Latest news with #Nzimande
IOL News
17-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Will Ramaphosa's visit to the US improve trade relations?
President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump are set to meet to discuss bilateral trade. Image: Armand Hough/Independent Media President Cyril Ramaphosa will need to use his skills as a negotiator if he has any chance of resetting the strategic relationship between South Africa and the United States. Dr Ntokozo Nzimande, senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, said while Ramaphosa is a "brilliant negotiator, one can only hope that this meeting will yield a positive outcome". "The US imposed tariffs not just on South Africa but on all its trading partners. The rationale behind this decision is to reduce the trade deficit between the US and its partners," said Nzimande. Ramaphosa will embark on a working visit to the United States from Monday until Thursday. Ramaphosa will meet Trump on Wednesday at the White House, to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of interest. The South African president's visit comes a week after nearly 50 Afrikaners South arrived in Washington DC seeking asylum. This was after Trump signed an executive order in February directing his government to grant refugee status to Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch and French colonisers who he claimed were discriminated against. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Relations between South Africa and the US soured significantly since Trump returned to the White House in January. Nzimande expressed doubt that the tensions between South Africa and the US would be resolved. "The Trump administration is fully aware that there's no genocide in South Africa — it's all lies. These lies could be a retaliation from Elon Musk because of Starlink. If this is the case, the only solution would be to allow Starlink to operate in SA, which is a security threat. "If Elon Musk can use the X platform, particularly Grok, to spread lies and manufacture stories, what assurances do we have that he won't use Starlink against us?" said Nzimande. Nzimande added that Ramaphosa has negotiated a number of important deals. "One can hope that he will be able to remind the Trump administration of the same significance of our trade relations," he said. Trump recently announced additional tariffs on all imported products under what had been termed 'Liberation Day' trade measures. Goods imported from dozens of countries and territories are to be taxed at sharply higher rates, including 30% for South Africa. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) has urged South Africans to not allow divisions that were not helping the country to move forward, following news of the arrival of SA refugees in the US. "At this time of our history, South Africans of all races and creed should take the opportunity, to unite and work together for the betterment of all our citizens and the republic, united in our diversity. "Whilst ours is a vibrant democracy, full of vitality, and this should never be discouraged, we should also be conscious of driving negative narratives and messaging," said SACCI in a statement. It added that it was counterproductive and will damage South Africa's prospects in driving the necessary investment climate, for economic growth, the elimination of poverty and unemployment, to achieve the ultimate objective of shared prosperity. SUNDAY TRIBUNE
eNCA
03-05-2025
- Science
- eNCA
Nzimande establishes working group
JOHANNESBURG - Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Blade Nzimande is in the process of appointing a Working Group on Science. This is a response to the withdrawal of research funding by the United States government. Dr Nzimande wants the working group to assess the impact this decision will have on research cooperation between teams from South Africa and the US. Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, believes that in order to be prepared for future pandemics, the African continent must work together and with true friends from the north who are willing to provide unconditional support.
