South Africa - Department of International Relations and Cooperation

 CELEBRATING FREEDOM
DAY IN L OS A NGELES ...... 1
1ST QUARTER NEW SLETTER
2013
South Africa
 TRANSNET
NATIONAL
PORTS AUTHORITY CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN THE US .. 2
 50 TH
YEAR A NNIVERSARY
OF THE FOUNDING OF THE
OAU/AU ...................... 2
Los Angeles
ADDRESSING THE PRIORITIES OF SOUTH AFRICA ONE
PROJECT AT TIME...
Mission
The Los Angeles Mission is committed to seeking out projects that are
aligned with the Five Governmental Priorities laid out by H.E. the
Honorable President Jacob Zuma
Celebrating Freedom Day,
April 27, 2013 (29th)
The South African Consulate-General
of Los Angeles would like to thank you
for joining us in celebrating the South
African National Day of Freedom.
Nineteen years ago, it was this day that
marked the beginning of the postapartheid democratic elections.
Consul–General Cyril S. Ndaba, gave
the address remembering the struggle,
sacrifices that were made along this
journey to liberation. Congresswoman
Maxine Waters also shared her struggles as she fought for South Africa for
over nine years. Among those that attended there were several that gave special recognition to South Africa in celebration of our Freedom; Deputy Chief
of Protocol of the County of Los Angeles, Ms. Lourdes Saab, Chief of
Protocol of the County of Orange,
Ms. Joanne Sokolski, Chief of Protocol for the City of Los Angeles, Office of the Mayor, Ms. Elga Sharpe.
Looking toward the future we understand there is still much work to be
done and therefore we continue in
our efforts for equality, decent jobs,
and elimination of poverty to bring
about a New South Africa.
We celebrated in the spirit of unity,
remembering the values and principles that our Constitution urges us to
exemplify.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba
(Rear) Consul Johan Klopper
Congresswoman Maxine Waters &
Ambassador Sydney Williams
Consul-General Ndaba &
Ms. Joanne Sokolski
Vice-Consul Phillipine Rapia (yellow hat)
& guests of the Consulate-General
Transnet National Port Authority visits L.A..
In recent months, the cities of Durban and Los Angeles signed a Friendship Certificate which officially connected the two cities. Many opportunities have arisen as a
result, one of which is the symbiotic relationship between the Port of Durban and the
Port of Los Angeles. The LA Mission has been instrumental in joining together various Chambers of Commerce in Durban and Los Angeles, as well as a host of architects, investors and business owners.
Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba &
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
(l-r) Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba &
Prof. Hal Walker, Mr. Armando Castro of
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Obliyanko! Obliyanko!
Transnet cont.,
In May 2013 a delegation
from the Transnet National
Port Authority visited Los
Angeles to attend the International Association of Ports
and Harbors (IAPH), 28th
World Ports Conference.
During their visit the Los
Angeles Mission arranged
meetings for Transnet with
key stakeholders. Infrastructure being one of the five
government priorities, H. E.,
President Jacob Zuma has
earmarked funds which include the dig-out of the Port
of Durban as well as upcoming projects that Transnet will
oversee.
The 50th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of
the OAU/ AU lent itself to
both solemn recognition of
sacrifices made by our ancestors and the anticipation
of what is to come. Pan
Africanist such as W.E. B
Dubois, Marcus Garvey
and Kwame Nkrumah
played major roles in the
support and growth of the
Pan African Movement.
Women such as Nina Dubois and Addie W. Hunton,
leader of the Women's International Circle for Peace
and Foreign Relations, also
showed a strong presence
in bringing about unity
within the African people,
both in the African Continent and the Diaspora. The
final Pan African Congress,
also known as Sixth PAC,
Mine is Mine
Vice Consul Philippine Rapia
Ms. Sherri Franklin, Ms. Renele
Fleming, Ms. Delores Brown
which took place in June of
1974, yielded important
discussions about the oppression and exploitation of
women. The Sixth PAC’s
resolution concluded with
the determined sentiments
of those that were pioneers
as well as words from Malcolm X … ” We the African
people are our own liberators and thinkers who's task
is to make a mighty stride
toward genuine freedom by
any means necessary.”
Dignitaries such as the
Honorable Congresswoman
Maxine Waters, Councilman Mike Gipson as well
as representatives from the
Consulates of Kenya,
Egypt , Malaysia, and many
others joined in celebration
of African Unity and all that
has been accomplished the-
Mr. Sagie Chetty
Ms. Noemi Ordonez
Obliyanko! Obliyanko! Drummers
Ms. Moza Cooper and guests
of the Consulate-General
Ms. Jolyn Mayeda,
Ms. Connie Ronquillo
se last 50 years. The event
included solemn reflections, taste of African food
and concluded with jubilant
dancing and singing.
