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Government activities for the week 1 – 7 February 2025

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Government activities for the week 1 – 7 February 2025

From 1 to 5 February, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, undertakes a G20 science, technology and innovation visit to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

On Monday, 3 February, the South African delegation, led by the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, participates in the 2025 Investing in African Mining Indaba convened under theme: “Future-proofing African Mining, today!”.

On Monday, 3 February, the Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, oversees the commencement of the single dose Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination drive at Welizibuko Primary School in Klipspruit, Soweto.

From Monday, 3 February, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) will host pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) outreach activities from in the Western Cape province. 

  • Day One: Monday, 3 February 
    11h00: Service delivery outreach, Guga S’thebe Arts Centre.
     
  • Day Two: Tuesday, 4 February 
    15h30: Western Cape Community Media consultative session, Khayelitsha Thusong Service centre.
     
  • Day Three: Wednesday, 5 February
    13h00: Oversight visit to Mitchells Plain Thuthuzela Care centre
    15h00: Community Radio Simulcast Broadcast panel discussion, Mitchells Plain Labour Centre.

On Tuesday, 4 February, the Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, will visit and handover digital migration equipment to a gender-based violence victims shelter in Western Cape, Cape Town.

On Tuesday, 4 February, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, together with the Deputy Mayor of Cape Town, will launch of the SITA STEM Cyberlab in Lansdowne.

On Tuesday, 4 February, the North West Provincial Legislature Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, chaired by Mpho Khunou, will hold an oversight meeting with the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism, together North West Parks and Tourism Board, over delayed payment of salaries at the entity, and other concerning matters in different entities of the department.  

On Wednesday, 5 February, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Maggie Sotyu, will host an Outreach Programme at the JL Zwane Memorial in Gugulethu - Western Cape Province - to share information on the department’s capacity and empowerment programmes with a view to encourage active and inclusive participation by the Youth, Women and Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) who seek to advance their career or business in the tourism sector.

On Thursday, 6 February, President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the State of the Nation Address in Parliament. 

Matona
Mon, 02/03/2025 - 15:33

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Surge in international arrivals a major boost for SA tourism

Location: News

Surge in international arrivals a major boost for SA tourism

The latest international arrivals data from Statistics South Africa confirms that South Africa’s tourism sector continues to grow, with total arrivals reaching 8.92 million in 2024 -- an impressive 5.1% increase compared to 2023.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille on Monday said Africa continues to drive the majority of arrivals, contributing 76% of all tourists from January to December 2024, while growth from other regions signals steady recovery.

Although the sector has yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels (2019), it now contributes 8.8% to gross domestic product (GDP) and supports 1.68 million jobs, according to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates. 

This positive momentum underscores the resilience of the sector, despite global economic pressures.

"It is encouraging to see that despite economic uncertainties in various parts of the world, the global tourism sector is growing. It is even more encouraging that our country follows the same trend and trajectory," said De Lille.

She expressed appreciation for the continued growth from the African continent, particularly Ghana.

"Ghana’s immense performance can be attributed to the fact that travellers between Ghana and South Africa no longer need visas to travel between the two countries. This, coupled with increased airlift targeted marketing initiatives by South African Tourism, makes for a winning formula for the growth of our sector.” 

The visa-free travel agreement between South Africa and Ghana, implemented in November 2023, has played a pivotal role in attracting tourists, allowing travel for up to 90 days without a visa for business or tourism purposes.

Americas market

Tourist arrivals from the Americas saw a strong 10.9% growth from 2023, reaching 505 579 arrivals in 2024.

The United States remains the top market in the region and is the top overseas market, with 372 36 tourists, reflecting a 5.2% increase from 2023 to 2024.

The increase in direct air connectivity from Brazil, combined with improved marketing efforts, has contributed significantly to a 94.2% rise in arrivals from Brazil from 2023 to 2024, totalling 49 855 tourists for 2024.

"This consistent growth highlights South Africa’s appeal among long-haul travellers and the effectiveness of strategic partnerships with airlines and trade," De Lille said.

European markets

Tourist arrivals from Europe reached 1 258 706 in 2024, reflecting a 1.1% increase compared to 2023.

The United Kingdom remains the top European source market, with 349 883 arrivals in 2024, though this was 1.8% lower than 2023.

Germany experienced strong growth of 4.0%, with 254 992 arrivals in 2024.

The Netherlands is performing better than France and saw a 0.8% increase, totalling 132 422 arrivals in 2024.

"While Europe’s growth is slower compared to other regions, the region is a bedrock with regard to having the most overseas arrivals and has emerged as a strong-performing market, largely due to focused marketing campaigns showcasing South Africa’s culture, people and attractions," the Minister said.

Asia & Australasia

Tourist arrivals from Asia surged by 4.2%, with 207 718 tourists recorded in 2024.

China saw an 11.4% increase, totalling 41 651 arrivals, driven by targeted promotions and increasing flight connectivity.

India recorded 75 541 arrivals, a 5.3% decline, primarily due to visa processing backlogs and the absence of direct flights.