Zawya
21-02-2025
- Science
- Zawya
Science, Technology and Innovation on presentation of South Africa's National Astro-Tourism Strategy to Parliament
On Tuesday, 18 February, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande, supported by Ms. Nomalungelo Gina, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and Ms. Maggie Sotyu, Deputy Minister of Tourism, led the presentation of South Africa's National Astro-Tourism Strategy to Parliament. Last year, the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Patricia De Lille, tabled the National Astro-Tourism Strategy in Cabinet. Subsequent to this, in September last year, Cabinet approved this Strategy and in the same month, Minister De Lille and Minister Nzimande presided over the launch of this Strategy in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape. This past Tuesday, this Strategy was presented at a joint sitting of the Portfolio Committees of Science, Technology and Innovation and Tourism. In highlighting the strategic importance of astronomy and tourism to South Africa, Minister Nzimande stated that 'South Africa is fast becoming one of the leading nations in the discipline of astronomy and this is why in August last year, we hosted the prestigious General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union. This was first time this prestigious gathering was hosted on the African continent. Equally, we also have a very robust tourism sector as a country, which is a major contributor to GDP and is expected to grow significantly over the next 5 to 10 years.' Minister Nzimande also used the briefing to highlight some of South Africa's most notable investments in astronomy infrastructure, during the democratic era, which include the 10-metre Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland, which is the largest optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. The MeerKAT telescope in Carnarvon, which is a precursor to the SKA project, which he said was 'going to be South Africa's single biggest scientific infrastructure.' Outlining the benefits of these investments, Minister Nzimande indicated that "the investments in these high calibre scientific instruments in astronomy enabled an exponential increase in the number of South African astronomers from 60 (only 5 of them were radio astronomers) to about 300 in the last 30 years.' The Minister Nzimande also used the opportunity to explain what astro-tourism was and further outlined the objectives of South Africa's Astro-Tourism Strategy. The Minister stated that '… science tourism involves experiences enjoyed when visiting scientific attractions such as scientific landmarks, including museums, laboratories, observatories, and higher educational institutions where research is conducted. It is also important to realise that astro-tourism is built around the traditions inherited from our ancestors by different ethnic cultures in observing the skies from time immemorial. Astro-tourism therefore draws heavily from the vast and untapped reservoirs of our indigenous knowledge systems. Astro-tourism also encompasses all offerings such as observatories, telescopes, museums, planetariums, meteorite sites, visitor centres, amateur astronomy clubs, stargazing, tour-guides, astro-routes, and accommodation establishments, etc.' In outlining the strategic importance of the Astro-Tourism Strategy, Minister Nzimande stated that 'We regard science and tourism as mutually reinforcing and therefore building on our competitive advantages in astronomy and tourism, we seek to use the Astro-Tourism Strategy to achieve the following: Enhance the performance of South Africa's astronomy tourism sector through infrastructure developments and improvements, optimal functioning of various streams of astronomy with tourism offerings and boosting transformation by enhancing the livelihoods of local communities; Position South Africa as a world class Astro tourism destination that will yield sustainable benefit-sharing opportunities by maximising appropriate investments, improving marketing efforts, and enhancing visitor experience in South Africa; Educate communities about the importance of preserving our dark skies and radio silence as this is a geographic advantage that needs to be protected for astrotourism to thrive; and Most importantly, we also seek to use this strategy to drive meaningful socio-economic development within poor and rural communities, through science tourism.' The Strategy is anchored on three pillars, which are: indigenous celestial narratives and human capacity development; infrastructure development; and inclusive tourism growth and partnerships – and requires an estimated budget of over R352 million. The implementation of the Astro-Tourism Strategy is the joint responsibility of the Departments of Science, Technology and Innovation and Tourism, which have established a Steering Committee that comprises officials from both departments, the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The DSTI's entity, the National Research Foundation (NRF) and its sub entities the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) and South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), also form part of this Steering Committee. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Science and Innovation, Republic of South Africa.
TECHx
14-02-2025
- Business
- TECHx
South Africa and UAE Strengthen Trade and Tech Partnership - TECHx Media South Africa and UAE Strengthen Trade and Tech Partnership
South Africa and UAE Strengthen Trade and Tech Partnership News Desk - Share Professor Blade Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Republic of South Africa, has emphasized the growing strategic partnership between South Africa and the UAE, with the UAE being South Africa's second-largest trading partner. Speaking to Emirates News Agency (WAM) at the 2025 World Government Summit, Nzimande highlighted that the expanding trade relationship positions the UAE as a critical partner in South Africa's push for greater collaboration in technology and innovation sectors. Nzimande noted that the UAE's partnership extends beyond trade, with both nations working on various projects, including the completion of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will define future cooperation opportunities. The collaboration also extends to universities, such as the United Arab Emirates University, focusing on higher education and research. He added that the UAE's recent entry into the BRICS group has significantly enhanced the partnership between the two countries. Additionally, Prof. Nzimande outlined South Africa's efforts to expand technology and internet access across the African continent. South Africa is actively shaping the second edition of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy for Africa, which is expected to be adopted by African Union Heads of State by the end of the week. The Minister also highlighted South Africa's role in formulating the '2034' Strategy, a roadmap to help Africa achieve its development goals by 2034. Looking ahead, Prof. Nzimande reaffirmed the critical role of cooperation between South Africa and the UAE in advancing digital transformation across Africa, emphasizing the importance of sustainable development and future collaboration.
