ADD R ESSI NG T H E PRIO R IT IES OF SO UT H AF R IC A O N E

PROJ ECT AT T I M E. . .

The Los Angeles Mission is committed to seeking out projects that are

aligned with the Five Governmental Priorities laid out by H.E. the

Honorable President Jacob Zuma

Celebrating Freedom Day,

April 27, 2013 (29th)

1ST QUARTER NEWSLETTER 2013

Transnet National Port Authority visits L.A.. In recent months, the cities of Durban and Los Angeles signed a Friendship Certifi-

cate which officially connected the two cities. Many opportunities have arisen as a

result, one of which is the symbiotic relationship between the Port of Durban and the

Port of Los Angeles. The LA Mission has been instrumental in joining together var-

ious Chambers of Commerce in Durban and Los Angeles, as well as a host of archi-

tects, investors and business owners.

South Africa

The South African Consulate-General

of Los Angeles would like to thank you

for joining us in celebrating the South

African National Day of Freedom.

Nineteen years ago, it was this day that

marked the beginning of the post-

apartheid democratic elections.

Consul–General Cyril S. Ndaba, gave

the address remembering the struggle,

sacrifices that were made along this

journey to liberation. Congresswoman

Maxine Waters also shared her strug-

gles as she fought for South Africa for

over nine years. Among those that at-

tended there were several that gave spe-

cial recognition to South Africa in cele-

bration of our Freedom; Deputy Chief

of Protocol of the County of Los An-

geles, Ms. Lourdes Saab, Chief of

Protocol of the County of Orange,

Ms. Joanne Sokolski, Chief of Proto-

col for the City of Los Angeles, Of-

fice of the Mayor, Ms. Elga Sharpe.

Looking toward the future we under-

stand there is still much work to be

done and therefore we continue in

our efforts for equality, decent jobs,

and elimination of poverty to bring

about a New South Africa.

We celebrated in the spirit of unity,

remembering the values and princi-

ples that our Constitution urges us to

exemplify.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba (Rear) Consul Johan Klopper

Congresswoman Maxine Waters & Ambassador Sydney Williams

Consul-General Ndaba & Ms. Joanne Sokolski

Vice-Consul Phillipine Rapia (yellow hat) & guests of the Consulate-General

Los Angeles

CELEBRATING FREEDOM

DAY IN LOS ANGELES ...... 1

TRANSNET NATIONAL

PORTS AUTHORITY CONDUCT-

ING BUSINESS IN THE US .. 2

50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

OF THE FOUNDING OF THE

OAU/AU ...................... 2

Mission

In May 2013 a delegation

from the Transnet National

Port Authority visited Los

Angeles to attend the Interna-

tional Association of Ports

and Harbors (IAPH), 28th

World Ports Conference.

During their visit the Los

Angeles Mission arranged

meetings for Transnet with

key stakeholders. Infrastruc-

ture being one of the five

government priorities, H. E.,

President Jacob Zuma has

earmarked funds which in-

clude the dig-out of the Port

of Durban as well as upcom-

ing projects that Transnet will

oversee.

Transnet cont.,

which took place in June of

1974, yielded important

discussions about the op-

pression and exploitation of

women. The Sixth PAC’s

resolution concluded with

the determined sentiments

of those that were pioneers

as well as words from Mal-

colm X … ” We the African

people are our own libera-

tors and thinkers who's task

is to make a mighty stride

toward genuine freedom by

any means necessary.”

Dignitaries such as the

Honorable Congresswoman

Maxine Waters, Council-

man Mike Gipson as well

as representatives from the

Consulates of Kenya,

Egypt , Malaysia, and many

others joined in celebration

of African Unity and all that

has been accomplished the-

The 50th Anniversary Cele-

bration of the founding of

the OAU/ AU lent itself to

both solemn recognition of

sacrifices made by our an-

cestors and the anticipation

of what is to come. Pan

Africanist such as W.E. B

Dubois, Marcus Garvey

and Kwame Nkrumah

played major roles in the

support and growth of the

Pan African Movement.

