Inspire sa issue 6

inspire TRADE • INVESTMENT • TOURISM

SOUTH AFRICA

ORGANS MUST WORK TOGETHER THE HEALTH INDUSTRY DEPENDS ON IT

AUTUMN 2015

R35.00 (Incl. VAT)

ISSN 2307-7697

9 772307 769409

EXPANDING AT LEISURE

TOURISM DESTINATION SA FOR KINGDOM AND COUNTRY BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR SA AND THE NETHERLANDS

Getting to your destination has never been easier. Gautrain will help you plan your route, assist you with bus and shuttle services as well as assist you with calculating the time and cost of visiting your destination. Finding an event, place or attraction to attend or visit makes travelling a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

Log onto www.gautrain.co.za for more information.

Shuttle Services Available.

• From Marlboro to Linbro Park and Woodlands in Woodmead.

• Weekend Shuttle to Montecasino from Sandton Station.

Montecasino Palazzo Circle Shuttle Service on Public Holidays

Design Quarter

Epsom Downs Parc Nicol Nicolway

Johannesburg

Grosvenor Crossing Bryanston Centre Bryanston Crescent Pick n Pay on Nicol

Consumer Goods Council

Rosebank Station Bus Routes RB5: Killarney RB2: Melrose RB3: Illovo RB4: Hyde Park

Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital Parktown

A valid Gold Card is required to board a Gautrain bus.

This can be purchased at the stations and at selected retail outlets.

• For detailed and accurate bus route maps enquire at the stations or visit the website.

• Bus tickets cannot be purchased on the buses.

• To find out where a bus is, please dial 010 223 1098.

Wits Medical School Rosebank Mall

4M

Boston

Reef Hotel

Absa Bank

Thrupps Centre

Illovo Blvd

ES UT IN 4 M Bidvest

Wanderers Stadium Protea Hotel Wanderers Melrose Melrose Place Arch

Dunkeld Centre

College of Digital Atholl Photography Oaklands

ES

ROSEBANK

Killarney Mall

UT

PARK STATION

Newtown Cultural Precinct

SANDTON

Hyde Park

PRASA/M

First National Bank

Sandton Sports Club

MultiChoice Randburg

Summer Place

Hyde Square

IN

Nelson Mandela Bridge

Standard Bank Art Gallery

Brightwater Commons

Constitution Hill

Joburg Theatre Complex

Download the Gautrain App to plan your trip accordingly.

SARS

ETRORA

Park Station Bus Routes J1: Parktown J2: CBD

IL

SA/

ME

Tshwane

TRO

Pretoria Bus Routes P3: Pretoria P4: PTA Unisa - Groenkloof

RAI

L

Church Square

Sheraton Hotel Pretoria Technical High Royal Thai Embassy

Heart Hospital

PRETORIA

Sunnyside Centre University of Pretoria

7 MINUTES 8 MINUTES

Voortrekker Monument Private Nature Reserve

OR Tambo Building

Louis Pasteur Hospital

Manhattan Hotel City Hall

Freedom Park

Remember to visit Pretoria State Theatre.

State Theatre

National Zoo

Loftus Rugby Stadium

Cherry Lane Shopping University Centre of Pretoria Curves UNISA Groenkloof Brooklyn Campus SABS Harlequins Office Park

Brooklyn Mall

Little Company of Mary Hospital

The Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument

Momentum Raslouw Value Spar Centre

Midrand Bus Routes M1: Randjespark M2: Noordwyk M3: Sunninghill

Sandton Racquets Club

Meadowfields Morningside Shopping Centre

Garden Court Toyota Benmore Morningside Shopping Centre Southern Mushroom Farm Park Sun Barlow Park Sinosteel A&G Theatre on the Square Sandton Hilton IDC Grayston TES Protea INU Ridge Hotel 4M Office Park Atholl Square Westford Radisson Blu Hotel Gautrain Hotel Sandton City

PRASA / Metrorail

Civic Centre

OR

Glen Balad Mall

Arwyp Medical Centre

Ekurhuleni

Premier Hotel OR Tambo

RHODESFIELD T

Monuments / Heritage sites close to routes

Woodbridge Square

AIL

M

MARLBORO

POR

AIR

Airport

Cavendish Glen

Modderfontein Nature Reserve

Innisfree Park

TON SAND

East-West Commuter

ME

Nandoʼs

6

North-South Commuter

Rhodesfield Bus Routes RF1: Kempton Park RF2: Emperors Palace

ES

T

U

IN

LEGEND

Joburg Water Tower

A/

Wedge

Eskom Megawatt Park

Centurion Bus Routes C1: Techno Park C2: Rooihuiskraal C3: Wierda Park C4: Southdowns

Grand Central Airport

MIDRAND

Waterfall Hospital

Woodlands Business Office Park Shuttle Service Sunninghill Hospital Linbro Business Park Shuttle Service

Sax Arena

AS

River Club Park

Central Park

PR

Morning Glen Mall

Eco Boulevard

TR

Rivonia Boulevard

Centurion Golf Estate Love More Centre

Tilbury Business Park

Vodaworld

Unisa SBL Main Entrance African Bank Boulders Shopping Centre Gallagher Convention Centre Town Lodge

Chilli Lane Shopping Centre

Value World Centurion

OR

Liliesleaf Rivonia Centre

HATFIELD

Tuks Sports Campus St. Maryʼs School Garden Court World CSIR Bank Garden Xcelpark Court Spanish Embassy Checkers Pretoria Menlyn Lynnwood Country Park Club Shopping

Southdowns College Centurion Licensing Services

Protea Hotel

UTES

Nizamiye Turkish Masjid along the Midrand train route.

Eco Park Estate

Spar

IL

ETRORA

PRASA/M

Byles Bridge

Supersport Park

Highveld Shopping Centre

9 MIN

Waterkloof Airforce Base

Centurion Lake

Centurion Lifestyle Centre

Wierdaglen Estate

Hatfield Bus Routes H1: Brooklyn H2: Lynnwood H3: Arcadia H5: Menlyn H6: Queenswood

Centurion Station

CENTURION

Amberfield Estate

Sandton Station Bus Routes S2: Gallo Manor S3: Rivonia S4: Randburg S5: Fourways

Protea Hotel Waterfront

Queenswood Christian College

3495| iww | ew

PRA

Protea Hotel OR Tambo Emperors Palace

T AIRPOR ES MINUT N =15 IO T TA S NDTON

TO SA TAMBO

Kelvin Power

Emperors Palace

OR TAMBO OR Tambo International Airport, the busiest airport in Africa, forms the centre of a multi-nodal, multifunctional enterprise with major commercial development in Ekurhuleni and is known as South Africa’s Aerotropolis.

The underground tunnel section from Park Station to Marlboro Portal is a total length of 15.5 kilometres.

SMS “Alert ” to 32693 for service updates Disclaimer: Please note that some of the attractions indicated along the illustrated route map may not be along the route of the Gautrain services. Certain attractions can be seen from the Gautrain but may need other public transport modes to get there. Direct enquiries for more information about places and attractions may be obtained from Gauteng Tourism Authority. The illustrated route map is not to scale.

The illustrated information published was last updated on 30 January 2015.

contents

FOREWORD 7 About challenges and solutions Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

HEALTH 8 The Future of Healthcare INTERNATIONAL 14 The dutch connection WATER 22

Our lifes blood

TOURISM

30 The business of tourism INVESTMENT

36 destination Western cape

All MediA Afr icA international

PUBLISHER: All Media Africa International The Avenues Office Park, Media House, unit 3b2/3b1, 1 Village Walk, Parklands Cape Town, 7441 Tel: + 27 21 0100 936 Website: www.amafrica.net

COPY EDITOR Mandy Young CONTRIBUTORS Hermann Tischlerr, Miriam Mannak, Alison Budge, Mzamane Qoma

ART DIRECTOR Stacey Storbeck Nel indiodesign@mweb.co.za

ADVERTISING SALES: Mark Poonan Malcolm Solomon Graeme Mather

PHOTOGRAPHY Cover: Michael Jung Shutterstock 123RF Shutterstock

DISCLAIMER: INSPIRE SOUTH AFRICA is published by ALL MEDIA AFRICA INTERNATIONAL. All work published herein is protected by copyright. No part, editorial or images may be reproduced or adapted in whatever format without the express permission of the publishers and / or their contributors. Information and opinions expressed and published in INSPIRE SOUTH AFRICA, do not necessarily express opinions of this magazine. The magazine, publisher or editor cannot be held liable for damages of any nature, directly or indirectly from any facts or information that has been provided or omitted in these pages. The same applies to any statements made or withheld by this magazine.