"South Africa saw a phenomenal 31.8% growth from Japan, reaching 17 370 arrivals in 2024.

"Australia also posted steady gains, with strong travel demand from the region expected to fuel further growth in 2025," said De Lille.

Middle East

The Middle East saw a decline of 16.1%, with total arrivals dropping to 45 602. However, Saudi Arabia increased arrivals by 12.1% to 18 333 in 2024.

The United Arab Emirates contributed 6 717 arrivals to South Africa in 2024. 

"While the overall performance in this region faced setbacks, strategic efforts to increase connectivity and enhance trade engagement in other markets in the region will be crucial to future recovery," the Minister said.

The future of tourism

To accelerate recovery, South Africa has implemented strategic marketing and policy interventions. These include:

  • Expanding airlift: Efforts are underway to restore key routes, increase airline partnerships and improve direct access to a variety of cities in South Africa and access to the globe. A key development is that on 4 December 2024, Cabinet approved the Route Development Marketing Strategy to be implemented by the Department of Tourism, SA Tourism and the private sector.
  • Targeted market campaigns: Promoting unique South African experiences in key markets such as China, India and the Americas.
  • Boosting digital and AI-powered travel planning: Enhancing traveller experiences with personalised digital platforms.
  • Growing sustainable and cultural tourism: Capitalising on eco-tourism, cultural and heritage-based experiences.
  • Enhancing safety and security measures: Working with law enforcement and industry partners to enhance traveller confidence, while ensuring the safety of local communities. 

"The tourism sector is a strong contributor to the economy and job creation. We are determine to continue with this momentum and push the numbers much higher, so that we can grow our contribution to economic growth and job creation even further. 

"South Africa remains attractive and accessible for all travellers to enjoy, and we thank all international and domestic travellers for exploring our beautiful country and contributing to the tourism sector’s performance," De Lille said. – SAnews.gov.za

Edwin
Mon, 02/03/2025 - 10:54

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His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Meets President of South Africa

Location: News

United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, met with His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, in a meeting attended by His Excellency Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, in Johannesburg.

H.E. Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, to H.E. President Ramaphosa, as well as their wishes of further progress and prosperity to the government and people of South Africa.

For his part, H.E. President Ramaphosa conveyed his greetings to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and expressed his wishes for further development and growth for the government and people of the UAE.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to enhance ties between the UAE and South Africa across various sectors. Furthermore, both sides affirmed the importance of reinforcing bilateral cooperation to achieve mutual interests.

His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan met with His Excellency Paul Mashatile, Deputy President of South Africa. The meeting discussed enhancing collaboration across various sectors.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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BRICS Antitrust Authorities Turned against Covantis

Location: News
BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre

At the 3rd BRICS + (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Arab Emirates, Ethiopia + partners) Digital Competition Forum, the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre (www.BRICSCompetition.org) presented a new methodological approach to analyzing and regulating food markets that takes into account their accelerating digitalization. Specific tools that are being developed within the BRICS framework were also announced. One of the targeted tools will be the food market and restrictions on the activities of monopolists like Covantis.

Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, highlighted that digitalization strengthens the global power of large corporations, which, as a result, poses a threat of market monopolization. He urged BRICS antitrust regulators to pay close attention to a similar example of increasing market power through digitalization — the blockchain platform Covantis. The platform aims to digitize the entire agribusiness trade process, from contract management to final shipping. Founded by the largest agro-traders of the ABCCD group (ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus and COFCO) and Viterra, Covantis avoids antitrust scrutiny due to its structure. At the same time, the platform collects valuable commercial information about production from farmers and agricultural traders. The platform has already become a dominant player in grain trade. For example, in Brazil, 76% of grain exports go through the platform. In 2023, 53% of grain exports from the US, 34% from Canada and 51% from Argentina went through the Covantis platform. At the same time, the owners of the platform do not allow most of the local big players to enter. In essence, it is an exclusive platform, a quasi-cartel.

“Global food prices have reached the highest level in the last year and a half. Virtually all BRICS countries are currently undergoing antitrust investigations into the egg and chicken meat markets. Competitive agencies must take a new approach to regulating the food industry, not just by jointly analysing global food chains, but by analysing them taking into account all the implications of digitalization. This is the only way we will be able to tackle food security, which is particularly acute for the BRICS and partner countries. For example, the Covantis platform can be used by traders to share confidential information and vertical pressure on farmers. And of course the exclusionary behaviour of Covantis towards local players is of utmost importance. This should be the focus of attention of our countries' competition authorities” – Ivanov explained.

Based on the developed fair organized (exchange) trade in commodities and commodity derivatives within the BRICS framework, it is proposed to solve the problems related to market concentration and, as a consequence, insufficient consideration of the interests of small, medium and large enterprises, which will help to resolve issues related to the violation of the balance of interests of financial market players and producers and consumers of the real sector.

It is proposed to create within the BRICS framework representative indicators of exchange quotations and price indices for OTC transactions based on representative samples of actual transactions, reflecting the competitive composition of sellers and buyers and ensuring the use of universal means of delivery of traded goods. New approaches will contribute to the elimination of unproductive intermediation and increase stability in global commodity markets.

