A Swazi delegation led by the Swaziland Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA) Chairman, Mr Musa Dlamini, recently went on a three-day mission visit to the Limpopo Province in South Africa on 22-26 November 2009. This was the 5th Swaziland-Limpopo Business Forum which was aimed at cementing a business relationship between Swaziland and the Limpopo Province by way of sharing ideas, exploring and identifying business opportunities that exist in the two locations. During the visit, improvements with detailed activities and programmes to be followed, towards a fruitful bilateral relationship were also deliberated for the development of economies and empowerment of the arears' peoples
Presentations were made at the Meropa Casino and Entertainment World in Limpopo. The SIPA Director Domestic Investment, Mr Sabelo Mabuza, pointed out the investments which can be explored in Swaziland including distillate fuels, anthracite coal and iron ore among other opportunities. He also mentioned that there was potential in agro-business where he invited investors from Limpopo to train Swazi farmers in areas such as the dairy.
The Limpopo Provincial Coordinator, Ms Seipati Tlaka, mentioned that spaces for small businesses to sell their products at the FIFA World Cup 2010 had been allocated. She further highlighted the importance of Swaziland and South Africa in sharing businesses leading to this big event.
The Limpopo Black Business Forum took a proactive step and contributed towards the building of a stadium, the Peter Mokaba Sports Complex, rather than waiting to be presented with opportunities for the FIFA World Cup. The Chairman of the Limpopo Black Business Forum, Mr Kedi Mabotja, alluded to the hope that the partnership between Swaziland and Limpopo would translate to business synergies which should go beyond the two parties and beyond the SADC.
The Chairperson of the Swaziland 2010 Technical Committee, Ms Gciniwe Fakudze, highlighted that the preparations for this big event should be looked at holistically and not just concerning South Africa only. She pointed out that the readiness of other States will have a huge impact on how South Africa treats the event together with the tourists who will show up.
The delegation also had site visits to various places including the Polokwane International Airport, APOL Foods which processes tomatoes, the Steven Lumber Mill which is currently looking for investment opportunities in the SADC region, Tshivhase Tea Estate and processing plant, and they were led by Trade and Investment Limpopo (TIL) to the Peter Mokaba International Stadium which will host its first test event in January 2010.
Also during the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the country’s Small Enterprise Development Company (SEDCO) and Limpopo Business Support Agency (LIBSA) to help empower small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in this domain. The SEDCO Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dorrington Matiwane, noted that the MoU would positively impact the livelihoods of the people at grassroots level, and help the two parties join forces and react appropriately to the challenges, mostly arising from the lack of finances, faced by SMMEs. The LIBSA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Reggie Mpe, mentioned that the MoU should see SEDCO and LIBSA learning from each other and that is the key to regional integration. He expressed his belief in that the MoU should be followed by actions, one instance being the sugar producers in Swaziland that could look into possible ways of marketing the product.
It was recommended that, the missions between the two parties should be continuous with follow-ups being made, SMMEs should be assisted, the SEDCO-LIBSA MoU should be practically implemented for improvement of SMMEs and the economies, trade constraints should be addressed for better flow of goods and services, there should be collaboration of corresponding projects from the two parties for empowerment, and all discussed issues should be addressed and implemented.
The mission has been going on for some time and has brought about mutual benefits especially after the signing of a MoU between SIPA and TIL. A follow-up on the APOL Foods Company to help establish a processing plant will be made. Also, there will be a follow-up on how the Steven Lumber Mill can possibly help to revive the country’s SAPPI either as a partner or as a market for the timber it produces. SIPA has to facilitate the meeting of interested parties concerning this project. SIPA will ensure that, during the 2010 World Cup, the Swazi business community gets space to sell their wares and showcase the Swazi culture
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