Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will next week join leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discuss ways to improve the socio-economic situation in the region.
The leaders will meet in Botswana for their 35th Ordinary Summit from 17 to 18 August 2015 in Gaborone, Botswana, under the theme ”Accelerating Industrialisation of SADC Economies Through Transformation of Natural Endowment and Improved Human Capital”.
The SADC region is endowed with rich natural resources, including minerals such as diamonds and gold.
However, analysts have been of the view that most countries in the region continue to get very little in return for the exploitation of their natural resources.
This as foreign multinational companies usually exported in raw form meaning that the value addition and beneficiation takes place outside the region, creating jobs and benefits for other countries.
At the summit, the President Zuma will hand over the chairpersonship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Cabinet said.
“In this role, South Africa has led six SADC Electoral Observation Missions, which certified that all the elections were peaceful and credible.”
Also on international events, Cabinet announced that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will undertake a Working Visit to Japan from 24 to 25 August 2015.
This working visit will see a courtesy call to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and participation in the South Africa-Japan External Trade Organisation Business Seminar.
Cabinet welcomed the working visit to Japan, which it said will strengthen the friendship and mutual understanding that exists between the two countries.
“South Africa and Japan also share similar views on the importance of multilateralism and the need to reform the United Nations (UN) Security Council and UN system at the 70th UN General Assembly meeting next month.”
South African and Japan enjoy strong and mutually beneficial trade relations, with Japan being the third biggest trader with South Africa. In 2010, it marked the 100th year since the establishment of an official contact between South Africa and Japan.
There are about 108 Japanese businesses in South Africa, creating more than 100 000 jobs.
Companies such as the Toyota have invested and grown its business in the country.
Trade between the two countries is on the rise, with South Africa enjoying a surplus for the past five years.
Total trade once reached the high of R106 billion in 2008 prior to the global crisis of 2009, but subsequently declined by 43% to R60 billion.
Between 2010 and 2011, South Africa's exports experienced an average increase of 16% as compared to imports, which saw an average increase of 10% during the same period. -SAnews.gov.za