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Inspire South Africa

5-7 May 2015

Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

7 2 % of exhibitor

rebooked o s nsite for 2015

5,000m

450+

2

exhibition space

6,848

visitors and delegates

38%

year on year growth

local and international exhibitors

14

conferences

If you are interested in participating in the show in 2015, dates are 5-7 May. For more information call + 971 (0) 407 2586 or email africahealth@informa.com Platinum Sponsor:

53

countries represented

The Africa Health Exhibition and Conference, has proven itself to be a true facilitator, a key in uplifting African Healthcare development potential. Hutz Medical is a proud partner from the very start of Africa Health, and will continue to invest in this diverse market, Africa Julian Hutz, Executive Director, HUTZ MEDICAL

Gold Sponsors:

Silver Sponsor:

Supported by:

Media partners:

Official Charity:

www.africahealthexhibition.com

foreword

A FEW WORDS FROM AMBASSADOR MARISA GERARDS

Dear reader, It is a great privilege to have been living and working in South Africa since October 2014. The past six months have shown me what a beautiful country this is and I’m looking forward to getting to know it even better. My ambition is to create an even stronger relationship between South Africa and the Netherlands.

Our focus for the coming years will be on supporting mutually beneficial trade and investment between our two countries, not in the least through small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Dutch Embassy is especially active in the fields of transport & logistics, water management, renewable energy, life sciences & health, agri-food and horticulture. These are sectors in which the Netherlands has a wealth of experience and expertise to offer, and where it can also learn a great deal from South Africa.

As an embassy we greatly support co-creation rather than ready-made technology, so that a joint understanding of challenges and solutions leads to real innovation.

This is apparent not only in our economic work, but also for instance in our efforts to promote cooperation between South African and Dutch universities and other tertiary education institutes through the Netherlands Education Support Office.

I look forward to seeing all the innovative solutions that South Africa and the Netherlands devise together in the years ahead.

Yours sincerely,

Marisa Gerards Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Inspire South Africa

7

health

HEALTHCARE INTO THE FUTURE THE CHANGING FACE OF HEALTHCARE

By Mzamane Qoma

Inspire South Africa

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health

W

hat has become the largest and arguably the most important healthcare industry event on the African continent, takes place in Gauteng Province, South Africa, from 5-7 May 2015. What can be expected from the Africa Health Exhibition and Congress, and how does this relate to the healthcare challenges in African countries?

THE AFRICA HEALTH STRATEGY: 2007-2015 Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 11 percent of the world’s population, yet bears 24 percent of the global disease burden and commands less than one percent of global health expenditure. It also faces a severe shortage of trained medical personnel, with just 3 percent of the world’s health workers deployed in Sub-Saharan Africa. – IFC, 2008.

This trend-setting conference coincides with the end of the NEPAD Africa Health Strategy: 2007-2015 (1), which was drawn up in response to the unequal disease burden faced by African countries and the barrier that this represents to more rapid economic development.

The NEPAD Strategy, regardless of how well it has been implemented, truly sets a new standard for health care in Africa and gives strategic direction to the effort to reach

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the health-related Millennium Development Goals.

The strategy aims to turn around mortality rates resulting from preventable and treatable diseases, placing special emphasis on women’s rights and equality. Accordingly, the strategy highlights the need to reduce maternal mortality rates from 500-1500 to 228 per 100,000; and under-5 mortality from 171 to 61 per thousand.

The strategy identifies the following key challenges: • The greatest challenge is represented by HIV-Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; • Other communicable diseases such as Pneumonia, Diarrhoea and Measles in children cannot be neglected; Trypanosomiasis, Schistosomiasis, Dracunculiasis, and Filariasis; more “traditional” diseases like Cholera, Meningitis, Ebola and Marburg, and the constant threat of Human Avian Influenza; • Increasingly important are diseases related to lifestyle and diet such as hypertension, strokes, diabetes, instead chronic respiratory problems, and deaths related to tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs; all diseases that will grow along with the African middle class; • Simultaneously, protein, vitamin, and micro-nutrient malnutrition remain a major issue, affecting the development and survival of children.

Factors like improved economic growth, reduced regional conflicts, and a movement towards better governance in many African countries, all contribute to improved health care. However, key problems remain, such as under-resourced health systems, insufficient empowerment and involvement of the target population, and insufficient attention paid to intersectoral factors like poverty marginalisation, and environmental degradation.

A multiplicity of root causes underpins these main problems, including insufficient and unsustainable financial resources, and ineffective use of resources; shortage of trained and motivated health workers; insufficient engagement from stakeholders, including traditional healers; insufficient mobilisation of the private sector and NGOs; and disruptive global policies and health care problems.

The NEPAD Strategy provides a clear overview of the disparate factors that have to be addressed in order to deal with these problems, which include governance policies and legislation, sustainable financing and resource allocation, supply systems, health systems operation and human resources, community participation and involvement, and health information and research.

Importantly, the Strategy recognises that successful implementation will depend on improved collaboration between national health authorities and multiple

Inspire South Africa

health

stakeholders, including the beneficiaries on the community level. Thus improved coordination is needed with the private sector, foundations, NGOs, multilateral organisations, and technical advisers. All these relations should aim at improving co-ordination and enhancing the capacity of the national health systems, in order to provide the services needed.

Governments alone cannot assure the health of their population. Partnerships with communities, private sector, civil society organizations as well as development partners are essential to make an environment conducive to good health status and to deliver health services. - NEPAD Africa Health Strategy, 2007.

THE AFRICAN HEALTH OBSERVATORY AND TRENDS IN AFRICAN HEALTH The NEPAD Strategy contains lofty goals and ambitions, these were however followed up with significant improvements, such as the ground-breaking African Health Observatory (AHO).

The AHO is supported by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, and meets the expressed need for more intensive co-ordinated monitoring, research, and data collection as part of the drive towards universal health coverage in Africa. The AHO’s Atlas of Health Statistics, 2014, its third edition, presents an excellent African health situation analysis based on rigorous countrylevel data collection. The highly accessible website and associated networks make it a nexus for healthcare researchers and authorities; a significant technologically driven step towards improved healthcare on the continent.

Thus, the collaborative networking approach embraced by the African Health Observatory and the national observatories, is intended to provide a continuum between work at regional and national levels, offering a platform for many disparate supporting mechanisms and methodologies. This should lead to a marked decrease in the fragmentation of efforts so frequently found in public health policy and development work. The Atlas is a product and promoter of such collaborative networking. – Dr Sambo, WHO – Regional Office for Africa, 2014

The AHO 2014 Atlas highlighted the major changes of the main diseases, according to the percentage of deaths. suffered on the African continent between 1990 and 2010. They reflect changes such as a decline in pneumonia-related deaths from position 2 to 7; a decline from position 5 to 8 in deaths related to rotaviral enteritis, and other respiratory infections, from 7 to 10. These represent significant improvements in African health care.

However, there are some worrying changes. HIV/Aids related mortality on the continent, retained its position at number 3, though this related only to those deaths attributed to mycobacterial infection. HIV/Aids deaths related to “other unspecified or specified diseases”.

Simultaneously, HIV/Aids deaths related to “other unspecified or specified diseases, jumped from third to first place pushing Tuberculosis down to second position.

