JULY 2013 - Embassy of South Africa in Prague

EMBASSY OF SOUTH AFRICA
RUSKA 65, 100 00 PRAGUE 10
NEWSLETTER - JULY 2013 (No.7)
WORD BY THE AMBASSADOR
FUNCTIONS/ AMBASSADOR’S
PROGRAMME
Contact tour to Moravia
On 11 June 2013 the Ambassador paid a visit
to Tatra a.s. in Kopřivnice, North Moravia to
discuss possible cooperation with South
Africa with the Chairman of the Board, Mr
Petr Rusek and Sales Manager Mr František
Lengál. The Ambassador also visited the
Tatra museum.
July was an eventful month for the Embassy.
We were very proud to see the exhibition
depicting South Africa’s botanical riches go on
display in the Prague Botanical Garden. We
are most grateful to Kirstenbosch Botanical
Garden for their assistance, in particular to
Adam Harrow for the magnificent photographs
and to Alice Notten for the poster design. Our
sincere thanks also go to the Prague Botanical
Garden for their cooperation in partnering us
to make a reality of what was initially just a
concept. Clearly, love of nature’s bounty is a
unifying factor!
For Mandela Day, the Embassy staff all got
together to make sandwiches for the homeless
of Prague. While it was a lot of fun, it also had
a serious side in that it enabled us to make a
contribution to the community.
We had the great honour to attend the
induction of our compatriots Prof Rispel and
Dr Poggenpoel into the STTI International
Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, with the event
here in Prague presided over by yet another
South African, Dr Klopper. We extend our
sincere congratulations to all three of them.
You did South Africa proud.
Mr František Lengál, Ambassador Verwey
and expert test driver
The Ambassador then visited the wine region
in South Moravia and was introduced to
some wine makers in Hustopeče and Popice,
tasted excellent wines and enjoyed warm
Moravian hospitality.
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STTI Congress in Prague
On 25 July 2013 the
Ambassador
attended
the
International Nurse Researcher
Hall of Fame ceremony during
the
Sigma
Theta
Tau
International (STTI) Nursing
Research Congress in Prague
and met the South African honorees.
From left: Prof. Marie Poggenpoel, University of
Johannesburg, Dr Hester Klopper, President Elect of
the STTI, Ambassador Verwey, Dr Laetitia Rispel,
University of the Witwatersrand and spouse
African Summer in botanical garden
On 3 July 2013 the
Ambassador attended the
opening of the African
summer at the Prague
Botanical Garden. The
Embassy is a patron of the
event and it runs until
September 2013.
South Africa’s botanical riches during the
African Summer event. Ten beautiful posters
under the title From Prague to Cape Town
are on display till the end of September. For
more details see the attachment to the
Newsletter.
Embassy staff visited the Botanical Garden
on 29 July 2013 to view the exhibition and
enjoyed the visit very much.
We highly recommend a visit to the
exhibition.
Diplomatic Functions
In July, the Ambassador attended a
diplomatic lunch, diplomatic dinners, several
receptions and garden parties organized by
other embassies – e.g. Embassy of Belarus,
Egypt, France, Switzerland, Mexico,
Venezuela, Morocco, Peru, Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Nelson Mandela Day
On 18 July 2013 the Embassy staff met at the
Official Residence and dedicated its 67
minutes of community service in the
preparation of sandwiches for Prague
homeless. The sandwiches were delivered to
the Naděje (Hope) Charity Association.
Preparation of sandwiches.
Ambassador Verwey with Ms Věra Bidlová, Director
of Prague Botanical Garden (left picture) and with
singer Lucie Kostelecká (right picture) at the festive
opening of African summer, 3 July 2013
In cooperation with the Botanical Gardens of
Prague and Kirstenbosch respectively, the
Embassy arranged an exhibition to display
A fridge full of sandwiches.
From left: Ms Hana Mahmoud, Mr Jakub Marek,
Naděje Charity Association, Ms Barbara Woods
(International Women’s Association of Prague –IWA),
Ambassador Verwey, and Ms Mariaan Schoeman,
Prague, 19 July 2013
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By coincidence, Ambassador Verwey
celebrates her birthday on the same day.
Congratulations! All the best and many
happy returns of the day!
STAFF NEWS/SA CITIZENS
Graduation ceremony in Pardubice
South African student Joseph Mabunda
completed his Bachelor studies of Transport
Technology at Pardubice university and
graduated on 3 July 2013. Congratulations!
Mr Mabunda receives his diploma, Pardubice, 3 July
2013 Picture: Press Dept.,Pardubice University
DM Marius Fransman hosts the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs of Spain, Mr Gonzalo de Benito
Secades for Bilateral Consultations, Pretoria, 11 July
2013. Picture: Unati Ngamntwini
SA-EU Summit
South Africa hosted the 6th SA-EU Summit
on 18th July 2013 under the theme Job
Creation through Inward Investment. The
EU delegation was led by President of the
European Council Herman Van Rompuy and
President of the European Commission Jose
Manuel Barosso.
From left, Herman Van Rompuy, President Jacob
Zuma and José Manuel Barroso cut a cake in
Pretoria to celebrate former president Nelson
Mandela’s 95th birthday. Picture: GCIS
The EU remains the most important regional
trading partner of the RSA as well as South
Africa’s main development assistance
partner.
Forbes Africa Forum
Mr ZM Dasa and Mr Mabunda after the graduation
ceremony, Pardubice, 3 July 2013
DIRCO
South Africa-Spain Consultations
South Africa-Spain Consultations were held
in Pretoria on 11 July 2013 and a Discussion
Forum on Spain in the World: Spanish
Perspectives on the Eurozone Crisis on 12
July 2013.
