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The Department of Trade and Industry’s pavilion at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair romped home with the Best Stand Award for the second successive year. In a prestigious ceremony held in Bulawayo yesterday to officially open the fair and announce outstanding exhibitors, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe received the award from the Malawian President Dr Joyce Banda on behalf of the department.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Vice President Joyce Mujuru, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and numerous Zimbabwean Cabinet ministers also attended the ceremony, which was the highlight of the international fair that started on Tuesday, 23 April 2013 and will end today. Italy and Mozambique were second and third, respectively in the competition. This year’s fair was held under the theme “Building Value, Enhancing Growth”.

“This award does not belong to the dti but to South Africa as a country in general. For us to be crowned the best exhibitor in an international fair in which more than about 20 countries are participating is a great achievement. We are all proud of this award as it shows that we as a department have represented the country well. It also means that the quality of the companies that are exhibiting in our stand have created a good impression among the judges, and the visitors,” said Deputy Minister Thabethe.

She added that the dti had taken up more space in the trade fair this year than it did last year as the fair had proven to be a perfect platform for the South African companies to expose their products and services to the international market. 

“We are planning to occupy even a bigger space next year so that we can afford more companies, particularly the small enterprise, an opportunity to market their goods and seek partnerships with companies exhibiting here from other countries of the world,” said Thabethe.

Thabethe has been in Zimbabwe where she has been leading a delegation of 47 companies since Sunday and returns to South Africa tomorrow before leading an Investment and Trade Initiative to Tunisia and Algeria next week.