Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
nord°lichtThe magazine of BLG LOGISTICS
15 years°and going strong BLG South Africa
02 | 03
Editorial°
South Africa – the Rainbow Nations in so many senses of the word –
cultural diversity, eleven different official languages, colourful his-
tory albeit tainted, and a vibrant optimistic view to the future.
A country of opportunity, with arguably the highest deposit of
natural resources and minerals in the world with the exception of
oil which South Africa does not have. Diamonds, gold, platinum,
aluminium, manganese, coal, uranium to name but a few.
Situated on the Southern Tip of a continent that could quite easily
be termed the Last Frontier – Africa and South Africa still intrigues
the world today as it did in yesteryear.
Somewhere positioned between a first world and a third world
country, between developed and a developing country, South
Africa resembles more the affluence of Europe, the United States,
Japan and other developed countries than a country from Africa.
Roads, infrastructure, the manufacturing industry, agriculture sur-
passes many countries on the African continent and compare
favourably with other far more developed countries.
So is it a bubble that is about to burst? Can South Africa progress
beyond the Mandela era, which was focused on nation building,
reconciliation and human rights? The answer is an emphatic yes.
With optimism we can face the future; provided certain fundamen-
tal matters are brought under control in this wonderful country we
call our own.
Issues such as crime, corruption, ease of doing business, a govern-
ment for the people by the people looking after the people, edu-
cation, health care consistent electricity supply, are all burning
issues that need to be addressed before real progress can be
attained.
The currency although one of the more stable currencies on the
continent remains volatile. The banking system in the country
remains one the nation can be proud of and has stood the test of
time through the Financial Crisis during 2007 until 2009 resulting
in South Africa encountering only limited effects of this crisis.
Sport still has a unifying influence on South Africa, who by nature
is a sport loving country which transcends all cultures irrespective
of race, colour or creed. A beautiful landscape, with its many
Game Parks and wild-life South Africa remains a tourists dream.
Beautiful high snow-capped mountain ranges of the Drakensburg
stand proud over the country with possibly the Fairest Cape in the
world welcoming visitors with the site of Old Table Mountain and
the wine route. As Fair as the Cape can be it could also unleash its
full might during winter months when it moves from the Fairest
Cape to the notorious Cape of Storms.
Trails such as the Otter trail in Tsitsikamma, visiting Cape Point
where two oceans meet; visiting the wine route, frequenting
our National Wildlife Parks leaves any a visitor envious of this not
being their country.
I am proudly South African and am proudly BLG, as BLG ventures
into this Land of Opportunity, this beautiful country, following
their clients with a dream of hopefully building a successful com-
pany. A hope and dream that has been fulfilled.
Starting with small beginnings in the friendly city of Port
Elizabeth in 2001, BLG South Africa has grown into a successful
small to medium size enterprise with offices in all major centers
of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Gauteng.
Focusing primarily on the Automotive Industry, BLG South Africa
decided to also diversify into other spheres of logistics business
such as Rail Logistics, Project Management, Scrap Metal Operations,
Fruit Export Logistics, Transport and Warehousing company,
Ships Agency, Customs Clearing and Forwarding Activities to
name but a few.
It was this diversification that stood BLG in good stead during
the financial crisis of 2008 as we did not simply depend on any
one industry sector to carry us through this period and built
past successes year on year, in the process not only prospering
by organic growth but also procuring new business.
Quality remains a top priority in all activities being performed,
but none so great as safety which tops the list of all our areas of
focus. People being a company’s greatest asset is no different in
BLG South Africa.
BLG has over the past 15 years built up a reputable reputation
as a reliable, trustworthy company to do business with, their
word being their honour and bond, never back-trading on any
deal or transaction being struck by a simple shake of the hand.
BLG South Africa is here to stay, BLG South Africa is here to grow,
BLG South Africa will continue to be successful. One country,
one nation, one company – BLG Logistics of South Africa.
I am proudly South African and I am proudly BLG.
Shane GerberManaging Director BLG South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
Copyright: The articles contained in
the magazine are copyright-protected.
All rights reserved. Note: Editorial con-
tributions do not necessarily reflect the
views of the publisher.
Publishing information°
Publisher
Frank Dreeke
BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG
Präsident-Kennedy-Platz 1
28203 Bremen, Germany
Editorial team
Andreas Hoetzel (legally responsible for content)
Julia Schmelter
Editorial consulting
rethink GmbH, Berlin
Design and realization
Focus Werbeagentur GmbH, Bremen
S. 06
S. 08
S. 12
S. 14
S. 22
S. 28
S. 32
S. 36
S. 40
S. 46
Ten things° Only big figures. Little known facts about South Africa in
outline form.
