Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
15 June 2000
The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr MV Moosa, will visit Hannover, Germany, on 16 June 2000 as head of the official South African delegation to the South African National Day celebrations at the World Expo 2000. Each of the 200 participating countries has, as part of a special country focus, been accorded a national day by the organisers to showcase to a significant global audience the diversity, scope and richness to be found in the global cultural milieu and to demonstrate the progress and advances which have taken place in the areas of science and technology.
South Africa’s National Day will be celebrated on 16 June at the South African National Pavilion which is housed in the Africa Hall, together with the pavilions and displays of other participating African nations. As part of the South African delegation, Minister Moosa will be accompanied by Prof SM Bengu, South African Ambassador to Germany and Commissioner General of the South African Pavilion; Mr R Molekane, South African Consul- General in Munich; Mr A Stofile, Premier of the Eastern Cape; Mr Godongwane, MEC for Economic Affairs, Eastern Cape Provincial Government; Mr Roy Setlhapelo, South African Pavilion Director; Ms J Sumption, South African Pavilion Deputy Director; as well as South Africa’s Honourary Consuls’ in Germany.
South Africa’s National Day will be officially opened by Minister Moosa, who, together with the Commissioner General of the Hannover Expo, Ambassador Brigitte Breul, will address a seated audience of 250 invited guests in commemoration of the occasion. The speeches will be followed by a cultural programme featuring various South African musicians, including a Cape traditional singing ensemble; musical groups, Ikusasa Lethu , Amaqhikiza and the Nu Jazz Connection and the dance group, Moving into Dance. Performances by the South African artists will be repeated at various venues at the Expo during the course of the day. Further highlights of the cultural programme will feature live demonstrations and workshops on South African art and crafts.
Minister Moosa has, furthermore, been invited by the Global Nature Fund to deliver a keynote address at the Living Lakes Conference on 16 June in Hannover on the development of water conservation in South Africa focusing on the World Heritage Site status of Lake St Lucia and the role of sustainable tourism in KwaZulu Natal. Living Lakes constitutes a global network of non- governmental organisations involved in the identification, development and implementation of sustainable conservation programmes designed to protect the worlds lakes and wetlands.
Minister Moosa will meet with his German counterpart, Minister Juergen Tritten and Mrs Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development for informal discussions at the South African National Pavilion on 16 June 2000.
For enquiries contact Daniel Ngwepe
Cell no. 082 858 0295