Women such as Nina Du-

bois and Addie W. Hunton,

leader of the Women's In-

ternational Circle for Peace

and Foreign Relations, also

showed a strong presence

in bringing about unity

within the African people,

both in the African Conti-

nent and the Diaspora. The

final Pan African Congress,

also known as Sixth PAC,

Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba & Congresswoman Maxine Waters

(l-r) Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba & Prof. Hal Walker, Mr. Armando Castro of

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Obliyanko! Obliyanko!

Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba

se last 50 years. The event

included solemn reflec-

tions, taste of African food

and concluded with jubilant

dancing and singing.

Today we continue in our

forward march with as

much, strength, agility and

determination as those that

have paved the way for us.

Ms. Jolyn Mayeda,

Ms. Connie Ronquillo

Mine is Mine Ms. Liza Fontelera, Ms. Marcia Kay

Obliyanko! Obliyanko! Drummers Consul Johan Klopper

Ms. Noemi Ordonez Mr. Sagie Chetty

Vice Consul Philippine Rapia

Ms. Moza Cooper and guests

of the Consulate-General Ms. Sherri Franklin, Ms. Renele

Fleming, Ms. Delores Brown

Ms. Robin Thorne, Mr. Armando

Castro, Consul Sibongile Mdena

opportunities which hold promis-

es of job creation, education

transfer, infrastructure develop-

ment as well as the use of green

technology. The current trans-

portation system only utilizes

about 30 percent of its rail ca-

pacity. The SA government

would like to acquire new coach-

es and locomotives, overhaul

existing coaches that are still

usable, and decrease the number

of cars on the roads by making

rail a major mode of transporta-

tion.

Ms. Sabelo, CEO of PACE Ste-

vedor Containers, operating at

the Port of Durban has sought the

assistance of the mission to link

her with investors, rail academies

and others within the rail sector.

During her visit, Ms. Sabelo met

with Engineering, Rail and

Transportation experts at the

University of Southern Califor-

nia (USC), the Alameda Corridor

Transportation Authority, and

(l-r) Mr. Slucio Soibelman, Ms. Kelly Goulis, Mr. Greg Placencia,

Ms. Candace House,

Mr. Najmedin Meshkati, Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo

USC Viterbi School of Engineering

(l-r) Mr. Armando Castro, Mr. Norman Arikawa, Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo,

Consul Sibongile Mdena, Mr. Bheka Clive Zulu

(Rear l-r) Mr. ???, Mr. Andy Perez, Mr. Masashi Morimoto

Latino Business Chamber, Union Pacific, Port of LA

Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo

SA Balancing Inequalities...

with their Women In Rail Program South Africa is embarking on a major overhaul of its current rail sys-

tem. The rail industry has also realized the gender inequalities within

this sector and has determined to balance these inequalities by using

(l-r) Mr. Armando Castro, Mr. Norman Arikawa, Consul Sibongile Mdena,

Ms. Ntokozo Sabelo, Mr. Arthur

Goodwin, Mr. Bheka Clive Zulu Overseas Investment Corp., Port of LA,

Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority

Union Pacific Railroad of Los

Angeles Intermodal Transfer

Hub (Union Pacific).

In search for training programs,

rail systems curricula and rail

academies this visit has afforded

the Passenger Rail Agency of

South Africa (PRASA) with a

good foundation. The visit has

provided several unprecedented

resources to allow forward

movement toward the next step

in making the Woman in Rail

From the Desk of the Consul-General

Consul-General

Cyril S. Ndaba

“Friends, Countrymen and Women, it is my great pleasure to introduce to you, our 2nd quarterly newsletter

which covers the work that we do in our primary city of accreditation, Los Angeles. It has been a very busy

time as the events and visits by high-level delegations from South Africa kept us on our toes. We kicked-

off this past quarter 1 April – 30 June 2013 with our 19th Freedom Day celebration held on 29 April as the

27th fell on a week-end. We thank the ranking

member of the Democratic Party, our sister and

Comrade, Congresswoman Maxine Waters for

having graced this occasion with her family.

