A delegation led by the Executive Mayor Cllr Kgosientso Ramokgopa has left for China, Singapore and India at the weekend to present the City's inherent trade, investment and tourism potentials to prospective investors in the Asian markets with a view to attracting and facilitating strategic investments into the City of Tshwane.

Cllr Ramokgopa is accompanied by Cllr Subesh Pillay, Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for Economic Development and City Planning, Deputy City Manager: Strategy Development and Implementation Ms Lindiwe Kwele and four senior Municipal officials.

The People’s Republic of China, the Republic of India and the Republic of Singapore have been identified as the first step in accessing foreign investment for anchor capital projects that form the basis of Tshwane’s 2055 drive.

The City of Tshwane is embarking on this robust international investment programme with the aim to promote its investment unique offerings, and opportunities to strategic investors and development finance institutions in the identified counties.

The initiatives will seek to attract direct investments into the City’s identified sectors of priority such as tourism, automotive and components, manufacturing, aerospace and defence related technologies, business process outsourcing and off-shoring, agriculture and agro-processing, alternative and renewable energy, and mining and beneficiation.

The City will be in a position to engage with strategic infrastructure development and financing multinationals in order to establish new funding options for the City’s infrastructure development programme as well as the development of strategic land parcels.

The following key projects that formed part of the Tshwane investment pipeline presented by Cllr Ramokgopa during TITIIC 2012 will be packaged and presented to strategic investors: Rainbow Junction (R7 billion), Symbio City Towers (R18, 7 billion), Legacy Project (R15 billion), West Capital Project (R20 billion), Menlyn Maine (R4 billion), Automotive Supplier Park (R3 billion), Centurion Convention Centre (R4,5 billion), Centurion Aerospace Village (R5 billion), refurbishment of power stations (R5, 5 billion), pre-paid meters and solar geyser project (R2 billion) and Rooiwal Solar Farm (R700 million).

The highlights of the visit in China are a strategic investment briefing with Beijing Axes followed by visits to the South African Ambassador in China and the Mayor of Beijing. The delegation will proceed to Shanghai (Financial capital) where approximately five meetings with key investors have been set up by the City, strategic partners and banks together with a visit to the Mayor of Shanghai.

In Singapore there will be visits to the South African High Commissioner and the Mayor of Singapore are planned with approximately six meetings with key investors being set up by the City, strategic partners and banks.

In India the delegation will visit Chennai where a visit to the Mayor of Chennai is scheduled together with meetings with investors, Indian automotive role players as well as the local business chamber. The delegation will then proceed on to Mumbai where visits to the Consul-General at the South African Consular-General offices in Mumbai as well as the Mayor of Mumbai are planned. Approximately six meetings are planned with key investors and business chambers in Mumbai by the City, strategic partners and banks.
The inflow of investment from the Asian market into Tshwane over the last decade has steadily increased and is playing a significant role in ensuring and sustaining economic growth as the regional economy is positioned to be responsive to market-seeking, efficiency-seeking and resource-seeking foreign direct investors. It is for these reasons that the Asian market is seen as a major trading partner for South Africa.

South African exports to China have steadily grown over the last three years whilst growth of exports to India has been somewhat weak. As is the case with foreign direct investment (FDI), exports to Singapore remain relatively small reflecting the need to increase trade and investment relations between the two economies.

The delegation returns on 14 September.