Over the same period. Malaria has also made major advances, jumping from position number 9 to 5. Given the prevalent increase in resistant forms of the disease, this is particularly worrying.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTH SERVICES Given the mismatch between capacities and needs, no African country can depend solely on public health services to reach their health care objectives. Nearly 50% of those seeking medical services outside the home in African countries, use private sector providers.

This shows that the private sector can fill important gaps in public health care, and that it can be used to extend services to the poor. However, at the same time it should be clear that this cannot replace effective public sector healthcare and that a joint approach is needed. therefore, Not surprisingly, in light of this, the need for wider collaboration.

Generally, the public and private sectors tend to continue working independently, much to the disadvantage of the people who depend on them.

An important reason for this lack of engagement is often the large gap in expertise and finances between the two sectors, and the complexity and international nature of private sector healthcare.

Healthcare in most of Sub-Saharan Africa remains the worst in the world. Despite decades of foreign assistance, few countries in the region are able to spend even the $34-$40 per person per year that the WHO considers the minimum necessary to provide a population with basic health care. – International Finance Corporation, 2008

Inspire South Africa

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health

A collaborative approach between the sectors depends on properly considered policy changes, which enhance the strengths of the private sector, whilst ensuring that urgent social needs are met. Some of the tools used to do this include: • The extension of licensing and accreditation systems to include the private sector; • Updating and harmonising laws, policies, regulations, and procedures to permit private sectors services and products; • Public private partnerships involving international or international or non-profit organisations; • Social marketing programmes aimed at increasing the availability of subsidised health-care products; • The use of vouchers for target populations, governmentfunded insurance, etc.

Collaboration with the private sector extends well beyond the health service providers to include pharmaceutical and medical device industries. This relates to big international companies like Merck, Pfizer, J&J, Novartis, GSK, Aspen Pharmacare and others.

IT and telecommunications companies like Vodafone play an increasingly important role in enabling health systems, especially in remote rural areas, while financial services companies play an important role in health financing and payment systems.

Very important is the role played by various media channels, including radio, television, social media and text messaging, which can be used in innovative ways to support and extend services. The companies involved in these sectors are able to achieve their own commercial objectives, while at the same time playing a critical role in enabling health care.

and service providers.

The event consists of 13 accredited conferences, each focusing on a specialised area of concern, such as surgery, quality, emergency and critical care, radiology, and so on. It includes a repeat of the 2014 Healthcare Management Conference, which focused on the viability of low-cost effective health care in Africa, improving healthcare delivery, life-cycle management of infrastructure and technology, and national health insurance.

Importantly, the Africa Health 2015 includes the following two highly relevant new themes: The Hospital Build Conference, with a keynote presentation dealing with the complexities and opportunities for a sustainable health infrastructure; followed by sessions on funding and finance, design and planning, construction, and commissioning.

The Public Health Conference, aims at fostering the promotion of universal health coverage and accelerating equity. It looks at leadership in healthcare and addresses the expected shift from infectious to non-communicable diseases over the next 20 years.

Africa Health is also introducing a new program called Recruitment Zone. This provides a platform for jobseekers and employers looking for skilled talent, which will help to stem the loss of trained staff to other continents.

With the 2015 event, Africa Health is again putting their money where their mouth is, by donating all the conference fees to this year’s charity STEPS. After the 2014 Expo, some ZAR 200 thousand was donated to the Smile Foundation, a South African NGO that helps children with facial anomalies to receive free plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Companies can help save 16 million lives world-wide by 2015 - WHO, 2012

THE AFRICA HEALTH EXHIBITION AND CONGRESS Africa Health plays an important role in bringing healthcare professionals from across the continent together, to discuss and exchange their experiences regarding the region’s health challenges. Taking place annually, Africa Health is the biggest healthcare exhibition in Africa. The Africa Health 2015 in the Gallagher Convention Centre from 5-7 May, will be attended by some 7000 healthcare professionals and 500 of the world’s leading healthcare suppliers, manufacturers,

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“The Africa Health Congress’s incredibly generous donation will see the Smile Foundation together with the South African Academic hospitals assist 15 South African children with burns, cleft lip and palate and or other facial anomalies receive surgical intervention and support. The holistic support which is given to the patient and guardians includes psychological support as well as other auxiliary services. On behalf of the children that will be assisted, we would like to thank Africa Health Congress for bringing smiles to children’s faces.” - Hedley Lewis, Smile Foundation, 2014.

Inspire South Africa

Allegra, a part of the Afrocentric group, is a South African company that specializes in Healthcare Management Solutions for sub-Saharan Africa. The objective SOFTWARE • SERVICE • SUPPORT of Allegra is to enhance clinical information management and total pharmaceutical care through the provision of a software suite that integrates dispensing, primary healthcare, practice management and wellness management modules into one user-friendly and comprehensive system.

Labstix Diagnostics is a specialized diagnostic company providing in all your diagnostic needs from Rapid Diagnostic Tests, Point of Care Analyses to Turnkey Laboratory Projects. Labstix Diagnostics can advise, supply and even manage your Lab. Labstix Diagnostics partnered with esteemed suppliers, leading the way in Innovative Laboratory technology.

Allegra provides one platform that allows integration between healthcare stakeholders such as medical aids, insurance companies and healthcare providers. This results in the opportunity of one shared patient health record across the Southern African healthcare network for those who are a part of the Allegra Healthcare Community. The Allegra solution provides a platform for critical patient information management, whilst enhancing business processes.

At Labstix Diagnostics we specialize in setting up and capacitating laboratories. We realized that most laboratories function independently from the hospital and this in some cases erodes the crucial contribution that the laboratories make to patient management. We offer IT solutions and training programmes that intergrades these efforts, enabling all medical practitioners to deliver good healthcare to their patients. We believe in employing the right technology for the right purpose and we advise our clients on the most cost effective solutions and train and capacitate them in good laboratory practise, and make sure they comply to reputable standards.

Tel: +27 86 122 2985

Tel: +27 13 947 8049

|

Email: info@allegra.co.za

Kernel Int'l Corp. offer various high-quality Health Care Products and Consumer Electronics at reasonable prices timely through our prompt response and excellent service. The quality and security of our products are assured and certified by FDA, CE, ISO13485, FCC and UL. We regard customers' demands as our challenges and we can always meet their expectations.

Drakemed is a service, maintenance, supply and manufacturing company. We design and manufacture x-ray equipment to suit the needs of our customers.

Tel: +886-2-29621800 Email: eric@knl.com.tw

Email: drakemed@worldonline.co.za

Furthermore we branched out into the occupational healthcare sector where we manufacture completely mobile health care units for occupational examinations.

Tel: +27 12 546 8864

|

Email: info@labstix.co.za

THOR is dedicated to deliver high quality, yet affordable equipment for the medical diagnostics industry. We are specialists in medical technology development and manufacturing. Our success results from understanding our customer's needs, supplying products to meet those needs and support our products to each customer's satisfaction.

Tel: +36 20 583 75 64 (EU) Email: George.f@thorlabor.com

Norma Diagnostika is a designer and supplier of innovative blood analysis systems serving the in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) market.

Norma offers quality, cutting edge products and excellent services. The product range consists of analyzers and reagents for clinical chemistry, hematology, as well as ion selective analyzers for human medical and veterinary clinics.

Tel: +43 2233 52887

Email: office@normadiagnostika.com

netherlands

THE DUTCH-SOUTH AFRICAN CONNECTION

Šwww.123rf.com/profile_ruskpp

From Gouda in the Western Cape to Rotterdam in Limpopo and Amsterdam in Mpumalanga: One glance at a road map is enough to realise the influence the Dutch once had in this part of the world. Whilst a fair chunk of both nations’ joined history is not much to write home about, recent times particularly since our first democratic elections of 1994 - have proven to be rather positive.

By Miriam Mannak

14

Inspire South Africa

netherlands

“B

igger is not always better”. The Netherlands has proved this maxim time and time again, in the South African context and elsewhere.

