent member.
South Africa - Canada bilateral relations have grown exponentially since
President Mbeki's State Visit to Canada in November 2003. Bilateral relations
are conducted largely within the framework of the Annual Consultations (AC),
which was first held in Pretoria in 2004.
There is regular contact and interaction between most government departments
and their Canadian counterparts and a significant increase in the number of
departmental and provincial visits to Canada has been recorded. 11 ministerial
and deputy ministerial visits to Canada took place this year. There have been
reciprocal engagements between the legislatures, such as the Portfolio
Committees on Defence, Public Works, Security and Constitutional Affairs,
Finance and Oversight Committees.
Most of the interaction is centred on capacity building and skills
development. The significant growth in co-operation, across a broad spectrum of
areas, was evident at the 3rd Annual Consultations held in Pretoria, in May
2006. The agenda featured Trade and Investment, Science and Technology, Arts
and Culture, Agriculture, and Minerals and Energy, amongst others.
Bilateral Co-operation Projects
Specific areas of bilateral co-operation include the following:
Health
Ongoing negotiations are taking place to establish a framework for
co-operation that would facilitate the exchange of health professionals,
research and funding. Following the visit of a high level scoping mission to
South Africa late last year, agreement was reached at the third Annual
Consultations in May this year to focus on 18 areas of co-operation.
Overseas Development Assistance (ODA)
A Country Development Policy Framework (CDPF), the first of its kind, was
signed between South Africa and Canada in 2003. Canadian development assistance
to South Africa amounts to about R100 million per year. The assistance is
focused mainly on strengthening service delivery in HIV and AIDS, rural
development and good governance. During the third Annual Consultations, three
Declarations of Intent were signed earmarking funding in the fields of HIV and
AIDS, Governance and Rural Development. An overall ODA Treaty that will unlock
further Bilateral Canadian funding, will be signed before the visit of the
Governor General. Canada also sees South Africa as a partner in achieving its
development goals on the continent, rather than being only a net receiver of
ODA.
Arts and Culture
In November 2003, the two countries signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to
develop a Framework for Cultural Co-operation which identified three areas of
interest, viz.: Exchange of Arts and Cultural Experts, Performance Management;
and Governance and Art Bank. The two countries have also signed a Co-Production
Agreement which has resulted in a number of films being produced.
Education
There have been positive signs of progress in the area of funding for
tertiary education. Dalhousie University in Halifax, as administrator of the
South African Student Education Project (SASEP), offers scholarships to South
African students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
Minerals and Energy
There is a high level of co-operation in the field of mining. The Annual
Prospectors and Developers Association (PDAC) Convention, held in Toronto,
provides an opportunity to promote the South African mining sector and to
exchange information with Canadian counterparts.
Science and Technology
Canada and South Africa's Science and Technology (S&T) relationship has
been good in terms of the development of South Africa's Science and Technology
strategy and the role that the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
has played in the past. Canada views South Africa as a strategic Science and
Technology partner in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
region.
Areas of co-operation identified include the Earth Science Sector (ESS)
division of National Resources Canada (NRCan), which is currently working with
the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop a Spatial Data Infrastructure
(SDI) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) geomatics for a
public health platform for policy decision makers; identifying the use of
modern geospatial technologies for natural disaster management and to address
development issues in the SADC region. There will also be a focus on Human
Capital Development that will look at Canada's experience in the retention of
science intellectual capacity and the lessons to be learnt by South Africa. The
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will submit a proposal to
NRCan to promote Spatial Development Initiatives (SDI) in Africa.
Human Resource Development/Skills Exchange
The Banking Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) Exchange Project
has been successful for the second consecutive year. Selected senior South
African banking executives from previously disadvantaged groups trained for six
weeks with leading financial institutions in Toronto and Montreal.
Following the signing of a twinning agreement between the University of
Pretoria and the University of New Brunswick in 2004, much progress has been
achieved. The Operational Framework for Post Settlement Support for Restitution
Farmers was drafted in 2006 and a project for the implementation of three pilot
restitution farms is underway through Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA) funding.
Canada enjoys a high standing in the area of capacity building and skills
development as illustrated by the increasing number of delegations, both on
national and provincial level, and the private sector, to learn from Canadian
models. Canada has also offered technical assistance for the establishment of a
database of skills needs and processes for the Joint Initiative on Priority
Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).
People to People Co-operation
The recent interest and increase in the activity of the Nelson Mandela
Children's Fund among schools in Ottawa is a positive sign of the support that
Canada is giving to South Africa. The Adopt-a-School Project is another example
of a successful collaboration between Canada and South Africa. Funds are
committed for schools and to the purchase of educational resources.
Several Canadian non-government organisations have initiated projects in,
for example, the Western Cape, Alexandra and in Soweto to improve health care
in clinics and in building schools for children in those areas.
Sport and Recreation co-operation
An interim extension to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is in the
process of being finalised. The MoU will allow for co-operation with the
Under-21 Soccer World Cup to be hosted by Canada in 2007 and the 2010 Soccer
World Cup to be hosted by South Africa.
Peacekeeping on the Continent
Discussions are ongoing to identify avenues of closer co-operation in this
area between South Africa and Canada, both being prominent players in
peacekeeping on the continent. Canada is the only country that has been
involved in every United Nations peacekeeping operation in Africa to date.
Trade and investment
South Africa is Canada's leading trading partner in Africa and there is
scope to grow bilateral trade. Canadian investments in South Africa are mainly
geared toward the mining sector, with 17 Canadian exploration and mining
companies active in South Africa, representing capital assets of 1,4 billion
Canadian dollars. At the third Annual Consultations, mining investments,
including Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) issues, featured prominently in
discussions between the Canadian participants and the Departments of Trade and
Industry and Minerals and Energy.
Bilateral trade is largely linked to the mining sector, with the bulk of
South Africa's exports to Canada comprising mineral products, base metals,
prepared foodstuffs and vegetable products. Major imports comprise of machinery
and mechanical appliances, vehicles, aircraft, dairy and vegetable products,
vessels and associated components and mineral products. Bilateral trade amounts
to around R4 billion per annum.
In 2005, South Africa registered a small trade deficit against Canada, due
to a growth in imports from Canada and a marginal drop in exports. The
appreciation of the rand also led to a rise in the price of precious metals,
which culminated in a decline in exports. Base metals and mineral products
constitute about 57,60% of South Africa's total exports to Canada. The
Department of Trade and Industry has identified food and beverage, ICT, the
film and mining industries as sectors to be earmarked for diversification of
trade with Canada.
Bilateral Trade (R'000 current prices)
Year: 2000
Exports (R'000 current prices): 1,531,845
Imports (R'000 current prices): 1,734,297
Trade Balance: 202,452
Year: 2001
Exports (R'000 current prices): 1,527,419
Imports (R'000 current prices): 1,515,062
Trade Balance: 12,357
Year: 2002
Exports (R'000 current prices): 1,809,541
Imports (R'000 current prices): 2,423,047
Trade Balance: -613,506
Year: 2003
Exports (R'000 current prices): 1,596,343
Imports (R'000 current prices): 2,060,431
Trade Balance: -464,088
Year: 2004
Exports (R'000 current prices): 2,345,792
Imports (R'000 current prices): 2,021,875
Trade Balance: 323,917
Year: 2005
Exports (R'000 current prices): 2,238,315
Imports (R'000 current prices): 2,454,038
Trade Balance: -215,723
Source: Customs and Excise
Investments
Another major investment from Canada includes the stake of the Bombardier
Consortium which has been awarded a contract worth US$1,650 million towards the
Gautrain Project.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
22 November 2006
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)