Of violins and dreams …° The Bochabela String Orchestra. A social project and an artistic
success. In Europe, too.
The Cape of Good Wines°Grapevines on the move. The right climate and 356 years of experi-
ence – people all over the globe appreciate South African wines.
And in large quantities.
Quo vadis, geographic advantage?° Tricky situation? South Africa has been the heart of African auto-
mobile production for over 90 years. Now, however, there are some
functional disorders. About serious location-related problems.
Locations of BLG LOGISTICS°Three pillars of BLG LOGISTICS
and five cities of operations.
Peter Brook°With the African play “The Suit” the English master director served
a magical evening in the theater at the BLG-Forum in Bremen.
Ports and traders …° Very pretty. Different. Durban and Bremen are worlds apart. But
there is also a lot in common: urban life and natural beauty, for
example.
A day in the life …° Ranger Roger Harrison has to deal with really dangerous animals.
We accompanied him, with great fascination, through the
Shamwari National Park.
Interview° Frank Dreeke and Ambassador Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile on
Nelson Mandela and good developments.
Enjoyment at the end° No menu, little comfort, but a feeling for shrimp and genuine
enjoyment: Cubata, the Portuguese barbecue restaurant in
Port Elizabeth.
❶
❷
❸
❹
❺
❻
❼
❽
❾
❿
• COVER PHOTO | picture alliance / ZB Photographer: Ralf Hirschberger
04 | 05
Table of contents°
Durban
Johannesburg
Pretoria
East London
Shamwari National Park
Bloemfontein
Port Elizabeth
Cape Town
about South Afrika° didn’t know before
06 | 07
Ten things you probably
❶There are eleven official languages in South Africa.
In South Africa English is only the fourth most frequently
spoken language, Afrikaans holds third place.
South Africa is the country with the third highest biodiversity
in the world.
Around half of the South Africans are younger than 25.
South Africa is currently the world’s biggest exporter of
macadamia nuts.
1
2
3
4
5
90 percent of the precious metal platinum comes from South Africa.
Over a third of the railway lines on the entire African continent
can be found in South Africa.
There is a penguin colony in South Africa, over 2,500 penguins
currently live on Boulders Beach.
The deepest mine in the world is in South Africa.
The R62 highway is 850 kilometers long and considered to be
the longest wine route in the world.
6
7
8
9
10
❷ • PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
▶ Girls making music
08 | 09
Of violins and dreams°and great talentsThe Bochabela String Orchestra in Bloemfontein
Talent has nothing to do with origins. But origins determine
whether talents are cultivated. This is how Dr. Christine Rhomberg,
Managing Director of the Hilti Foundation, introduced the twenty-
eight-member Bochabela String Orchestra at the commencement
of its 2015 European tour at Bremen’s Town Hall. That African youths
have the opportunity to tour Europe as musicians is anything but a
matter of course. They owe this opportunity primarily to their tal-
ent, their ambition and their discipline, and to Peter Guy. And ulti-
mately as well to those whose financial contributions made this tour
possible.
The road to talent development leads along National Route 8 from
Bloemfontein to Lesotho, past stunted cows through the flat land-
scape. One exit (“Verkeerdevlei”) posted in Afrikaans, the next
(“Botshabelo”) in Tswana, the language most often spoken in this
region of the Free State Province in northern South Africa. Bumping
along in a beat-up 30-seat bus with worn-out shock absorbers. Two
primary schools in Thaba Nchu are the destination.
Dimpho, Lusanda, Boicheko, Kesaoleboga and 25 of their fellow
third- and fourth-grade pupils from Sankt Augustin Primary School
pile aboard. This scene is repeated every Monday and Thursday –
that’s when Peter Guy and his team come by to pick up the kids
for their two-hour violin lessons.
In the dark years of apartheid, the rule was: if you’re white you
play rugby and violin. If you’re black, you spend your time playing
soccer and singing. When the American Peter Guy turned up in
Bloemfontein in the early 1990s, he wanted to earn a living by
pursuing his passion – teaching young people to play the violin.
White kids already had their violin teachers, so Peter Guy ap-
proached the schools in the townships. At the start, this was a
musical project. But it was always clear that everyone was wel-
come. And that’s how it also became a social program.