Today we continue in our
forward march with as
much, strength, agility and
determination as those that
have paved the way for us.
Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba
Ms. Liza Fontelera, Ms. Marcia Kay
Consul Johan Klopper
Ms. Robin Thorne, Mr. Armando
Castro, Consul Sibongile Mdena
SA Balancing Inequalities...
with their Women In Rail Program
South Africa is embarking on a major overhaul of its current rail system. The rail industry has also realized the gender inequalities within
this sector and has determined to balance these inequalities by using
Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo
opportunities which hold promises of job creation, education
transfer, infrastructure development as well as the use of green
technology. The current transportation system only utilizes
about 30 percent of its rail capacity. The SA government
would like to acquire new coaches and locomotives, overhaul
existing coaches that are still
usable, and decrease the number
of cars on the roads by making
rail a major mode of transportation.
Ms. Sabelo, CEO of PACE Stevedor Containers, operating at
the Port of Durban has sought the
assistance of the mission to link
her with investors, rail academies
and others within the rail sector.
During her visit, Ms. Sabelo met
with
Engineering, Rail and
Transportation experts at the
University of Southern California (USC), the Alameda Corridor
Transportation Authority, and
(l-r) Mr. Armando Castro, Mr. Norman
Arikawa, Consul Sibongile Mdena,
Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo, Mr. Arthur
Goodwin, Mr. Bheka Clive Zulu
(l-r) Mr. Slucio Soibelman, Ms. Kelly
(l-r) Mr. Armando Castro, Mr. Norman
Goulis, Mr. Greg Placencia,
Arikawa, Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo,
Ms. Candace House,
Consul Sibongile Mdena, Mr. Bheka Clive Zulu
Mr. Najmedin Meshkati,
(Rear l-r) Mr. ???, Mr. Andy Perez,
Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo
Mr. Masashi Morimoto
Overseas Investment Corp., Port of LA,
Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Union Pacific Railroad of Los
Angeles Intermodal Transfer
Hub (Union Pacific).
In search for training programs,
rail systems curricula and rail
academies this visit has afforded
the Passenger Rail Agency of
South Africa (PRASA) with a
good foundation. The visit has
provided several unprecedented
resources to allow forward
movement toward the next step
in making the Woman in Rail
Latino Business Chamber, Union Pacific, Port of LA
From the Desk of the Consul-General
“Friends, Countrymen and Women, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you, our 2 nd quarterly newsletter
which covers the work that we do in our primary city of accreditation, Los Angeles. It has been a very busy
time as the events and visits by high-level delegations from South Africa kept us on our toes. We kickedoff this past quarter 1 April – 30 June 2013 with our 19th Freedom Day celebration held on 29 April as the
Consul-General
Cyril S. Ndaba
27th fell on a week-end. We thank the ranking
member of the Democratic Party, our sister and
Comrade, Congresswoman Maxine Waters for
having graced this occasion with her family.
The month of May saw the big-wigs from the
Transnet National Ports Authority ably led by the
Divisional CEO, Mr Tau Morwe and we also celebrated the 50th Anniversary on the founding of the
OAU/AU, an event that was attended by amongst
others, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and the
Councilman of Carson, Mike Gipson and several
high profile community leaders in LA.
tional Commissioners for Correctional Services and
so was the Director General of Arts and Culture,
Mr S Xaba. Also in town and on official business
were, the CEO of the NFVF Ms Z Mkosi and the
Chairperson, Ms Ramogoshi. The world renowned
play writer Mr Welcome Msomi led the delegation
from the KwaZulu Natal Film Commission of which
he is the Chairperson”.
The month of June was the busiest. We received
the Minister of Correctional Services, the Hon. JS
Ndebele who was accompanied by 4 Deputy Na-
Sincerely,
Last but not least, a word of thanks to all staff, transferred and local, for working tirelessly to make all the
afore-mentioned events and visits a success.
Ndaba
S.T.E.M takes center
Delegation
inside a one of
its kind space
simulator
at
the A-MAN
STEM Center
One of the five governmental priorities of South Africa is education, as
technology is ever changing there is a need for greater awareness and
knowledge in the area of S.T.E.M. education. It has been realized that continuous education and training in this discipline is a necessity. Scientists
and Artists have worked hand and hand for many years on design components needed for various projects, just recently the transfer from S.T.E.M to
S.T.E.A.M has taken place introducing arts with in the S.T.E.M
component.
The mission was recently called
upon to host an education delegation which primarily focused on
S.T.E.M. / S.T.E.A.M. Delegates
from the Moses Kotane Institute,
led by its CEO and Umfolozi Further Education Training (FET)
represented by its Rector were also
accompanied by the Director of
Maritime Safety, Security and
Bilateral Issues of the National
Department of Transport as well
as CEO of PACE Container Stevedores & Member of the KZN Maritime Cluster.
