South Africa Inspiring New Ways, Message from Consul-General Titi S Nxumalo

Dear Readers,

The third quarter of the 2019-2020 financial year is drawing to a close and we can now take the opportunity to reflect on all that we have done. This time in the administrative calendar of the South African Government also falls at a special time of the year when we celebrate Christmas and prepare to bring in a new year.

Government, and therefore the Mission, has been busy in the past couple of months working towards the continued development of the economy and improving the economic prospects of the South African people. This culminated in the hosting of the second annual Presidential Investment Summit that was held in November in South Africa.

The President’s Investment Summit was launched as a personal initiative of the President in order to target companies from around the world to look seriously at investing in the country. With the first instalment of the conference being a major success it truly showed the world that South Africa is indeed entering “A New Dawn”.

In order to ensure the success of the conference, the President instructed our foreign Missions abroad to only put forward the names of companies that the Missions have sincere contact with, and ones that have exhibited an interest in investing in South Africa. In this regard, we are pleased that a number of Italian companies were chosen and invited to the conference.

In October, the Mission conducted a regional visit to the Emilia-Romagna region in order to further develop its political and economic relationship. With the visit including a number of company and institutional visits, the Mission was successful in further expanding the potential scope of co-operation.

In November, I took part in a round-table discussion on herbal teas at the European Tea Show held in Torino which included a presentation from the Mission on Rooibos tea, its history and the health benefits of this magical plant that is unique to South Africa.

Additionally, I gave a lecture at the University of Milan on South Africa’s foreign policy, which also included some history of the country in order to broaden awareness of South Africa to a younger generation of Italians. The lecture was given to the master students who were studying international relations and was well received and the dialogue that was generated in the question and answer section was especially stimulating.

These are but a few highlights from our quarter and the work of the Mission and we continue to do our best in promoting the economic and social upliftment of the South African people. We also continue to work to raise the profile of the country and its message of a Better Life for All.

In closing, I wish all our readers a safe, happy and prosperous holiday period. To all those who are travelling, we at the Mission hope for a safe journey and many happy moments. We look forward to the New Year and the new opportunities it will bring.

Yours faithfully,

Titi S Nxumalo
Consul-General

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