Today, Peter Guy heads the music school in Bloemfontein, ap-
pointed by the Ministry for Sport, Art and Culture of the Free
State Province. He has permanent employees, a violin repair shop
and enough teaching rooms. He has international supporters,
although financing for the next idea is always precarious. Above
all, he has 400 students and five orchestras. The best one, the
Bochabela String Orchestra, has already launched several pro-
fessional careers.
Anyone who sees how respectfully Dimpho, Lusanda and Boicheko
open their violin cases, how reverently they take up their instru-
ments and with what concentration they pluck the strings quickly
understands that there is more going on here than just musical
education. “Of course, they’re learning more than merely to
▶ On the bus
try. I’d like to learn to become a tax consultant, in Bloemfontein
or better yet Cape Town, because there’s an exciting jazz scene
there. I love improvising and playing jazz. But I want to remain
connected with the Mangaung String Program and the Bochabela
Strings and play with them whenever I can. This project has given
me so much: hope, the opportunity to study, to get a good edu-
cation. And I’ve made friends I don’t want to lose. And if I ever
become a millionaire, then I’d like to give something back to the
project.
We are grateful to Dr. Christine Rhomberg, Managing Director of the Hilti
Foundation, who conducted and recorded this interview for us.
play the violin,” says Tsholofelo Sereeco, the African violin teacher. The greatest effect,
adds Peter Guy, is “increased self-confidence, a growing reliance on their own abilities.
Our violin students do better in school and are more focused in their lives.”
This is also what the Hilti Foundation found so worthy of support in this project: the
combination of musical education and social ambitions. “It reaches children who
otherwise have no opportunity to encounter music like this,” says Christine Rhomberg.
“Our experience teaches us that classical music makes children more attentive. It
teaches them structure and gives them a framework for their existence.”
Sometimes, however, European ideas of talent development clash with African tribal
culture. Once, a mother complained to Peter Guy because her son was receiving indi-
vidual instruction. For her, this was tantamount to a public declaration that her son
was unable to keep up. From the teachers’ perspective, the exact opposite was true:
they wanted to develop a special talent who would not have been able to achieve his
full potential if he only received group instruction. This is not an African concept, as
the group is significantly more important than individual advancement.
The young people from Bloemfontein who today play in the Bochabela String Or-
chestra no longer have any doubt that developing their individual talents was the
right thing. Four European tours and professional engagements in the major orches-
tras in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg are proof of this.
▶ Lindumuzi Mngoma
10 | 11
INTERVIEW WITH LINDUMUZI MNGOMADouble bass player in the Bochabela String Orchestra
How did your musical career start?When I was eight years old, Peter Guy came to our school with
a couple of musicians. They let us try out string instruments –
none of us had ever seen a violin or a cello, and we first thought
the violin was a tiny guitar. After this hour Peter Guy asked who
among us was interested in learning an instrument like this, and
I raised my hand. I started with the violin, changed to the cello
after three years, and after another two months Peter Guy came
up to me and told me I was a candidate for the double bass. At
first I was hesitant, but when he played “Pata Pata” for me
(that’s like our unofficial national anthem), I knew: that’s my
instrument. When I was 13, I was allowed to play with the
Bochabela Strings for the first time. That was a great moment.
Traveling to Europe with my friends, playing concerts together
with them there, that was an incredible experience.
Do you have any kind of a musical background?We have jazz singers in our family. And an uncle in Cape Town
plays the cello. So my father knew about this kind of instrument.
But none of us had ever played classical music; that was the
music of white people, while jazz was a lot nearer to us. That’s
why jazz is also my great passion.
What does the orchestra mean to you?We’re one big family, united by music. We learn from each other,
help each other and grow together. It’s not about having talent, it’s
about doing something passionately, because that’s how you get
really good at it. In any case, music has always been my ticket to a
totally new world.
And what are your plans?When I was 16, I wanted to study music. But I realized that I’d have
to leave South Africa to get a really good education. I don’t want
to do that. Home is where the heart is, and for me that’s my coun-
▶ Music instruction with Peter Guy
• PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
The Dutch brought the first wine° Wine has been cultivated in South Africa since 1659
South Africa has been producing wine since February 2, 1659 –
that’s over 350 years! On this date Jan van Riebeeck, who led the
first Dutch settlers to South Africa seven years earlier, recorded
in his diary that he personally viewed the first wine production in
Constantia Valley near Cape Town. Later, French Huguenots also
brought European varieties of grapes to the country.
