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EDITOR’S NOTE
SANIBONANI!
Welcome to issue 26 of Emnothweni, our nal edition for the 2019 nancial year, which provides an overview of a year that has been jam packed with events and activities.
AYANDA ZUMA
General Manager: Marketing and Communication
ON 31 DECEMBER 2019, THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES ALERTED
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO) OF PNEUMONIA CASES IN WUHAN CITY, HUBEI PROVINCE, CHINA, WITH AN UNKNOWN CAUSE
What started as a mystery disease was first referred to as 2019-nCoV and then named COVID-19. Fast forward to March 2020, this virus has spread to many countries globally, and that has led to mass fear and panic worldwide, also leading to WHO declaring the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic.
The economic impact is already visible in the countries most affected by the outbreak. For example, in China, manufacturing and service sector activity declined dramatically in February. The goal is to prevent a temporary crisis from permanently harming people and firms through job losses and bankruptcies.
The human costs of the coronavirus outbreak have risen at an alarming rate, and the disease is spreading across more countries. I would like to commend the swift measures undertaken by the South African government in combating COVID-19 and further urge everyone to exercise the preventative measures.
We reached out to youth, women, local and international investors, exporters, buyers
and manufacturers, promoting business in KwaZulu-Natal aimed at creating jobs, which we so desperately need.
Our MEC for Economic Development, Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has been keenly interested in, involved and supportive of our activities, most of which have been undertaken in conjunction with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Highlights of 2019 were undoubtedly the inaugural Youth Indaba which was extensively covered in Emnothweni issue 25, and the inaugural KwaZulu-Natal Investor Awards, which certainly spiced up our third KwaZulu-Natal International Investment Conference.
The KwaZulu-Natal International Investment Conference, themed Aerotropolis, kicked off with the unveiling of the 60-year master plan for Durban’s aerotropolis and an interactive model of the future development. Read page 22
The investor awards were hosted at a gala
dinner held at the ICC, and as many as 36 companies were recognised for their commitment to KwaZulu-Natal, and creating jobs through thick and thin. Read pages 21 and 6.
Export week was again co-located with Africa Ports Evolution, which incidentally, TIKZN brought from Cape Town to Durban four years ago, with the intention of internationalising our event. Read page 10.
We feature some of the numerous activities of the Honourable MEC Dube-Ncube during her first 100 days in office. Read pages 24 to 25.
This edition closes as always with news from our Gauteng office. We hope you enjoy reading this edition as much as we have enjoyed producing it, and we thank you for your support.
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