Approximately forty times smaller than the Rainbow Nation, this tiny country west of Germany and north of Belgium is currently one of the most important off-taker of our products.

Statistics by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) show that between January and October 2014, exports from South Africa to the Netherlands amounted to R28,4 billion. This might not seem significant in the greater scheme of things, but the figure becomes

impressive when you take into consideration that exports to the United States (US) – which is 236 times the size of The Netherlands – amounted to R56 billion in that same period. Yes, the Netherlands – with a population of 16,8 million - imports half of what the US (317 million people) ships in from South Africa.

MINERALS, MEAT, AND FRUIT So what are the Dutch after, when it comes to proudly South African goods, products, and services? According to the official destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency for the Western Cape Wesgro, South African exports to Dutch shores mainly comprise mineral products such as coal, briquettes, and ovoids made from coal. “Iron ores and concentrates, roasted iron pyrites (valued at R4.1 billion in 2013), and ferro-alloys were the second and third largest export categories respectively,” states Wesgro’s 2014 country report on The Netherlands.

Fruit products have also become more and more important over the past years, with exports to the Netherlands seeing a sharp increase since 2013. Then there is meat, as well as machinery components. “Meat and domestic poultry (R870.8 million) and original equipment components (R644 million) completed the top three imported goods,” the Wesgro report adds.

The long Dutch association with South Africa is visible in many of our buildings through South Africa

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Wine too, plays an important role in Dutch-South African trade relations. The 2008-2013 Wine Exports Analysis report by the South African Wine Industry Information & Systems (SAWIS), states that the Netherlands imported 22 million litres of South African wine in 2013. This makes the country the eighth largest wine importer after Canada, the US, Sweden, France, Russia, Germany, and the UK. The relationship between South Africa and the land of tulips goes beyond the export of coal products, meat, fruit, and wine: the Rainbow Nation is, and has been for many years, one of the top tourism destinations amongst Dutch holiday makers. According to government statistics, which can be found on the website of Brand South Africa, 122.299 Dutch tourists arrived in our country between January and December 2013. In 2004, this figure stood at 120,838.

The above statistics might not impress at first glance.

The increase over ten years is after all not very significant.

What the figures do say, however, is that South Africa has enjoyed a very stable, durable popularity amongst Dutch travellers for quite some time. As a matter of fact, for the past ten years the Dutch have been the third largest group of European visitors after the Germans and Brits.

2010 was a particularly busy year, which saw the arrival of 124.088 Dutch travellers - compared to 113.846

Inspire South Africa

©www.123rf.com/profile_piccaya

WINE AND TOURISM

netherlands

Ambassadors for the Netherlands, 2010 world cup soccer fans

the year before. The FIFA World Cup, which saw the final showdown between Team Orange and Spain, undoubtedly played a role in this.

©www.123rf.com/profile_neslk

SOMETHING FOR EVERY TOURIST According to Jessy Lipperts, who relocated from The Netherlands to South Africa in 2003, there are many reasons why her fellow countrymen and women love spending their holidays in the Rainbow Nation. “People do tend to be a bit scared of South Africa initially, because of what is reported in the media and the many hear-say stories from friends and neighbours,” says Lipperts, who started her travel agency Extraordinary Travel upon arriving in South Africa. “However, once they get here, most are surprised by the friendliness of the people and the beauty of this country. I have organised tours across South Africa for eleven years now, and so far I have had one complaint about the destination.”

“Most people simply love it here,” she adds. “Apart from what I mentioned earlier, the Dutch really like the fact that South Africa - from a holiday perspective - has something to offer everyone, catering for any budget, from backpackers and shoestring travellers to people who

prefer luxury and comfort.”

To prevent sticky situations, Lipperts spends a lot of time informing her clients about some of the challenges South Africa is currently facing. Crime, as well as poverty and inequality for instance. “It is important to explain to people who have never been here before, about the realities,” she says. “Most of my customers tend to opt for self-drives, and are therefore a bit more adventurous than most. I therefore provide them with extensive information about what to do and what not to do. I haven’t experienced any problems over the past eleven years.”

FOOTBALL, BODYGUARDS AND BRAAI SPOTS What role has the 2010 World Cup played in shaping Dutch perception about South Africa, or perhaps changing it for the better? Whilst Lipperts doesn’t have a concrete answer to that, she does have some very fond memories about the event. “One of my clients was a Dutch beer company, who had invited a hundred of their most important customers to South Africa for a group stage match and a 6-day stay in and around Cape Town.

These people all owned restaurants and hotels in the Netherlands, and as a result bodyguards had to be hired

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netherlands

to protect them,” she recalls. “On day two, people began to ask me whether these bodyguards were really necessary. On the third day, someone asked if we could go to Mzoli’s in Gugulethu. A visit to a township braai spot was not part of the programme, but we eventually went.

It was one big party! People loved it.”

Not only tourists but Dutch entrepreneurs and investors seem to feel quite at home in South Africa. According to Wesgro, there are about 350 Dutch businesses across the country, from large multi-nationals such as Heineken and Shell to smaller tourism, hospitality, IT, construction, and financial services enterprises. Collectively, these firms employ about 10,000 people.

The question is “why South Africa?” According to Bonnie Horbach, Dutch Consul General in Cape Town, the answer is simple: “Infrastructure is relatively good, and there is no time difference,” she says, noting that this is a huge advantage to companies with headquarters in the Netherlands. “It allows one here to communicate with colleagues back home all day long.”

TALENTED SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH The abundance of talented young people who want to grab and create opportunities is another aspect that makes South Africa a great destination for Dutch business folk, investors, and entrepreneurs. “It is the young people who inspire me,” Horbach says. “Many youngsters are not as preoccupied with the past as most adults are. They want to live and make the most of it. That is why I feel we should do more to assist the youth of South Africa.

They are the future.”

To do her bit, Horbach spends a lot of time connecting South African youth to opportunities and networks. For instance she organises regular Change Maker Dinners at her residence. “I invite up to 12 talented, inspirational, extraordinary young people from all walks of life to these dinners,” she says. “Besides sharing a meal together, there is room for discussions and debates around certain thematic issues. My aim is to connect people to others whom they normally wouldn’t meet.”

Historical ties don’t play much of a role Horbach notes.

The fact that South Africa and the Netherlands share a past, which is reflected in, amongst other things, streets and road maps, doesn’t mean that the Dutch and South Africans have a similar way of doing business. “The Dutch are known to be very direct and to the point, when doing business. This doesn’t always work in South Africa, where it takes more time to build trust and relationships. The Dutch can learn from that,” she says.

PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES

Africa, despite the various harsh realities. “Last year was my busiest year ever, particularly after three slow post-World Cup years,” says Lipperts. “This year has started off quite well too, so I am positive about what the future holds. For this year, I have some interesting and exciting projects in the pipeline, dealing with people who want to get to know South Africa at a deeper level.

In January this year, I had a group of American MBA students for whom I arranged all sorts of corporate visits.

This was incredibly exciting. This winter, I will receive two groups of high school students who want to do volunteer work in various townships around Cape Town and Johannesburg. There are plenty of work opportunities here!”

• The Netherlands is currently the third largest European buyer of South African goods, products and services - after Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) - and the seventh in the world.

• South Africa is the Netherlands’ main trading partner on the African continent.

• In 2013, South Africa exported R30 billion in goods to the Netherlands, and imported R16 billion worth of Dutch goods.

• Between 2004 and 2013, the value of exports flowing from South Africa to the Netherlands jumped from R11, 9 billion to R29, 9 billion.

• Between January 2003 and February 2014, the Dutch initiated a total number of 1680 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in South Africa, state Wesgro figures.. The Western Cape Province received the bulk of investment projects, whilst Gauteng received more capital investment.

• According to Wesgro statistics, South African companies invested in 3 projects in the Netherlands (2013), which amounted to R204 million and created 266 jobs.

• The Western Cape receives some 55% of all Dutch tourists who arrive in South Africa, says Wesgro.

