MY MARKET FAST FACTS

• SOUTH AFRICA has 11 offi cially recognised languages – Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi, Sesotho, siSwati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu

• THE COUNTRY is the fourth key emerging market for global investors

• THE UK’s annual bilateral trade relationship with South Africa is set to double by 2015

• SOUTH AFRICA accounts for 30 per cent of the UK’s total exports to Africa and 40 per cent of the UK’s imports from Africa

• UK INVESTORS include Barclays Bank, Rolls-Royce, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile

JOHANNESBURG

Johannesburg, the capital of Gauteng province, is one of the largest and most modern conurbations in the world and an important business hub. It is estimated that by 2015 the city’s population will be nearly 15 million. The modern Gautrain mass rapid-transit railway system

(carriages built by Bombardier in Derby) is a fi ne example of recent developments in the region. Though the city was founded on gold mining, in recent decades businesses have diversifi ed. Finance, IT, real estate, media, private healthcare and transport sectors – plus a booming leisure- activities market – offer business prospects. Manufacturing and construction are also experiencing a boom.

CAPE TOWN

As the seat of the national parliament, the beautiful city of Cape Town is South Africa’s legislative capital. It is the leading business city in the Western Cape province and a thriving hub for insurance, retail, publishing, design, fashion, shipping, petrochemicals, architecture

Africa

many will closely follow events around the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We would like to see more British companies out here, but urge them to approach the market correctly. Speak to us or to a regional trade and investment adviser. There are differences in business practices between the UK and South Africa, despite our shared history. It is important that companies do their homework before launching into the market. Get it right and the rewards will be considerable. I hope they will come and take a look at what South Africa has to offer. We have a dynamic and enthusiastic team based in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban who work closely with our colleagues at the High Commission in Pretoria. I am confi dent that companies will fi nd the effort worthwhile.”

LET’S DO BUSINESS

TO FIND OUT MORE, contact Andrew Henderson on +27 11 537 7201

or email andrew. henderson@fco.gov.uk. Follo w UKTI on

and advertising. In a decade, the movie industry has grown exponentially and the area is increasingly used as a fi lm-making location. The Western Cape is also the centre of South Africa’s wine and fruit and vegetable industries.

DURBAN

The leading city in the KwaZulu-Natal province and the country’s third most populous urban centre, Durban is the busiest container port in the whole of Africa. The city’s petroleum and chemical products industry has grown by 50 per cent and the transport

equipment industry by 52 per cent in the last decade. PRETORIA

As the nation’s administrative capital, Pretoria’s Central Business District (CBD) has been the traditional centre of government and commerce, although today many corporate offi ces, small businesses, shops and government departments are situated in the

sprawling suburbs. However, to bring service delivery back to the people, various government departments are returning to the CBD. National departments with their head offi ce in the district include the Departments of Health, Basic Education, Transport, Higher Education and Training, Sport and Recreation, Justice and Constitutional Development, and Water and Environmental Affairs, as well as the National Treasury.

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