Malta and South Africa may be continents apart but trade and tourism between both countries is on the increase and every effort will be made to reach these objectives. This is the message that the High Commissioner for the Republic of South Africa, Lenin Shope, conveyed during the various meetings he had in Malta.

Accompanied by the honorary consul Norman P. Mifsud, the High Commissioner also met officials from the Malta Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting, attended by the chamber's vice-president Charles M. Mercieca, the honorary secretary Peter Grima and director-general Kevin J. Borg, both sides discussed the possibility of increasing business awareness and opportunities between Malta and South Africa.

Mr Shope spoke about South Africa's international profile and highlighted a number of sectors where cooperation between the two business communities can be beneficial. During the visit, the High Commissioner presented a selection of business literature to the Chamber, including documentation and contact details about the top 100 import and export companies in South Africa.

Mr Mifsud said: "On the occasion of South African National Day on 27 April, we shall be holding a business meeting to further this initiative. South African entrepreneurs will be visiting Malta to meet Maltese counterparts in one-to-one meetings. In recent years we have registered a measured but steady increase in both business contacts and in Maltese citizens visiting South Africa as a leisure destination. There is great scope to strengthen bilateral relations between Malta and South Africa through increasing cooperation in the fields of trade, tourism and foreign investment and we want more Maltese citizens to benefit from these opportunities."

Further information about South Africa can be obtained by contacting the Honorary Consul himself via email on [email protected]