• A 2011 Grant Thornton report shows that 400.000 foreign visitors travelled to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup, which was hosted between 11 June and 11 July 2010. Furthermore, statistics show that the number of Dutch tourists, during those two months, was considerably higher than during the same period the year before. June 2010 for instance saw 10.760 Dutch arrivals compared to 4079 the year before. The figure for July 2010 stood at 13.743, as opposed to 12.000 in 2009.

Both Horbach and Lipperts are positive about South

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Inspire South Africa

participants, thus creating a sense of awe and wonder in Southern African history. It allows visitors to become part of the history that we leave for our children.

While Freedom Park takes visitors on our painful struggle journey that shaped the history of our beautiful land, the destination offers an impassionate, exuberant and unparalled breath-taking heritage experience that tells a story of our motherland from an African perspective.

Hailed as the most ambitious heritage project of our democratic government, Freedom Park is located on a 52-hectare site on Salvokop in Pretoria. The Park offers a unique and exceptional opportunity to experience and appreciate South Africa’s history.

As a national and international icon of humanity and freedom, it weaves the story of where we come from and the historical and cultural events that shaped what South Africa is today.

Freedom Park is the heartbeat of all that is South African – the hub through which to know this land of promise in all its diversity. With the recently opened //hapo interactive museum fully operational and navigating visitors on a journey dating back 3.6 billion years, visitors can’t leave the destination untouched. //hapo showcases South Africa’s rich and colorful history, from creation to the issues of reconciliation and nation building that we face today. What makes //hapo so unique is its interactivity in that it transports visitors from mere spectators to active

As with the other elements in Freedom Park, //hapo was designed to blend into the landscape, rather than impose on it. By sculpting the building frames using steel structures and overlaying them with copper, //hapo was shaped to resemble boulders. Each of the seven epochs or eras will be depicted in a separate boulder. Over time, the copper will fade and turn the color of the boulders in the area. Surrounded by large trees and other vegetation, //hapo will thus resemble a series of boulders on the side of Salvokop.

Within //hapo, the history of our region is brought to life as visitors are transported beyond a mere taking in of facts but are encouraged to live and experience the bygone ages. Each story is revealed in layers, creating a sense of wonderment and curiosity. Instead of simply stating the facts, //hapo equips visitors with clues and tools that allow each and every one to paint a picture of “what might it have been like for me”.

By giving voice to histories that have been previously marginalised, //hapo emphasises a people’s history that reveals the creativity, inventiveness, resilience and spirit of our people. //Hapo aims to foreground indigenous knowledge as a paradigm, thereby emancipating the African voice.

The following seven epochs or eras form the basis of the Southern African story: Epoch 1: Earth Epoch 2: Ancestors Epoch 3: Peopling Epoch 4: Resistance and Colonisation Epoch 5: Industrialisation and Urbanisation Epoch 6: Nationalisms and Struggle Epoch 7: Nation Building and Continent Building

Guided tours daily at 9am, 12pm & 3pm. Entrance fee: R45 - adults (age 16 years and above) R25 - children (age 3 - 16 years) and pensioners Self-guided tours are also possible - maps available!

Emergency (after hours) bookings: +27 (0)79 873 8988 Tel: +27 12 336 4000 E-mail: info@freedompark.co.za Web: www.freedompark.co.za

Interview with Ambassador Marisa Gerards As a significant trade partner to South Africa, without disclosing the sensitive details of the trade agreement negotiations, where do you see the growth sectors and prospects as a business partner to South Africa?

South Africa and the Netherlands have longstanding economic ties, as well as cultural, academic and political connections. Our economic relationship has become increasingly important to both countries. The Netherlands is South Africa’s third-largest trade partner in the European Union. In 2014 trade between our countries totalled ZAR 48.3 billion. In turn, South Africa is the Netherlands’ largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our good economic relations provide a solid basis for economic growth, prosperity and socio-economic development, in South Africa as well as the Netherlands.

Traditionally, the growth sectors are also those in which the Netherlands offers South Africa added value: water management, agriculture, transport & logistics, energy (including renewable energy), and health. This makes them the main focus of the Embassy and the Consulate-General. I should emphasise that the Netherlands does not believe in ‘prescriptive solutions’.

We prefer to explore the issues together with our South African partners and find a co-creative solution. A case in point is the Centre of Expertise in Durban, which collaborates with local water utility eThekwini Water and Sanitation (EWS) to match the challenges EWS is facing with the wealth of water management expertise available in the Netherlands. It does so not by ‘transplanting’ technical solutions from the Netherlands to South Africa, but by finding out together what works best.

How easy would it be for South Africans/businesses to trade with or open businesses in the Netherlands?

I can confidently say that there is plenty of help and practical guidance available for South African companies wanting to expand into the

Netherlands. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) is our main partner in this area. The RVO encourages entrepreneurs in sustainable, agrarian, innovative and international business. It can also assist with grants, know-how and compliance with laws and regulations, as well as scout for business partners. The Southern African Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (SANEC) is also a key intermediary for companies, organisations and entrepreneurs doing or seeking business in South Africa and the Netherlands. You can look to SANEC as your principal guide for business in and between our two countries.

How exactly does the Embassy facilitate trade between the two countries?

Modern economic diplomacy also means revisiting our international trade instruments and finding new and creative ways of engaging with partners to ensure mutually beneficial, long-term cooperation. It is all about building relationships, focusing on the demand side and creating long-term commitments and partnerships. In line with this vision, we set up #cocreateSA, a platform for South African and Dutch counterparts to exchange innovations for a sustainable future. #cocreateSA is based on the belief that if we work together, we can make a difference and cocreate solutions to local challenges.

As health is the latest sector to be included in your prioritised sectors, what are the plans for the sector? How does the Kingdom of the Netherlands hope to add value and expertise to this sector?

A recently published study commissioned by the Embassy on the South African healthcare sector will guide our efforts to extend economic relations in this new priority sector. We see substantial opportunities for making health care available to rural communities through eHealth, developing human resources in health through training and knowledge sharing, upgrading and developing public and private sector hospitals, and increasing the use of IT in health care.

water

WATER:

OUR LIFE’S BLOOD The next global war, it is often said, will be waged for water.

©Shutterstock

By Mzamane Qoma

Inspire South Africa

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water

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es, water truly is life, as the old adage has it, the lack of which has caused many an ancient civilisation to collapse. Therefore, whatever one says about water resource management in South Africa, is simultaneously a statement about the economic and political sustainability of the country – and much more as we shall see.

A DRY SUBCONTINENT Southern Africa is dry by nature, placing our water resource managers under unique pressures. Rainfall is distributed unevenly across the country, the western half being much drier than the eastern, which creates a need for integrated water planning and the transfer of water from wet to drier areas.

The region as a whole is also visited by intense droughts, which can last for several years and have a devastating impact on agriculture. The water provision systems must therefore be able to cope with periodic shortages that require special planning capacities and investments.

The link of the drought cycle with the El Nino phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, demonstrates the interconnectedness of the global climate and water cycle; also of things to come as a result of global climate change.

Wet and dry cycles in southern Africa will intensify, the east becoming wetter and the west becoming drier. This creates major challenges for water resource planning and infrastructure development.

THE BIG POST DEMOCRATIC ELECTION CHALLENGE In 1994, the new government inherited massive water services backlogs and inequity. Although South Africa had an excellent water planning and infrastructure development programme, roughly half of the then total population of 35 million people did not have access to safe water supplies.

The new Constitution provided that all South African citizens had the right to access of water – reputedly a world first – rapid action over the next two decades saw access to piped water grow to close on 90% of the total population of some 53 million in 2013.

Box: The significant increases in the numbers and proportions of households with access to all types of piped water, point to an improvement in the quality of life for South Africans. The number of households with access to all types of piped water grew by 4.6 million between 2002 and 2013, an increase of 52%. However, the 238% increase in households who depend on water carriers or tankers should be a concern. - SAIRR Africa Survey 2014/2015.

