BRIAN DUBE SENDS LATEST UPDATE ON SA / SWEDEN RELATIONS

Deputy President Baleka Mbete to hold bilateral discussions with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson
11 January 2009

Pretoria – Deputy President Baleka Mbete will tomorrow, Monday 12 January 2009, hold bilateral political, trade and economic discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Maud Olofsson, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Deputy President Mbete will participate in the meeting within the context of South Africa’s commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with Sweden by amongst others consolidating the outcomes of the 2007 Bi-National Commission (BNC).

The meeting on Monday will also seek to achieve Swedish support of the African Agenda and to promote economic relations, with special emphasis on investment.

Deputy Prime Minister Olofsson, who has been in South Africa on a private holiday in Gauteng and the Western Cape, requested the meeting with Deputy President Mbete to establish contact as they are the co-chairs of the South African–Swedish BNC.

Sweden will also take over the rotating Presidency of the European Union (EU) in July 2009 when the Czech Republic’s term ends.

Bilateral Relations

South Africa and Sweden share close relations dating back centuries, and Sweden and other Nordic countries provided crucial support to the anti-apartheid struggle.

In this regard an immense amount of development cooperation funding was channelled to the liberation movements and support was given in many different forms, including taking in many exiles.

Since 1994 the development cooperation was given on a government-to-government basis with far over a billion rand being allocated over the past fourteen years, covering a range of support to central government, provincial and local authorities as well as NGOs.

The Swedish government has made it a priority commitment to build up a partnership with South Africa as part of the Swedish Government’s Africa policy. Sweden has also indicated that it will be transforming its development cooperation relations with South Africa, with a greater emphasis in future on a partnership with South Africa in joint trilateral projects regionally in Africa.

The South Africa-Sweden BNC was established in 2000 and has since met in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The next meeting has been postponed to early 2010 due to Sweden’s Presidency of the EU in the latter half of 2009.

Bilateral Trade

The trade balance between South Africa and Sweden continues to be heavily in Sweden’s favour. The main trade sectors, both in imports and exports, include manufactured goods, machinery, automotive and transport goods, mining equipment and chemicals & fuel products.

South African exports to Sweden have increased from R1 046 906 000 in 2000 to R2 720 555 705 between January and September 2008, while imports from Sweden increased from R2 902 935 000 in 2000 to R10 126 040 425 between January and September 2008.

2006 groundBREAKER delegation to Sweden - Visiting Orland

 

YOUTH TRIP TO SWEDEN & OSKARSHAMN 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2006


It was such an honour to be invited to attend a youth camp as a youth delegation to Sweden during their 150th anniversary celebrations.

Two of our groundBREAKERS Andile Cimela and Phumlile Zondi in the Hibiscus Coast Municipality HIV/AIDS programme plus two additional Youth Leaders, Mzi Ndwalane and Londi Ngubane together with Lynne Footit the Co-ordinator of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality/Ziphakamise/Oskarshamn groundBREAKER programme traveled to Sweden where they were treated like royalty. Given opportunities such as;

· a first aeroplane trip for the 4 youth delegates;

· sailing on a yacht on the Baltic Sea courtesy of Kaj and Ingeborg Nilsson;

· a memorable trip on two exceptionally fast inflatable ski boats traveling at high speed across the Baltic Sea;

· a wonderful picnic lunch laid out on one of the thousands of magnificent rock islands in the Baltic Sea;

· a Pleasure boat ride around the islands off the coast of Paskalavik courtesy of the Kommun and Stefan Windt;

· a three day youth camp in the beautiful tranquil ancient village of Bråbo in Bråbygden where we met and made friends with youth from Finland, Denmark and Sweden;

· team building in Kristadala;

· a Music concert in Hultsfred;

· a media and political debate with politicians from each of the 6 twin town countries. The debate took place at the famous Nuclear Power Plant near Oskarshamn ;

· a visit and lunch at a Pig Farm at Döderhult courtesy of the Kommun;

· a tour of Kalmar and Öland by our tour guide Bo Helstrom, Maria and Ritva, where we visited ancient old ruins dating back millions of years, where fossils were ingrained in the rock formation under our feet and

· lunch at a local country club

· a visit to a remarkable art display all in glass

· a welcome and farewell party at the home of Ingeborg and Kaj Nilsson where we met OSAK twinning members and municipal officials

· a wonderful home on the Baltic Sea where we could walk late at night along the sea edge in perfect safety.

· On our return the 4 youth delegates traveled via Cape Town where they were assisted by Bill Sewel – a consultant for ABF and OSAK, to board a pleasure boat at the delegates own expense for a memorable trip to Robbin Island to see the prison – home to Nelson Mandela for 27 year. And then a very long 25 hour drive home via the garden route on a Greyhound bus to see some of our own beautiful countryside before alighting from the bus – weary but very excited travelers with so much to tell their families; friends and colleagues.

As the co-ordinator of the trip I was invited to attend many of the 150th Anniversary celebrations with the mayoral parties to Friedericksburg Manor House special dinner and the welcome party at the Kommun Centre in Oskarshamn.

To the organizers of the trip, the youth camp organizers and the twinning committee we as delegates wish to extend our sincere appreciation for the wonderful opportunity afforded each one of us… a memorable occasion we will hold dear.

To Ingeborg - who has long been wanting the groundBREAKERS to experience a trip to Sweden – who took time off her holiday to ensure that our trip ran smoothly and that we were well looked after during our stay. For the wonderful accommodation she found us – our home on the Baltic Sea was a dream - thank you for your commitment to the twinning process.

By : LYNNE