South African defence sector companies, which participated in the International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Türkiye from 22 - 27 July 2025, will arrive in the country tomorrow with a bag full of quality trade leads.
The South African National Pavilion, which was set up by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) at the exhibition, provided a platform for exporters to showcase their innovative, proudly South African products and services, and actively explore opportunities to expand into new export markets, while strengthening their global footprint.
The Technical Manager of engineering company FimmTech, Kevin Mhlanga, said the show has been a great experience from both technical and business perspectives.
“We managed to have engagements with our counterparts from Türkiye, Canada, China and the United Arab Emirates.
“We shared ideas in terms of solutions in command and control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance reconnaissance (C4ISR) and we are looking forward to expand on the engagements we had.
“We are committed to continue flying the South African flag higher and ensure that we build international relations through collaboration, sustainable partnerships and offer the international defence industry quality solutions,” he said.
The Managing Director of Kimona Holdings, Kim Bubu, said the support by the department afforded them an extraordinary opportunity to display their products for the first time on an international platform.
Kimona is a 100% Black-owned manufacturer specialising in high-quality industrial protective clothing, corporate uniforms and employs 100 people.
Bubu said the show represented a significant achievement for the company. Furthermore, she said it demonstrated the impact of the dtic and the endeavours of the Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association of South Africa to support South African businesses, especially women, to access the global market.
“The exposure and networking opportunity has not only strengthened our position in the defence and protective apparel manufacturing sectors, but has also opened doors to potential export markets, just to mention a few, Lebanon, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, a distributor in the whole of the Middle Eastern countries and Switzerland.
“In addition, there are more than 20 Turkish companies in the defence sector that are keen to collaborate with us. This will not only strengthen our capabilities but it will bring about growth and excellence, and enable us to step into the global platform swiftly,” Bubu said.
Managing Director of Unipro Protective Wear, Zama Ledidi, described her participation at the show as momentous. It afforded her an opportunity to make connections, and to witness the technology advancements that are used in to make bulletproof vests.
“We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Turkish body armour manufacturer, which has a lot of clientele in Africa and looking to work with a South African company to service the market.
“We are optimistic that there will be tangible results from the contacts we made during the show, which we will follow-up on. Our main goal is to maintain the jobs that we have and grow the economy,” she said.
According to the International Sales Manager for Zebra Protection, the manufacturers of a range of ballistic helmets, body armour, ballistic plates, demining and shields, Ana Warburg, their presence at the show was beneficial.
“It provided an opportunity to meet new clients and showcase our products to see what is happening in the markets and the new trends, so that we can also improve on our innovations.
“We met prospective clients and we look forward to share all the contacts and new things we learned with the team in South Africa, and follow-up on the prospects,” Warburg said.
IDEF 2025 is an internationally acclaimed event showcasing the latest technological advancements and products in the defence industry.
This premier exhibition brings together leading figures in the defence sector, offering a significant platform for South Africa to demonstrate its defence capabilities and build strategic partnerships with key role players in Türkiye, as well as with participants from other high-growth markets across Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa.
The South African pavilion also hosted the Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Limited (Armscor), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Aerospace Maritime and Defence Export Council (AMD Export Council), Unipro Protective Wear, Zebra Protection, Kimona Holdings, FimmTech Engineering, Imperial Armour, QP Dronetech, SVI Engineering, Swatek Defence And Aerospace, Bullet Proofing Technology and Redeployable Camp System SA. – SAnews.gov.za