Despite this progress, racial and other disparities in access to water remain, even in the generally wellserviced urban areas. For instance, between 83% and 96% of whites, Indians, and coloureds have access to piped water in their dwellings, compared to 34% in the case of the black population. In the Western Cape 100% of households have RDP or higher standard of access to water, compared to only 66% in the Eastern Cape; and in rural areas with insufficient water infrastructure, women often still have to spend as much as a third of their time fetching water from rivers, wells, or dams.

©Ilko Iliev

WATER GOVERNANCE

Waterfall on the Crocodile river at the outflow of the Hartbeespoort dam

The rapid expansion of service provision was made possible by changed policy objectives, and a welldeveloped set of nested water governance institutions.

The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) is responsible for South Africa’s water resource planning and management, although there appears to be some overlap between the DWA and the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) regarding sanitation.

Thirteen Water Boards report directly to the DWA. They operate bulk water supply infrastructure, including dams, pipelines, as well as some municipal level structures and wastewater systems. They also provide the municipalities with technical support.

The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) is a parastatal company created in the middle 80s, to develop the Lesotho Highland Water Project, a major infrastructure development to divert water to South

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Johanna Baleng – Depot Manager, Mossel Bay

Johanna – Depot Manager, Mossel Bay

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OUR PLAN WORKS TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR PEOPLE, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Megan – Transporter, PE

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water

Africa’s industrial heartland, Gauteng Province. After this highly successful project, the TCTA’s mandate was expanded, making it responsible for a range of other large dam and bulk water supply projects.

These large infrastructural projects are funded by institutions like the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and the Infrastructure Finance Corporation, a private sector infrastructure debt fund. Collectively, these projects represent essential infrastructure for longer term water resource development, without which South Africa would be unable to sustain water services and expand them into remote areas.

The TCTA sells water to the Water Boards, which in turn sell it to big industrial users in bulk, or to the municipalities. Regarding drinking water, the municipalities are key, and they usually provide locallevel water and waste water services directly to users.

Sometimes, they may appoint private sector partners or other institutions, especially in situations where the requisite skills may not be available. More than half the drinking water in South Africa goes through three urban municipal water service authorities, that is, in Gauteng, the Cape Peninsula, and Durban.

THE BLUE DROP CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME

©Michale Potter

South Africa also continues to face challenges relating to water quality. In an effort to gain a better understanding of water quality in the country, the Department of Water Affairs introduced the “Blue Drop” water quality

Gariep dam, South Africa has still to use its water resources to full potential.

The “Blue Drop” system is there to proactively identify, quantify and manage risks associated with sustainable drinking water services

certification programme.

The intention of the Blue Drop system is not to criminalise poorer or high-risk drinking water services, but to proactively identify, quantify and manage risks associated with sustainable drinking water services.

The programme also contributes to the Department’s overall risk assessment and long-term planning.

In 2009, 23 of the 914 assessed water supply systems were awarded Blue Drop status, which had increased to 98 out of 931 assessed systems by 2012. The Blue Drop programme highlighted the excellent quality of water supply in the highly developed Gauteng and Western Cape provinces, where between 60% to almost 100% of the municipalities were certified. The risk to water quality and supply has generally also decreased.

However, discrepancies remain. In more rural provinces like the Free State, Northern Cape, Limpopo, and North West, fewer than 20% of the municipalities were certified and the Department noted its concern about the limited number of improving systems in these provinces. Only 13% of all the systems have active Water Safety Planning processes, while an alarming 52% do not have any such activities in place at all. It is of some concern that the number of households who depend on water carriers or tankers increased significantly between 2002 and 2013.

The treatment capacity available in some provinces was identified as a key problem. More than 30% of the water systems assessed, operated at more than 75% of their design capacity, which leaves very little scope to do maintenance and deal with technical problems.

Another important issue, identified by the Department,

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was the need for qualified and competent supervisors at treatment plants. The innovative nature of the Blue Drop initiative was lauded internationally, by the World Health Organisation, amongst others.

THE GREEN DROP RISK PROFILING South Africa has some 850 municipal treatment plants that have to deal with some 7500 mega-litres of waste water per day. However, the Department of Water Affairs considers wastewater treatment and compliance with the Water Acts as far from acceptable in relation to national standards and international best practice.

Following the successful example of the Blue Drop system, they accordingly launched a Green Drop system as a transparent way of developing risk profiles for wastewater management services.

The Green Drop assessment process was found to be much more difficult because of the larger number of systems that had to be evaluated in the wastewater sector.

As with the Blue Drop system, this initiative has an incentive-driven problem-solving approach, which aims at strengthening a proactive regulatory approach.

However, it also makes provision for punitive measures where improvements do not take place.

The first assessment showed that it is much more difficult to qualify for Green Drop status than it is to qualify for Blue Drop certification – especially for smaller municipalities. Furthermore, roughly half of the approximately 852 municipal wastewater systems assessed, showed the same kind of disparities revealed in the Blue Drop initiative. There are pockets of excellence in and across the country, with 7.4% of all wastewater systems being certified. However, none of the water systems evaluated were about to collapse.

The weaknesses identified were similar to those identified under the Blue Drop initiative, notably skills shortages and insufficient infrastructure, while funding problems lead to insufficient maintenance of existing infrastructure.

THE WAY FORWARD Water resource studies in South Africa used to take place once every 10 years. This was considered to be too long for a water stressed country like South Africa, prompting the South African Water Research Commission (WRC) to launch the four-year integrated “Water Resources of Africa 2012” (2012-2016) study earlier than contemplated. It aims to update the 2005 study and to generate the data needed for water resource planning by the Department of Water Affairs.

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Examples of major infrastructure development at different stages of planning and construction include the Mzimvubu Dam in the Eastern Cape, the Clanwilliam Dam wall in the Western Cape, Phase 2 of the Lesotho highlands water project to benefit Gauteng and the Free State, Mokolo-Crocodile Water Augmentation Project and Mopani Emergency Works, both in Limpopo, Mdloti Development Project in KwaZulu-Natal, to name but a few, as well as a number of projects under the Regional Bulk Water Infrastructure Grant project. – Department of Water and Sanitation, Feb 2015

Independent studies, conducted in 2013, indicated a water infrastructure refurbishment backlog of over R10 billion, as well as the need for an additional R60 billion for infrastructure development over the next 20 years.

These needs raised major funding challenges.

Nonetheless, in 2013 government was able to launch a major new water infrastructure development project to address the backlogs. The first results include the completion this year of a major pipeline development in Emalahleni. This programme will positively affect millions of households over the years to come.

Southern Africa has a vision for water, life, and the environment in the 21st Century, namely the equitable and sustainable utilisation of water for social, environmental justice and economic benefit for present and future generations. – SADC 2012

Regarding the future, the DWA and the government has indeed been thinking big. DWA’s water infrastructure development ties in with the massively expanded National Infrastructure Plan of 2012, also with regional SADC infrastructure development through the $200 billion Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (2013-2027). South Africa’s water resources planning thus takes place on a regional scale, an important prerequisite for long-term sustainability.

South Africa and the SADC, is therefore, well-prepared to deal with the projected water shortages arising from population growth and climate change. Regarding water, we are all truly in the same boat.

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tourism

THE BUSINESS OF TOURISM Tourism in South Africa continues to grow as an industry sector; Alison Budge looks at how South Africans are making this happen

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outh Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing tourism destinations, for both business and leisure travel. This is due to the unique combination of magnificent scenic beauty, the sunshine and warm climate, wide open spaces and the variety of ecosystems, cultural diversity, and a strong reputation for delivering value for money for our visitors.

So what makes South Africa so unique and such a highly regarded travel destination? Well, it is highly diverse in terms of its tourist destinations and activities offered; cultural and eco-tourism; the hotels, restaurants and urban infrastructure which cater for every tourism niche; and the success of both business tourism and sporting events, attracting millions of people to the country. To be exact, nearly 15 million people every year.

According to numbers from Statistics SA, foreign arrivals in South Africa reached their highest level ever in 2013, showing a 10.5% increase over the previous year.