The development of a derivatives market based on reliable exchange and OTC cash commodity prices will create opportunities for BRICS economies to manage risks and pool resources, lead to positive consequences for business and society, strengthen cooperation and stimulate economic growth. Targeted subsidies and exchange mechanism will improve fiscal policy and infrastructure development.

Earlier this year, BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre (BRICS Center) with the leadership of the Competition Policy and Assessment Center of the State Administration of Market signed a memorandum on long-term cooperation announced the launch and development of the Russian-Chinese exchange and trade platform in consumer goods and commodities which will become a basis for the further development of the universal exchange platform for all BRICS member-countries.

“If entrepreneurs of Russia and China work directly, through modern exchange mechanisms, which will not only allow to establish direct long-term ties, but also reduce prices for goods for end consumers, as it will eliminate the use of intermediary schemes. The task of experts and researchers in this regard is to develop a system of organizational, legal and economic measures and analyze the necessary conditions for the creation of exchange platforms and the development of exchange trade, including in the BRICS format” – Fu Hongwei, Director, Competition Policy and Assessment Center, SAMR; explained.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre.

About the 3rd BRICS + Digital Competition Forum:
The BRICS + (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Arab Emirates, Ethiopia + partners) Digital Competition Forum, which is being held this year on the margins of the G20 Summit, brings together heads and representatives of competition authorities from all BRICS countries and partners, as well as researchers and visionaries in the field of digital regulation from around the world. The Forum includes the BRICS Working Group on the Study of Competition Issues in Digital Markets. This year's main topics include regulation of digital ecosystems, the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence brings to antitrust law, and the digitalization of global food chains.

The Forum is organized by the HSE University BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre together with the FGV University School of Law (Getulio Vargas Foundation) with the support of the Brazilian Competition Authority (CADE).

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VFS Global appointed to offer new Indonesia e-Visa on Arrival service to South Africans, 96 other nationalities

Location: News
VFS Global

  • New Indonesia Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) service to commence in the first half of December 2024.
  • Group booking facility to be available for the benefit of travel trade and conventions.

Indonesia has set an ambitious target of welcoming 14 million visitors in 2024 and achieved 9.92 million arrivals from January to August 2024. The user-friendly eVoA solution aligns with Indonesia's ongoing efforts to enhance its tourism infrastructure and services. In the African region, South Africa accounts for the highest number of tourist visitors who travel to Indonesia.

Travellers will soon be able to enjoy a quicker and smoother visa application journey through VFS Global by completing the entire process online before departure and receiving a pre-approved e-VoA. The e-VoA can be easily obtained by visiting VFS Global website, submitting all the required documents, and paying the necessary fees online prior to travel. Once the application is submitted, travellers can receive their visas on their email before departure. With the payment having been made online, travellers can enjoy a smoother and faster entry experience through E-gates or immigration counters.

Mr. Silmy Karim, Director General of Immigration of Indonesia, said, “The Directorate General of Immigration offers the latest digital solutions that enhance the experience for foreign nationals who wish to visit Indonesia. In our collaboration with VFS Global, we aim to effectively contribute to increasing the arrival of foreigners, taking into account the network and digital platform owned by our partners.”

Mr. Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global Group said, “Indonesia is a very popular destination for travellers across the globe, and we are excited to unveil a service that will make their visa application process quicker, simpler and much more convenient. This user-friendly and highly secure digital e-Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) service will considerably enhance the visa application experience, thereby facilitate increase in tourism to the country. We are honoured to partner with the Directorate General of Immigration under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia for this service."

Travellers applying for Indonesia e-VoA via VFS Global will get a dedicated email and live support in seven languages - English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, German, and French – to help them with their queries. VFS Global will add more language support in due course of time for key markets.

VFS Global's new e-VoA platform will ensure all the documents applicants submit are complete and error-free. It also offers OCR technology which will enable applicant details to be auto populated, thereby saving time and effort for applicants. The new platform will also provide group booking facility which could be beneficials for travel trade and conventions. To further support this initiative, VFS Global has tied up with Emirates to make Indonesia e-Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) application service seamless for Emirates passengers. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VFS Global.

Media Contact:
georgec@vfsglobal.com
Corporate Communications
communications@vfsglobal.com

About VFS Global:
As the world's leading outsourcing and technology service specialist, VFS Global embraces technological innovation including Generative AI to support governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, increasing productivity and enabling them to focus entirely on the critical task of assessment.

With a responsible approach to technology development, adoption and integration, the company prioritizes ethical practices and sustainability while serving as the trusted partner to 69 client governments.  Operating over 3,400 Application Centres in 153 countries, VFS Global has efficiently processed more than 297 million applications since 2001.

Headquartered in Zurich and majority owned through investment funds managed by Blackstone Inc, along with the Swiss-based Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation and EQT, VFS Global is committed to creating value for all stakeholders and leading in responsible, innovative solutions making government services more effective and efficient.

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