South Africa has the second longest coastline on the African continent and spans two oceans. This prime geo position is at the heart of international shipping with more than 30 000 ships sailing around the country every year. The route links Asia to the East Coast of South America and the East and West coasts of Africa.
Our history has shown us that a united and committed youth can change the trajectory of a country. The youth of 1976 pulled together under excruciating circumstances to fight for freedom and many times paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that today we have good fortune of living in a democratic state.
Our founding fathers of the African Union understood that for Africa to rise to its full potential Africans must forge a united front. They saw Africa’s future intrinsically linked to the success of each nation on the continent.
In June last year, our country woke up to the tragic news of the death of twenty people suspected of being illegal miners at an unused mine in Orkney, North West. Their premature death was because of an underground fire. This was not the first time that suspected illegal miners commonly known as ’zama zamas’ died in an abandoned mine.
The auto-manufacturing sector has emerged as one of the sectors that stands to benefit from the historic African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that holds the potential to revitalise the continent.
It is estimated that by 2035 Africa shall require five billion units of vehicles and our continent has the potential to manufacture both the finished products and automotive components.
By Gill Price
In 1994, we had a dream of forging a new nation. We imagined a country that worked for everyone and offered all people a chance to live their dream. Having emerged from decades of white minority rule, which was characterised by abuse and tyranny, we chose reconciliation instead of war.
South Africa has cemented its position as a global player in the auto manufacturing sector with its own home-grown automotive components supplier opening its doors. Last year Batyi Automotive Component Supply (BACS) opened its new facility in Pretoria.
BACS manufactures vehicle components for the Ford Motor Company. The company emerged from an incubation centre that supports black suppliers to be independent and globally competitive. The new facility employs 60 people and there are plans to bring in young trainees to further develop their skill sets.
The term African Solutions to African Problems was first coined by Ghanaian political economist George Ayittey in the early 90s. At the time the posture of the international community was to seek to impose several unworkable solutions to challenges on the continent.
The historic march by more than 20 000 women to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 against the extension of Pass Laws by the apartheid regime was a turning point in the role of women in the struggle for freedom and our society at large.
South Africans are a beautiful fusion of cultures, religions and heritage from across the globe. What unites us even before the dawn of democracy aptly captured in Freedom Charter our determination to build a better South Africa for all - ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it – and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all people’. Over the past 30 years, our nation has advanced in many ways, and we have succeeded in building a new society from the ashes of the past.