South Africa’s tourism industry continues to show good growth, and the industry players remain confident in the ongoing performance and sustainability of the sector. In addition, the revenue stream from holiday trips increased from 18% in Q3 2013 to 24% in Q3 2014, indicating an increase in the average amount spent on holiday trips.

It’s the job of South African Tourism to market South Africa internationally as a preferred tourism destination, and to monitor and evaluate the performance of the tourism sector. So what exactly is it that keeps attracting tourists to South Africa, and how are we, as a country, maintaining this influx of visitors?

King of the wild – game viewing safaris are a popular tourist atraction in South Africa

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Firstly, air travel from African countries is becoming more affordable, resulting in increased arrivals, particularly from the Africa continent. Nigeria, the largest African air market for South Africa’s tourist arrivals, grew by 15.4%, and with a South African Tourism office recently established in Lagos, there is an expectation of continued growth in arrivals of increasing significance, from this market and from the West African region as a whole.

Secondly, there is development in leisure and business tourism industries concurrently, both important contributors to the economic success of tourism. And don’t forget medical tourism, with South Africa’s excellent quality of medical expertise and facilities… many visitors come for a surgical procedure, then spend a few weeks relaxing in the warm sunshine, enjoying top-class service and amenities while recovering.

LEISURE TOURISM Leisure tourism is promoted endlessly by brands such as SANParks, the South African National Parks organisation, which manages wildlife parks representing the indigenous fauna, flora, landscapes and associated cultural heritage of the country. Most of these national parks have overnight tourist facilities, which boast a variety of accommodation options, in a number of different habitats, including arid, coastal, mountain and bushveld biomes.

Adventure tourism opportunities in these parks attract visitors to South Africa, with the promise of going ensafari, and activities including game viewing, bush walks, water sports like canoeing and exposure to cultural and historical experiences such as bushman rock paintings and majestic archaeological sites.

SANParks’s flagship reserve, the world-renowned Kruger National Park, boasts nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fused with historical and archaeological sites. The Kruger National Park was established in 1898, to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, and today is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

The park is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. That’s a lot of game viewing for visitors, and a chance to get up close and personal with nature at her best.

Heading to urban areas, we find that the city of Cape Town is a brand in itself. This unique city was ranked as the top holiday destination for 2014 by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper and the US’s The New York Times.

The accolade was welcomed by Western Cape tourism’s Alan Winde: “This is great news for our city’s tourism sector and excellent publicity for our destination,” he

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tourism

thrilled about this collaboration and cannot wait to said in a press release. Within The New York Times introduce Stellenbosch as the ultimate wine tourism article (52 Places to go in 2014), the author noted destination in terms of quality, authenticity and value-forformer president Nelson Mandela’s association with the money experiences city, its rich history, and the fact that it was chosen as to the world,” Bolton said. “With this campaign, we aim this year’s World Design Capital, as top reasons to visit. for maximum international recognition, making use of So while the Department of Economic Development primarily digital marketing to showcase the wealth of and Tourism’s strategy for the province is a grandiose our wine tourism offering and our passion and pride to “Vision of a Western Cape that has a vibrant, innovative, the world.” and sustainable economy characterised by growth, Another example of the ethos of inclusive tourism, is employment and equitable opportunities, and built on an initiative by The Cape the full potential of all”, what Town Partnership, which exactly does this mean? To continually adapts their me, it means that a wide tourism offering, making variety of aspects of tourism sure that visitors always in the province are being have something new to do marketed, and all in the city. To this end, the communities stand to benefit South Africa’s tourism partnership is introducing a from the increased number of new urban attraction in the visitors, while at the same industry continues to CBD, The City Walk. This time, all communities have show good growth, and attraction will add to the city’s fun and enjoy the beauty of already successful Big Six the country. the industry players tourism campaign, promoting A great example of this the attractions of Cape Point, ethos is the Stellenbosch wine remain confident in the Robben Island, Groot tourism campaign, which is ongoing performance Constantia, Table Mountain, aiming to expand the region’s Kirstenbosch and the V&A wine tourism footprint and sustainability of Waterfront, taking the number internationally. South Africa’s the sector. of must-do’s up to seven.

Stellenbosch Wine Routes The City Walk will feature made a debut exhibition at the cultural, economic and the 2014 International social upliftment of the city’s Tourism Bourse (ITB) in interconnected public spaces Berlin, as part of the global and will see the introduction launch of its wine tourism of more public ablutions, marketing campaign, the experimental street food offerings, and public art displays.

“Stellenbosch Experience”. The Stellenbosch Wine Routes The Cape Town Partnership envisions the route as an are a co-ordinated network of wineries in the Stellenbosch extension of the daytime foot traffic in the area, with area, and the oldest wine route in the country. spin-offs for the surrounding businesses, residents and Stellenbosch Wine Routes has successfully joined forces commuters. Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, chief executive with South African Tourism, Western Cape Tourism, the of Cape Town Partnership said the development of a investment agency Wesgro, and online travel review site curated route or cultural precinct was something which Tripadvisor, to showcase wine tourism in Stellenbosch and would involve the stakeholders and participants in the broader Western Cape. “The potential of wine tourism this story. in South Africa is huge, and Stellenbosch and the Western “We want it to be authentic and to include diverse Cape at large are perfectly placed to attract more wine voices and perspectives.” These voices will include those tourists to our country; but then a far greater and more of both formal and informal retailers, cultural and aligned effort is needed on a global scale,” said historical landmarks and institutions, and organisations Stellenbosch Wine Routes CEO, Annereth Bolton.. The concerned with contemporary development and public Stellenbosch Wine Experience campaign, is a partnership life. They will also include residents, visitors, students, between Stellenbosch Wine Routes and Stellenbosch 360, scholars, artists, entrepreneurs and anyone who finds a cultural tourist route encompassing the communities of themselves engaging with the city.

Stellenbosch, Dwarsrivier and Franschhoek. “We are

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BUSINESS TOURISM Business travellers spend, on average, three times more than their leisure counterparts. South Africa is a very popular destination for business travellers, as there are many opportunities to include leisure activities, by adding on tours and activities to their business trips, and through return trips in following years. South Africa is an ideal location for international congresses and conventions, with the country offering first-world infrastructure, a balmy climate and breath-taking scenery.

Not to mention world class golf courses! Conference and exhibition venues range from intimate bush hideaways to large-scale, hi-tech convention centres.

A National Conventions Bureau has been set up to secure more international conferences, an excellent source of foreign tourists and revenue.

Durban and Cape Town are rated as the continent’s top two cities for business events, with South Africa ranked as Africa’s leading business destination, followed by Kenya and Morocco. This is according to the 2013 rankings of The International Congress and Convention Association, ICCA. Durban plays host annually to INDABA, an exhibition that showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa’s best tourism products, and attracts international buyers and media from across the world.

Now in its 35th year, INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar, and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar. In fact, INDABA has twice won the prestigious Association of World Travel Award as Africa’s best travel and tourism show. Held in Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and the Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC), INDABA brings together a showcase of Southern African tourism products and services for the international travel trade.

The design of the ICC boasts a definite African flair, impressing foreign visitors with its unique architecture

Exciting and beautiful golf courses offer world class facilities to locals and visitors alike. Many business travellers cross to leisure tourism before or after conferences, and enjoy networking and comradery while ‘on a course’ in South Africa…

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The FNB stadium in Johannesburg can seat nearly 95 000 spectators

and state-of-the art technology. The trade show, which is also the largest tourism marketing event in Africa, has been hailed by South African Tourism CEO Thulani Nzima, as the single biggest platform for African tourism businesses to meet global buyers. Exhibitors offering almost 1200 products include national and provincial authorities, African countries, a range of accommodation options, tour operators, camping and safari companies, game lodges, transport, online travel, media publications and industry associations.