President Jacob Zuma addressing the 2013 Forbes
Africa Forum, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
Picture: Elmond Jiyane, GCIS
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President Jacob Zuma attended the Forbes
Africa Forum in Brazzaville, Republic of
Congo on 23 July 2013. The Forum focused
on the theme: The emergence of an African
middle class: conditions, issues and
challenges.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka appointed chief
of UN women’s agency
Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former
Deputy President of South Africa (from 2005
to 2008) and women’s advocate, was
appointed as Executive Director of the UN
Entity
for
Gender
Equality
and
Empowerment of Women (UN Women) on
10 July 2013.
diplomatic community, including the Czech
Ambassador to the RSA, Ms Blanka
Fajkusova, took part in the event.
Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane plants a tree at
the Diepsloot Combined School for Nelson Mandela
Day, Diepsloot, South Africa, 22 July 2013. Picture:
Jacoline Schoonees
SA NEWS
Ex-South African leader Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
appointed as head of UN Women
International Conference on Nuclear
Security in Vienna
International Relations and Cooperation
Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane attended
the International Conference on Nuclear
Security, organized by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna
from 1-3 July 2013. The IAEA supports
South Africa to maintain a high level of
security of its nuclear facilities, nuclear and
radioactive materials.
Commonwealth Chess Open Championship
The 2013 Commonwealth Open Chess
Championship was held in Port Elizabeth,
Eastern Cape from 5-14 July 2013
concurrently with the South African Open
Chess Championship, the Nelson Mandela
Bay Open Chess Championship and the
South
African
Open
Blitz
Chess
Championship.The event was attended by
participants from 28 countries. Indian
Grandmaster and former world junior
champion Abhijeet Gupta won the
championship after scoring 9.0/11 points.
World Population Day
South Africa is the only African country that
operates a nuclear power plant. It is situated
at Koeberg in the Western Cape.
Nelson Mandela International Day
DIRCO, in collaboration with the Nelson
Mandela Centre of Memory and the Airports
Company South Africa (ACSA), hosted a
Nelson Mandela event in Diepsloot, Gauteng
Province on 22 July 2013. Members of the
World Population Day was celebrated in the
RSA on 11 July 2013. The theme for this
year was adolescent pregnancy.
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CZECH NEWS
New government sworn in
President Miloš Zeman appointed the new
Czech caretaker government of Prime
Minister Jiří Rusnok on 10 July 2013.
Protests in České Budějovice
60 people were detained in anti-Romany
protests in České Budějovice on 13 July
2013. Over 130 people were detained and
eight injured on 6 July 2013 and 39 people
were detained and 10 injured in a clash with
police a week before. Tension in the city
follows and incident at a local playground.
Gang smuggling SA rhino horns arrested
On 23 July 2013, the Czech police charged
16 people with bringing illegally horns of
strictly protected rare white rhinoceroses
from South Africa into the Czech Republic
to sell them in Asia. 24 rhino horns worth
CZK 100 million ($5 million) were seized.
President Zeman and the members of new government
Members of the new Czech government:
Ing Jiří Rusnok – Prime Minister
Ing Jan Fischer, CSc – Deputy PM and
Minister of Finance
Ing Martin Pecina – Deputy PM and Minister
of the Interior
PhDr Jan Kohout – Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Ing Vlastimil Picek – Minister of Defence
Mgr Marie Benešová – Justice Minister
Ing František Koníček – Minister of Labour
and Social Affairs
Doc Ing Jiří Cieńciala – Minister of Industry
and Trade
MUDr Martin Holcát – Minister of Health
Prof RNDr Dalibor Štys – Minister of
Education, Youth and Sports
Ing Miroslav Toman, CSc – Minister of
Agriculture
Bc Zdeněk Žák – Minister of Transport
Mgr František Lukl, MPA – Local
Development Minister
Mgr Tomáš Podivínský – Minister of the
Environment
Mgr Jiří Balvín – Minister of Culture
The government faces a confidence vote in
the Chamber of Deputies on 7 August 2013.
Picture: Customs Administration of the Czech Republic
Czech Theatre successful in RSA
Czech Spitfire Theatre Company presented
the Voice of Anne Frank at the National Arts
Festival held from 26 June to 6 July 2013 in
Grahamstown, RSA. The performances
achieved a great success.
Dancer Miřenka Čechová in the role of Anne Frank
For more information about the activities
of the South African Embassy in Prague
please
visit
our
website:
http://www.saprague.cz
If you don’t wish to receive further copies of
the newsletter, please let us know.
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African Summer at Prague Botanical Garden
4/7 – 1/9/2013
www.botanicka.cz
2 July 2013 – Festive opening of the African summer
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1. From left: Ms Marie Imbrová, Czech expert in African studies, Ambassador Verwey and Ms Věra
Bidlová , Director of Prague Botanical Garden
2. Ms Barbora Koláčková, PR Manager of Prague Botanical Garden and Ambassador Verwey
3. Lucie “Afrika”Kostelecká singing African songs
4. Ambassador Verwey and Ms Marie Imbrová
5. Ambassador Verwey with an African fashion show model
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Exhibition From Prague to Cape Town
29/7/2013 -30/9/2013
Photographer:
Design:
Adam Harrower
Alice Notten, Pavel Florian
29 July 2013 –Embassy visit to the exhibition From Prague to Cape Town