The month of May saw the big-wigs from the

Transnet National Ports Authority ably led by the

Divisional CEO, Mr Tau Morwe and we also cele-

brated the 50th Anniversary on the founding of the

OAU/AU, an event that was attended by amongst

others, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and the

Councilman of Carson, Mike Gipson and several

high profile community leaders in LA.

The month of June was the busiest. We received

the Minister of Correctional Services, the Hon. JS

Ndebele who was accompanied by 4 Deputy Na-

tional Commissioners for Correctional Services and

so was the Director General of Arts and Culture,

Mr S Xaba. Also in town and on official business

were, the CEO of the NFVF Ms Z Mkosi and the

Chairperson, Ms Ramogoshi. The world renowned

play writer Mr Welcome Msomi led the delegation

from the KwaZulu Natal Film Commission of which

he is the Chairperson”.

Last but not least, a word of thanks to all staff, trans-

ferred and local, for working tirelessly to make all the

afore-mentioned events and visits a success.

Sincerely,

Ndaba

4

South African Education Delegation visits Los

Angeles in hopes of learning new techniques &

methodologies in S.T.E.M/ S.T.E.A.M education.

Stage S.T.E.M takes center

One of the five governmental priorities of South Africa is education, as

technology is ever changing there is a need for greater awareness and

knowledge in the area of S.T.E.M. education. It has been realized that con-

tinuous education and training in this discipline is a necessity. Scientists

and Artists have worked hand and hand for many years on design compo-

nents needed for various projects, just recently the transfer from S.T.E.M to

information, new technologies and

methodologies to assist in further

enhancing the institute’s goals in

S.T.E.M education and other scho-

lastic priorities. The delegates

schedule consisted of briefings/

tours of the several unique educa-

tional institutions. Included in their

program were visits to the Port of

Los Angeles High School, a meet-

ing with the University of Southern

California’s (USC) Director of Ma-

rine Science & Policy Outreach,

orientation visits with New Design

Charter School & Harbor Teacher

Preparatory Academy. The delega-

tion members also toured the A-

MAN International Science Discov-

ery and Learning Center, met with

the Los Angeles County Office of

Province of Kwazulu-Natal

S.T.E.A.M has taken place intro-

ducing arts with in the S.T.E.M

component.

The mission was recently called

upon to host an education delega-

tion which primarily focused on

S.T.E.M. / S.T.E.A.M. Delegates

from the Moses Kotane Institute,

led by its CEO and Umfolozi Fur-

ther Education Training (FET)

represented by its Rector were also

accompanied by the Director of

Maritime Safety, Security and

Bilateral Issues of the National

Department of Transport as well

as CEO of PACE Container Steve-

dores & Member of the KZN Mar-

itime Cluster.

The delegation descended upon

Los Angeles in hopes of gathering

Co-Operative Governance and

Traditional Affairs (COGTA):

Education and were briefed by Sen-

ior Management of the California

Maritime Academy.

The 22nd Annual Tom Bradley

Recognition Dinner was a wonder-

ful culmination to their visit. The

dinner was hosted by Dr. Betty and

Professor Hal Walker. The Walkers

have been contributing towards the

study of pure sciences in South

Africa for 15 years. In 1998, the

Walkers were given the call to help

historically disadvantaged children

in SA by former President Nelson

Mandela. They have truly created a

legacy and many thousands have

benefited. The education delegation

has returned to South Africa with

much work ahead of them and an

unwavering focus to bring about

change.

In January of this year, the Disaster Management Business Unit of

the Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Af-

fairs was present for the auspicious occasion of the Signing of the

Friendship Certificate between Durban and Los Angeles which

was coordinated by the Mission along with Councilman Tom

La Bonge & Ms. Kamilla Blanche of the City of Los Angeles

and Sister Cities, Inc.

During their visit in January, the Disaster Management Team was

aligned with several Emergency Response Agencies, which yield-

ed great benefits and resulted in a follow-up visit, 24-27 June.