Last year, Durban welcomed more than 8700 attendees to the exhibition, including inbound tour operators, foreign and local travel agents, airline representatives and dedicated local and international media who provide coverage for radio, television, newspaper and travel publications. And when the trade exhibition is over, delegates can head for the golden beaches only a few kilometres away, or to game reserves within the KwaZulu-Natal province.

South Africa has earmarked tourism as a key sector, with excellent potential for growth, and tourism will continue to play an ever-increasing role, both in the lives of South Africans and on the global stage. The government aims to increase tourism’s contribution to the economy, both directly and indirectly, to R499-billion by 2020, and it currently supports one in every 12 jobs in South Africa.

However, tourism is about much more than simply the policies, statistics and objectives that the politicians often talk about. It is about people and places. And with South Africa’s spectacular scenery, friendly people and worldclass infrastructure, we’re one of the most desired destinations in the world.

Sources www.southafrica.info/business; www.southafrica.info/travel; www.southafrica.info/travel/food; www.southafrica.net; www.indaba-southafrica.co.za; www.SAnews.gov.za; www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa; www.capetown.travel

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investment

INVESTMENT DESTINATION WESTERN CAPE AN INVESTMENT IN WORK AND PLAY, SOME SAY.

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ŠShutterstock

investment

An intriguing thing about the Western Cape, is the variety of responses one gets to questions such as: Why did you invest in the province?

Some of these responses are surprising.

By Hermann Tischler

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usiness economists speak in glowing terms about the growth rate in the province, which is in excess of 4%, its excellent infrastructure, and the low cost of conducting business. Strategic planners, business development, and governance specialists usually highlight the favourable enabling environment and the importance attached to productivity and skills by the provincial government, as the foundation for competitiveness in an international knowledge economy.

As part of our commitment to building an opportunity city, we want to create an economically enabling environment that attracts investment. We understand that in order to achieve this, we need to make it as easy as possible for companies to do business in the City of Cape Town. Patricia de Lille; Cape Town Mayor, Nov 2014.

Investors can contact the City’s Economic and Human Development Department (EHD), its agencies and partners to find out about investment opportunities.

The Department is responsible for reducing poverty and inequality, by promoting economic growth and job creation in the city through a number of projects and programmes.

Industry support agencies, like the Western Cape Tooling Initiative and the Retail Motor Industry Association, serve as good examples of the province’s new economy orientation and their efforts to promote a synergistic enabling environment for business.

Even clothing and textile manufacturers, who are under great pressure to compete with cheap imports, have managed to significantly improve productivity by collaborating closely with large retail clothing companies, or branching out into upmarket designer and fashion wear.

The energy sector is much smaller but strategically relevant. Cape Town, Saldanha Bay and Mossel Bay are gas and petroleum processing hubs, which supply fuel to large areas of southern Africa. The planned Oil and Gas Industrial Development Zone in Saldanha Bay, and massive natural gas reserves in the province, provide the sector with significant growth potential. This potential is international, as the province already provides offshore

©Shutterstock

Financial and business services account for some two thirds of the provincial GDP. Beyond that, business processing and outsourcing represent one of the fastest growing subsectors, supported by a national investment incentive scheme that reduces their costs by as much as 20%. In other words, good investment terrain.

Manufacturing, especially tooling and niche manufacturing, has outgrown its old economy metal smelting foundations, to become the second largest sector in the province, and has managed to develop world-class capabilities in aerospace manufacturing. Its rapid growth is supported by the sophisticated local engineering

skills-base, linkages with the energy ICT and other high-tech industries, and the province’s strategic position in the global marine cargo network.

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Inspire South Africa

find out how we can

help you if things go

wrong

Vast numbers of South Africans who travel abroad do not encounter any difficulties. However, crime, accidents, illness, natural or man-made disasters, civil unrests and even death can happen. ROSA is the Registration of South Africans Abroad and is available exclusively to South African citizens. Register your trip online. This is free of charge and will assist the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) in locating you during an emergency, verifying your status and informing your nextof-kin. ROSA allows you to register as an individual traveller or as a group. Register multiple destinations, update your profile and de-register your profile from the system upon your return home.

The information remains confidential and secure.

www.dirco.gov.za / +27 12 351 1000

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investment

Table Mountain and the Twelve apostles towering over the upmarket suburb of Camps Bay

and West African oil and gas operations with engineering expertise, support facilities, components, and a range of related hi-value services.

The City of Cape Town’s metal and engineering cluster has continued to show strong export growth and is an example of how innovation in the manufacturing sector can lead to resilient growth prospects for the city’s economy – Western Cape Manufacturing Sector Report

A large number of pharmaceutical companies, medical and other research institutes and groups operate in the Western Cape Province; the aim being to establish itself as the African hub for producing pharmaceuticals and hi-tech medical devices. The planned Health Technology Park in Cape Town will link the health industry with the strong local ICT and the biotechnology sectors, which include agricultural research agencies like Hortgro. Increasing intersectoral synergies generates

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massive growth potential and represents an open door for business throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Accelerate Cape Town’s vision is to continuously grow Cape Town ‘as a global African city of inspiration and innovation.’ Together, with our members, we want to continuously grow Cape Town as an economic hub and globally recognised business destination in Africa. – Accelerate Cape Town

However, as intimated at the outset, there are other reasons to set up shop in the Western Cape Province.

The province has a captivating history and beautiful cultural and natural landscapes, good wines and a world-class hospitality infrastructure, making the province a popular tourism - even retirement destination. In short, people from all over the world find the Western Cape a desirable place to visit and to live in. It is for this reason that the Mining Indaba takes place here, even though the province has hardly

Inspire South Africa

investment

In short, people from all over the world find the Western Cape a desirable place to visit and to live in.

any mines to speak of.

Without doubt, the crowning jewel of the province is Cape Town. Here design meets economy. With the city’s creative use of design to improve the social, cultural, and economic welfare of its citizens, it has been recognised as the 2014 World Design Capital. Cape Town, is a diverse city with a young population and a vibrant multicultural night life. It has incomparable urban beaches, and its rapidly growing film industry gives it international flair. Do not be surprised if you end up sharing a table at a beach café, however briefly, with a nonchalant Leonardo DiCaprio.

©Graeme Mather

Warning: Please follow the laid back capetonian protocol, which brought the stars here in the first place, by not introducing yourself, asking them for signatures, or telling them how much you and your dog enjoyed some or other film in which they have acted. Not cool.

Rather treat yourself to the latest fluorescence of Cape Town’s culinary cultures: the city’s growing mobile restaurant trend (have a look at www.eatout.co.za to f ollow the best food trucks). These gourmet food trucks

trade in approved locations, and provide excellent food at prices that do not ruin the customer. And, if you happen to be a bit of a foodie yourself, you can always buy the ingredients you need at the City Bowl Market on Hope.

Some say cities are the future We say people are the future This is our home This is our hope This is our chance Any casual survey of Cape Town will show that the city has significant development challenges and investors, who go the extra mile, are made to feel especially welcome. The Cape Town Partnership, a non-profit organisation, has a 10-year strategy for developing and transforming the city, and provides interested businesses with opportunities to make a difference.

Aiming at the City of Cape Town, the African Property Owners Association, and the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Cape Town Partnership’s Manifesto aspires to transform the city into a truly liveable African city; true to its people and where they come from.

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McCannJHB 912341/B

Recipe for success is keeping it local.

Play your part.

Reuben Riffel – Franschoek “World Renowned Chef” Now that South Africa has embraced democracy, South Africans are presented with infinite possibilities. Take Reuben’s story, from waiter to international multi-award winning chef. After a successful stint overseas, he returned home and opened Reuben’s in Franschoek.

Shortly after that, he took top honours at the Eat Out Johnnie Walker Restaurant Awards: Chef and Restaurant of the Year. The restaurant is popular with locals and international visitors. This Franschoek local is playing his part for his community and doing best. To find out more how you can play your part visit www.playyourpart.co.za

PlayYourPart

PlayYourPartSA

An initiative by Brand South Africa WWW.PLAYYOURPART.CO.ZA

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