The delegation descended upon
Los Angeles in hopes of gathering
information, new technologies and
methodologies to assist in further
enhancing the institute’s goals in
S.T.E.M education and other scholastic priorities. The delegates
schedule consisted of briefings/
tours of the several unique educational institutions. Included in their
program were visits to the Port of
Los Angeles High School, a meeting with the University of Southern
California’s (USC) Director of Marine Science & Policy Outreach,
orientation visits with New Design
Charter School & Harbor Teacher
Preparatory Academy. The delegation members also toured the AMAN International Science Discovery and Learning Center, met with
the Los Angeles County Office of
Co-Operative Governance and
Traditional Affairs (COGTA):
Stage
South African Education Delegation visits Los
Angeles in hopes of learning new techniques &
methodologies in S.T.E.M/ S.T.E.A.M education.
Education and were briefed by Senior Management of the California
Maritime Academy.
The 22nd Annual Tom Bradley
Recognition Dinner was a wonderful culmination to their visit. The
dinner was hosted by Dr. Betty and
Professor Hal Walker. The Walkers
have been contributing towards the
study of pure sciences in South
Africa for 15 years. In 1998, the
Walkers were given the call to help
historically disadvantaged children
in SA by former President Nelson
Mandela. They have truly created a
legacy and many thousands have
benefited. The education delegation
has returned to South Africa with
much work ahead of them and an
unwavering focus to bring about
change.
Delegation visiting Mayor
Butts of Inglewood, CA
Delegation visiting New
Design Charter School
Delegation visiting the A-MAN
Int’l S.T.E.M Center
Mission encourages relations between COGTA and
Disaster Relief Experts in Los Angeles
Province of Kwazulu-Natal
FEMA briefing the Disaster
Management Delegation
Delegation visit with Red Cross
Mayor DCP Mazibuko, uThukela & CEO
Paul Schultz of the Red Cross LA Region
Delegation briefing of the Emergency
Operations Center by Mr. James
Featherstone, General Manager
4
In January of this year, the Disaster Management Business Unit of
the Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs was present for the auspicious occasion of the Signing of the
Friendship Certificate between Durban and Los Angeles which
was coordinated by the Mission along with Councilman Tom
La Bonge & Ms. Kamilla Blanche of the City of Los Angeles
and Sister Cities, Inc.
During their visit in January, the Disaster Management Team was
aligned with several Emergency Response Agencies, which yielded great benefits and resulted in a follow-up visit, 24-27 June.
Accompanying the Senior Managers of Disaster Management
Business Unit & Ms. Thato Tsautse (Transactional Advisor) were
the following officials from the Province of Kwazulu–Natal:
Mayor DCP Mazibuko, Mr. M Dladla, Acting Manager: Disaster
Management, from the uThukela District Municipality; Mayor
JCN Khumalo, Mrs SCN Mdakane, Director: Community Services from the Amajuba District Municipality; Mayor ME Ndobe,
Siskone Disctrict Municipality; Mayor AF Rehman, Mr. MP Sithole, Executive Director: Community Services and Mr. V Govender from the Newcastle Municipality.
FEMA was among the agencies that briefed the delegation. Repre-
COGTA cont.,
sentatives touched on topics such as
the process of declaring a State of
Emergency as well as the types of
assistance offered by FEMA.
The delegation heard from experts
in various fields at the Miracle
Mile Safety Summit on a range of
topics such as Consequence Management, the importance of Mutual
Aid Relationships and Automatic
Response Agreements as well as
Policy measures to be taken prior to
an emergency.
Paul Schultz, CEO of the Red
Cross, Los Angeles Regional Chapter discussed the five lines of service that the Red Cross provides as
well as how they are funded, their
operational procedures and how
they manage, motivate & recruit
volunteers. Currently, due to the
eminent threat of a natural disaster
Southern California Red Cross are
running preparedness campaigns
such as PrepareSoCal.org
&
READY.gov.
The Emergency Operations Center
of the City of Los Angeles walked
the delegation through a guided
tour of their new facility which is
well equipped for safety. The delegation was also able to gather information in regards to how their coordinating and standard operating
procedures take place.
Additionally, an overview of the
Emergency Network of Los Angeles (ENLA) was given. ENLA provides services pre-disaster, during
disaster, and post disaster to its
members and their communities.
To seal this partnership that began
in January 2013 between COGTA
of KZN and Disaster Management
Agencies in Los Angeles, Mr.
James Featherstone of the Emergency Management Department of
the City of Los Angeles has been
invited to participate in a National
Disaster Management Conference
in South Africa hosted by COGTA
in November of this year.