Accompanying the Senior Managers of Disaster Management

Business Unit & Ms. Thato Tsautse (Transactional Advisor) were

the following officials from the Province of Kwazulu–Natal:

Mayor DCP Mazibuko, Mr. M Dladla, Acting Manager: Disaster

Management, from the uThukela District Municipality; Mayor

JCN Khumalo, Mrs SCN Mdakane, Director: Community Ser-

vices from the Amajuba District Municipality; Mayor ME Ndobe,

Siskone Disctrict Municipality; Mayor AF Rehman, Mr. MP Sit-

hole, Executive Director: Community Services and Mr. V Goven-

der from the Newcastle Municipality.

FEMA was among the agencies that briefed the delegation. Repre-

Mission encourages relations between COGTA and

Disaster Relief Experts in Los Angeles

Delegation visiting Mayor

Butts of Inglewood, CA

Delegation visiting New

Design Charter School

Delegation visiting the A-MAN

Int’l S.T.E.M Center

D e l e g a t i o n inside a one of

its kind space

simulator at

the A-MAN

STEM Center

FEMA briefing the Disaster Management Delegation

Delegation visit with Red Cross

Mayor DCP Mazibuko, uThukela & CEO Paul Schultz of the Red Cross LA Region

Delegation briefing of the Emergency Operations Center by Mr. James

Featherstone, General Manager

South African Music &South African Music &South African Music &

Film Festival LaunchFilm Festival LaunchFilm Festival Launch

COGTA cont., sentatives touched on topics such as

the process of declaring a State of

Emergency as well as the types of

assistance offered by FEMA.

The delegation heard from experts

in various fields at the Miracle

Mile Safety Summit on a range of

topics such as Consequence Man-

agement, the importance of Mutual

Aid Relationships and Automatic

Response Agreements as well as

Policy measures to be taken prior to

an emergency.

Paul Schultz, CEO of the Red

Cross, Los Angeles Regional Chap-

ter discussed the five lines of ser-

vice that the Red Cross provides as

well as how they are funded, their

operational procedures and how

they manage, motivate & recruit

volunteers. Currently, due to the

eminent threat of a natural disaster

Southern California Red Cross are

running preparedness campaigns

such as PrepareSoCal.org &

READY.gov.

The Emergency Operations Center

of the City of Los Angeles walked

the delegation through a guided

tour of their new facility which is

well equipped for safety. The dele-

gation was also able to gather infor-

mation in regards to how their coor-

dinating and standard operating

procedures take place.

Additionally, an overview of the

Emergency Network of Los Ange-

les (ENLA) was given. ENLA pro-

vides services pre-disaster, during

disaster, and post disaster to its

members and their communities.

To seal this partnership that began

in January 2013 between COGTA

of KZN and Disaster Management

Agencies in Los Angeles, Mr.

James Featherstone of the Emer-

gency Management Department of

the City of Los Angeles has been

invited to participate in a National

Disaster Management Conference

in South Africa hosted by COGTA

in November of this year.

Delegation briefing of ENLA with

Program Manager Ms. Alix Stayton

T he Los Angeles Consulate–General had the privilege

of arranging the South African Music and Film launch

on behalf of the Minister, Honourable Paul Mashatile of

the Department of Arts & Culture which took place on

27 June. The purpose of the event was to bring attention

to and gain support for the South African Music and

Film Industries and to launch the SA Music & Film Fes-

tival scheduled for the first weekend of October 2013.

The event was well attended, including South African

Officials, such as Director General of Arts & Culture,

Mr. Sibusisio Xaba & Consul-General Cyril Ndaba

along with representatives from the Kwazulu-Natal,

Western Cape & Gauteng Film Commissions and senior

officials of the National Film and Video Foundation

(NFVF)- over 100 VIP

executives from the Los

Angeles music and film

industries descended upon the rooftop of the Luxe Rodeo

Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills.

