Media Invite
31 July 2023
Minister Pandor to host Japanese counterpart and launch Mapungubwe Dialogues
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister Pandor will on Tuesday, 01 August 2023, host the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr Yoshimasa HAYASHI. The two Ministers will hold consultations focussing on various bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
The visit of the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs marks the continuation of high-level engagements between South Africa and Japan on a bilateral level, and it is a follow-up to a telephonic engagement between the two Ministers in early June 2023.
Japan is one of the major investors (over R90 billion) into the South African economy and has a presence of 273 companies, sustaining over 200 000 local job opportunities. Investments by Japan in the automotive industry include R4,28 billion by Toyota, R3,2 billion by Nissan and R1.2 billion by Isuzu in the past two years while several new investments were made, inter alia, by Sumitomo Rubber, Komatsu, Kansai Paint, NEC, Lixel, Nomura Investment and Tokyo Marine.
The Mapungubwe Dialogues event starts at 15h00.
At the conclusion of the visit of the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Pandor will launch the Mapungubwe Dialogues under the theme: “Agenda 2063 @ 10: Consolidating the gains made over the past decade, keeping the momentum towards the second ten-year implementation plan: 2024-2034”.
It is expected that Ministers in the Presidency, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, will be among the participants.
Mapungubwe Dialogues is a series of dialogues and open discussions bringing together members of the Diplomatic Corps from the Continent that are based in Pretoria as well as Think-Tanks, AU Organs based in South Africa (such as NEPAD, African Peer Review Mechanism, the Pan-African Parliament and the African Development Bank). The launch is timely as it takes place during the 10th anniversary of the adoption of Agenda 2063.
The Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister is expected to arrive at DIRCO’s OR Tambo Building at 12h45. Members of the media must arrive at 12h00.
Enquiries: Nelson Kgwete, 076 431 3078
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria
0084