Delegation briefing of ENLA with
Program Manager Ms. Alix Stayton
South African Music &
Film Festival Launch
T
he Los Angeles Consulate–General had the privilege
of arranging the South African Music and Film launch
on behalf of the Minister, Honourable Paul Mashatile of
the Department of Arts & Culture which took place on
27 June. The purpose of the event was to bring attention
to and gain support for the South African Music and
Film Industries and to launch the SA Music & Film Festival scheduled for the first weekend of October 2013.
The event was well attended, including South African
Officials, such as Director General of Arts & Culture,
Mr. Sibusisio Xaba & Consul-General Cyril Ndaba
along with representatives from the Kwazulu-Natal,
Western Cape & Gauteng Film Commissions and senior
officials of the National Film and Video Foundation
(NFVF)- over 100 VIP
executives from the Los
Consul-General Cyril Ndaba
Angeles music and film
industries descended upon the rooftop of the Luxe Rodeo
Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills.
In order to capitalize on this endeavour the Los Angeles
Mission invited interlocutors such as Mr. William Stuart,
Charman of the Producers Guild of America, Mr. Simon
Swart Executive Vice President of 20th Century Fox and
the organisers of the American Film Festival, Ms. Jacqueline Lyanga and the Pan African Film Festival, Mr. Ayuko
(l-r) Consul Johan Klopper,
Babu.
Ms. Duduzile Nchoba
Atop the roof, in the midst of the sunset the attendees (Project Manager for SA Music and
were humbly reminded by Consul-General Ndaba of the
Film Launch),
Director General Sibusisio Xaba
condition of former President Nelson Mandela, reminding
us to keep him in our prayers.
In his remarks, Director-General Xaba explained that Hollywood is synonymous with the
film industry, and is undisputedly the movie
production capital of the world. He further stated that Los Angeles is also one of the world's
most important centres of culture, and arguably
the world's leading producer of popular entertainment, such as motion pictures, television,
and recorded music which forms the base of its
international reputation and global prestige;
and also provided the guests with an overview
of the South African music and film industries.
Celebrations
June’Teenth
Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba joined June’teenth celebrations that took place
on June 16 at Leimert Park in Los Angeles, California. June’teenth has been
long celebrated in the United States as the day that commemorated the ending
of the war and the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. In addressing the hundreds of attendees that witnessed the Ribbon Tying Ceremony the
Consul General Ndaba thanked all for having prayed for a speedy recovery of
Former President Nelson Mandela and encouraged them to continue to do so
stating that the family truly appreciates the universal prayers for the Founding
President.
Ms. Moza Cooper of “Black Arts of Los Angeles” was instrumental in the Ribbon Tying
Ceremony which took place to dedicate the
Peace Pole in Leimert Park, which was cosponsored by Mr. Mohammed Khan & Mr.
Khalil Al Khalil.
The Peace Pole Project started in 1955 and has
been placed in over 180 countries. When looked
at, it serves as a constant visual reminder to
pray for peace, donning the message “May
Peace Prevail on Earth”. Special celebrity guest,
Mr. Richard Gant hosted the Ribbon Tying Ceremony which signified the coming together of
the community, committed to embrace peace.
The Peace Pole is an internationally recognized
symbol of peace and thousands of Peace Poles
stand resiliently around the world. If you would
like to learn more, visit
www.peacepoleproject.org.
Peace Pole
Ribbon Tying Ceremony
Left rear (in red): Honorable Cyril S. Ndaba
Center (white): Ms. Moza Cooper
San Diego Zoo
“Ritz”Gala
TEAM SA
(l-r) Consul General
Ndaba, Ms. Paula Newton and her brother at the
South Africa stand
(l-r) Mrs. Jeri Rovsek
(Host), Tanzania’s Honorary Consul, Mr. Ahmed
Issa, Amb. Jean Makan
(Kenya), Ms. Nancy
Assenga (Tanzanian
National) Ms. Mindi
Kasiga (Deputy Chief of
Mission: Tanzania ),
Consul General Ndaba
Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba
represented South Africa at the
San Diego Zoo’s Annual “Ritz”
Gala on June 15, 2013, the emphasis of the event being on progress in Africa, including South
Africa, where current projects
include the African Elephant and
the Black-footed Cat conservation. He addressed guests present not only on behalf of South
Africa, but also on behalf of the
other three sister African countries, namely Kenya, Botswana
4
and Tanzania which were represented at the Gala.
ConsulGeneral Ndaba expressed the
hope that in the future other African countries engaged in wildlife
preservation such as Namibia,
which has an Honorary Consul in
San Francisco, and Zimbabwe,
could be included in this prestigious event and undertook to explore ways to expand and further
enrich this annual event whose
theme will still be “Africa” on 14
June 2014.