In order to capitalize on this endeavour the Los Angeles

Mission invited interlocutors such as Mr. William Stuart,

Charman of the Producers Guild of America, Mr. Simon

Swart Executive Vice President of 20th Century Fox and

the organisers of the American Film Festival, Ms. Jacquel-

ine Lyanga and the Pan African Film Festival, Mr. Ayuko

Babu.

Atop the roof, in the midst of the sunset the attendees

were humbly reminded by Consul-General Ndaba of the

condition of former President Nelson Mandela, reminding

us to keep him in our prayers.

In his remarks, Director-General Xaba ex-

plained that Hollywood is synonymous with the

film industry, and is undisputedly the movie

production capital of the world. He further stat-

ed that Los Angeles is also one of the world's

most important centres of culture, and arguably

the world's leading producer of popular enter-

tainment, such as motion pictures, television,

and recorded music which forms the base of its

international reputation and global prestige;

and also provided the guests with an overview

of the South African music and film industries.

Consul-General Cyril Ndaba

(l-r) Consul Johan Klopper, Ms. Duduzile Nchoba

(Project Manager for SA Music and

Film Launch), Director General Sibusisio Xaba

4

June’Teenth

San Diego Zoo

Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba joined June’teenth celebrations that took place

on June 16 at Leimert Park in Los Angeles, California. June’teenth has been

long celebrated in the United States as the day that commemorated the ending

of the war and the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. In address-

ing the hundreds of attendees that witnessed the Ribbon Tying Ceremony the

Consul General Ndaba thanked all for having prayed for a speedy recovery of

Former President Nelson Mandela and encouraged them to continue to do so

stating that the family truly appreciates the universal prayers for the Founding

President.

“Ritz”Gala and Tanzania which were repre-

sented at the Gala. Consul-

General Ndaba expressed the

hope that in the future other Afri-

can countries engaged in wildlife

preservation such as Namibia,

which has an Honorary Consul in

San Francisco, and Zimbabwe,

could be included in this prestig-

ious event and undertook to ex-

plore ways to expand and further

enrich this annual event whose

theme will still be “Africa” on 14

June 2014.

Consul-General Cyril S. Ndaba

represented South Africa at the

San Diego Zoo’s Annual “Ritz”

Gala on June 15, 2013, the em-

phasis of the event being on pro-

gress in Africa, including South

Africa, where current projects

include the African Elephant and

the Black-footed Cat conserva-

tion. He addressed guests pre-

sent not only on behalf of South

Africa, but also on behalf of the

other three sister African coun-

tries, namely Kenya, Botswana

Ribbon Tying Ceremony

CelebrationsCelebrations

Ms. Moza Cooper of “Black Arts of Los An-

geles” was instrumental in the Ribbon Tying

Ceremony which took place to dedicate the

Peace Pole in Leimert Park, which was co-

sponsored by Mr. Mohammed Khan & Mr.

Khalil Al Khalil.

The Peace Pole Project started in 1955 and has

been placed in over 180 countries. When looked

at, it serves as a constant visual reminder to

pray for peace, donning the message “May

Peace Prevail on Earth”. Special celebrity guest,

Mr. Richard Gant hosted the Ribbon Tying Cer-

emony which signified the coming together of

the community, committed to embrace peace.

The Peace Pole is an internationally recognized

symbol of peace and thousands of Peace Poles

stand resiliently around the world. If you would

l i k e t o l e a r n mo r e , v i s i t

www.peacepoleproject.org.

Peace Pole Left rear (in red): Honorable Cyril S. Ndaba

Center (white): Ms. Moza Cooper

TEAM SA (l-r) Consul General

Ndaba, Ms. Paula New-

ton and her brother at the South Africa stand

(l-r) Mrs. Jeri Rovsek (Host), Tanzania’s Hon-

orary Consul, Mr. Ahmed

Issa, Amb. Jean Makan (Kenya), Ms. Nancy

Assenga (Tanzanian

National) Ms. Mindi Kasiga (Deputy Chief of

Mission: Tanzania ),

Consul General Ndaba