May 16th marked 100 days to the Tokyo Paralympics.  The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) together with its sponsors and well decorated Team South Africa Para-athletes, celebrated the 100-days to go milestone before the Tokyo Paralympics, at an event held at the Olympic House. 

SASCOC President, Mr Barry Hendricks, and the Chef De Mission for Team South Africa at the Paralympic Games, Leon Fleiser, were two of the speakers addressing the attendees.  More information can be read HERE.

Watch how Team SA will be #bringingbackubuntu HERE.

Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, set out the Department’s future strategic focus at Budget Vote 2021 in Cape Town, South Africa on the 18th of May.

Toyota and NTT are amongst the projects announced as listed in the highlights above.

The full speech delivered at Budget Vote 2021 by Minister Ebrahim Patel, can be read HERE.

image: https://www8.cao.go.jp/shokun/en/orders-of-the-rising-sun.html

Conferment of Decoration, The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.

On the 29th of April 2021, the Government of Japan announced the foreign recipients of the Reiwa 3 Spring Conferment of Decorations:

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.

Mr. Ian Michael Scher, a recipient from Johannesburg, Gauteng in the Republic of South Africa,

* Contributed to promoting friendly relations between Japan and the Republic of South Africa through disaster relief

* Founder Member and CEO of Rescue South Africa

* Former Head of the Rescue Team from South Africa to Great East Japan Earthquake

The official listing can be found on page 11 of the 2021 Spring Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals.

Further information on the work conducted by the team that Mr Scher led can be read HERE.

The TV program, Ambassador's Feast broadcasting the interview with The South African Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Mr Lulama Smuts Ngonyama, was first aired on MX TV on Saturday the 17th of April 2021. 

The program was well received and popular, and as a result, it will be rebroadcast this weekend, Saturday the 8th of May 2021 from 21h00 - 21h30.

The interview can also be viewed on demand HERE.

The 2021 General Assembly will be held on Wednesday, 12 May 2021, from 18:00.  Registration for members can be completed HERE.

The 14th of April marked 100 Days to the Tokyo Olympics 2021.  Team SA hosted a media conference at The Olympic House in Johannesburg, South Africa, to celebrate the 100-day countdown. They also made announcements during the media conference which can be viewed on their Facebook page, at this LINK.

One of the announcements was the naming of Veldskoen Shoes as an official off-field shoe sponsor for the South African Olympic and Paralympic Teams, more information of this development can be read HERE.

The media conference opened with the #BringingBackUbuntu advertisement which can be viewed at 11m18s-13m46s of the media conference broadcast.  A display which reminds the viewer of the excitement the Olympics brings with it.

The SACCJ is pleased to share an initiative presented by JICA and UNDP, AFRI CONVERSE 2021#3 Sustainable and Smart Cities in Africa.

UNDPでは2019年8 月に開催されたTICAD 7に向けて日本国内で関係者及び関心のある団体・個人様の間でのネットワーキングと意見交換を支援させて頂くべく、2018年6月より月例の対話イベント“AFRI CONVERSE”を展開してまいりました。2022年開催予定のTICAD 8に向けて本イベントを再開し、JICAと隔月共催いたします。

In a lead up to TICAD 7 held in Yokohama in August 2019, UNDP had started to convene a monthly gathering, “AFRI CONVERSE”, to galvanize discussion on African development and TICAD as well as to promote networking among stakeholders. UNDP have started a new series with JICA to review TICAD 7 in 2019 and prepare for TICAD 8 in 2022.

With Africa’s urban population tripled to over 1.3 billion people by 2050, the agenda of inclusive, sustainable, and smart cities is a common priority. The session will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on urban cities and explore policy and programme interventions as well as business models towards building forward better, drawing from the experience in Asia and beyond.

Date: 23^rd April 2021 18:30-20:00 (JPN)/ 12:30-14:00 (Ethiopia)

18:30～18:35　Introduction

18:35～19:05　Primary presentation by each speaker

19:05～19:30　Interaction with a moderator

19:30～20:00　Q&A

- Venue: Online（Zoom）

- Participation: Free

- Language: English (no interpretation provided)

- Presented by JICA and UNDP

Registration: https://undp.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ohf8jreeSs-irE1OE-TN7w

*Photo: https://www.springboks.rugby/sa-teams-players/springbok-sevens/

An UPDATE as broadcast on Kagoshima TV can be watched and read HERE.

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In the build-up to the Blitzboks’ participation in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kagoshima City will host the South African sevens squad for a pre-tournament camp from 14 to 23 July. The squad will then travel to the Olympic Village in Tokyo to join up with Team South Africa. 

The Rugby Sevens tournament is scheduled to take place in the Tokyo Stadium from 26 to 28 July.

More on the pre-tournament camp can be read HERE.

MIPRO, Manufactured Imports and Investment Promotion Organization, are hosting an online startup seminar with experience-based advice on the 17th of February 2021.

Details for the webinar are as follows:

Location: Online

Date and time: Wednesday, February 17th at 14h00 - 15h30 (JST)

Format:

Session 1: “Tips for Startup Planning & Public Support”

Mr. Yoshiki Muro, SME Management Consultant

https://teamlesotho.com/en/home

Session 2: “Building a business you love in Japan: Lessons from the trenches”

Ms. Lina Boudier, Founder of Center for International Careers

https://www.cfic.co.jp/

Audience: We welcome everyone who is interested in starting business in Japan.

Language: The webinar will be conducted in English.

Registration: https://krs.bz/mipro/m/config-id-investment20210217?e_3227=1&e_3238=1

*photo: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/sa-covid-19-vaccine-when-gauteng-health-department-tuesday-26-january/

On the 1^st of February 2021, a consignment of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine arrived in South Africa.  The vaccination campaign is expected to start from mid-February once all regulatory and quality assurance processes have been completed.

A further 3 million doses are expected to arrive in South Africa before July 2021.

More information on the inoculation process can be read here.

Update as reported on the 8th of February:

The AstraZeneca vaccination campaign has been halted due to low efficacy results against the Covid-19 variant first discovered in South Africa.  The South African government are now considering vaccinating health workers with the Johnson & Johnson or the Pfizer vaccine.

More information on the changes in the vaccination campaign can be read here.