S. African province seeks cooperation with Jakarta

S. African province seeks cooperation with Jakarta

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There's something in Jakarta that has very much impressed the
visiting Premier of KwaZulu-Natal province Sibusiso Ndebele. It
is none other than the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII,
"Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park").

KwaZulu-Natal is one of the South Africa's key provinces.

Any visit to Indonesia -- especially Jakarta -- would not be
complete without including TMII on the itinerary. TMII offers a
comprehensive overview of the social, cultural and architectural
wealth of the archipelago.

For foreign visitors who have very limited time to get to know
this beautiful archipelagic nation, TMII is the perfect solution.

And that's why Ndebele wants to build a similar park in
KwaZulu-Natal.

"I am very much impressed by the beauty of Taman Mini.
Coincidentally, we have been planning to build a cultural
heritage park to boost our tourism industry. We have even
allocated the money. After visiting it (Taman Mini), we would
like to follow the Indonesian example," Ndebele, the first
African National Congress (ANC) premier in KwaZulu-Natal, told
The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The ambitious 57-year-old politician said he would be sending
a team of architects to Jakarta to study more about TMII.

Ndebele, who arrived in Jakarta on July 8, is leading a nine-
member delegation -- including five businesspeople -- to
Indonesia to explore business opportunities and new forms of
cooperation between Indonesia and KwaZulu-Natal. The delegation
is planning to visit Yogyakarta and Bali before returning to
South Africa on Saturday.

On Monday, Ndebele met Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso to discuss
possible cooperation in various areas between the provinces.

"My meeting with Governor Sutiyoso was very fruitful. We have
agreed on many things that would form the basis of our future
partnership. I extended an invitation to Sutiyoso to visit
KwaZulu-Natal. Sutiyoso accepted my invitation and he would visit
my province soon and we will sign a comprehensive cooperation
agreement," said Ndebele, who describes himself as a
'developmentalist.'

When asked about the main purpose of the visit, Ndebele said
his delegation was interested in importing batik shirts, as well
as looking into the tourism industry.

"Indonesia's batik shirts suit African people. They are very
beautiful and people like them very much. I have brought our
businesspeople with me to meet their Indonesian counterparts,"
Ndebele said.

KwaZulu-Natal, which has 10 million people, is the most
diverse and outward-oriented province in South Africa and is
supported by well-developed infrastructure.

South African ambassador to Indonesia G.M. Memela said that
KwaZulu-Natal is the third biggest contributor to the country's
gross domestic product.