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Saitex '99 to host South African export week.

The Department of Trade and Industry announced that it will stage the 1999 South African Export Week in conjunction with the South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX), an exhibition of the recently established Kagiso Exhibitions. SAITEX will be held at the Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg from 19-23 October this year.

Making the announcement, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alec Erwin said that an intensive programme of seminars and interactive workshops on the growth and development of South Africa's export market will be held at the exhibition.These events will be aimed at supporting the development of a stronger export culture among South African companies. All the trade representatives of South Africa's missions abroad will also attend and participate in the programme.

According to Faizel Ismael, Chief Director for Export and Investment Promotion at the Department of Trade and Industry, it had been decided to stage the South African Export Week alongside SAITEX, as this well established international exhibition enjoys strong local and international participation.

SAITEX '99 will feature national pavilions from over 35 countries, including the USA, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, China, several African States, the South East Asian countries as well as countries from the Arabian Gulf.

Johan Theron, Exhibition Director of SAITEX said that the addition of the South African Export week would be a big boost for SAITEX and that an entire exhibition hall will be set aside to accommodate the South African pavilion.

He said that 'Export South Africa' would be the central theme of the South African pavilion. In addition to those companies who wish to expand or enter into the export market, 'Export South Africa' will offer a showcase for local companies that supply products and services to the South African export community. "We intend to create a 'one-stop export shop', where existing and potential exporters will be able to evaluate the range of services available to them," said Theron.

Exhibitors will be drawn from a number of export service sectors including transport, financial services, information, export training, quality control and inspection services. The Department of Trade and Industry will also be a key exhibitor within 'Export South Africa'.

Theron added that the series of seminars and workshops on the agenda of the 'South African Export Week' will make a visit to SAITEX more interactive and informative. It is expected that some 5000 delegates will attend the 1999 South African Export Week, in addition to the 25 000 expected visitors to SAITEX '99.

For details, contact Leigh Angelo on telephone (011) 447 6568, fax (011) 447 6571 or e-mail itp@icon.co.za

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