In the 18th and 19th centuries wines from South Africa were
among the most famous in the world. The French King Louis XVI,
for instance, is said to have stored several thousand bottles of
South African wine in his cellar.
From South Africa to the world° Wine as an export hit
Over half the production is expor-
ted. South Africa’s wine exports
have increased by almost 50 per-cent since 2011.
Top 3 export nations: 1. United Kingdom 91.2 million liters
2. Germany 77.5 million liters
3. Sweden 33 million liters
SOUTH AFRICA,Western Cape
SWEDEN
GERMANY
57%
Proportion
of exports
in relation
to total
production
• IN
FOG
RA
PHIC
| r
ethi
nk ·
SOU
RCE
| So
uth
Afr
ican
Win
e In
dus
try
Stat
isti
cs, W
OSA
, OIV
, New
Yo
rk T
imes
, ow
n ca
lcul
atio
n
One 20-foot container can hold approximately
15,000 bottles of wine. So theoretically, an average
container ship could transport over 150 million bottles at once.❸The Cape of Good Wines°
The South African wine industrySouth Africa is not a classic wine country – but has become one of the world’s major wine producers. Our info graphic delivers the background.
Where the fine wines come from° The South African wine industry
1. Robertson
2. Stellenbosch
3. Paarl
4. Breedekloof
5. Swartland
(by numbers of varietals)
The best climatic conditions for wine-
growing prevail north and east of Cape Town, close to the Atlantic coast.
Consequently, this is where the largest
cultivation areas are.
Swartland
NORTHERN CAPE
WESTERN CAPE
Stellenbosch
PaarlBreedekloof
Robertson
Bounty of the vines° What South Africa produces in a year
South Africa currently ranks eighth among the world’s largest wine producers and produces more wine
per year than Germany. Much more white wine (569 million liters per year) is bottled than red wine (347
million liters).
million liters
glass of wine per week for every per-
son in Germany
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
M D M D F S S
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
billion glasses
billion bottles
Kapstadt
12 | 13
UNITED KINGDOM
And the carmaker is successful in the market. Daimler is more
than satisfied with the sales figures in South Africa for last year –
knowing full well that more than 70 percent of the production in
East London is produced for the Export Market, and that the
location in South Africa therefore has to assert itself while fac-
ing inter-group competition.
At the corporate headquarters in Detroit, a high-ranking man-
ager of the Ford Motor Company once spoke of Africa as the
“Last Frontier” of the automotive sector. “Last Frontier” mean-
ing the end of the settled world. That conjures up adventure,
gold fever. Like Ford, all well-known carmakers have therefore
set up operations in South Africa – as their base for the entire
African market.
The figures are impressive: around forty thousand people work
in the South African automotive industry, the sector earns at
least six percent of the gross domestic product. That makes it
one of the most important industrial sectors in the country. In
2014 alone, South Africans purchased approx. 440,000 cars.
The automotive industry has invested over EUR 1.7 billion in
South Africa in the past four years. More than a quarter of that
came from Volkswagen. The corporation produces the Polo in
its state-of-the-art factory in Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth.
Here, like at Mercedes-Benz in East London and BMW in Rosslyn,
around two thirds of the vehicles are built for export.
Only American carmaker Ford has been operating in South
Africa longer than the German companies and produced about ▶
East London, Rosslyn, Silverton, Uitenhage – a knowledge quiz in
Germany that wants to know in what foreign country these towns
are located will be hard put to find a champion – unless it looks at
the automobile industry. Then the answer is immediate. Daimler,
BMW, Ford and Volkswagen have production plants there, in South
Africa.
Daimler has been producing Mercedes cars there for almost 60
years now. Today the annual volume is approximately 100,000
vehicles. “The plant in East London performs outstanding work
and supplies top-quality cars, especially with regard to the suc-
cessful launch of the new C-Class in 2014,” says Andreas Kellermann,
head of Production Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E-Class and C-Class
and of the Daimler plant in Bremen.
South Africa’s automobile industry° Location advantage in jeopardy?
Automobile production on the RSA (Republic of South Africa) was considered to be a great success story. However, high logistics costs, strikes and power failures are jeopardizing the countries competitiveness.
• PH
OTO
| M
arcu
s M
eyer
Pho
tog
rap
hy
❹▶ Sand castle architecture on Durban’s beach
14 | 15
Port ElizabethVolkswagen and GM produce in
Port Elizabeth, Mercedes-Benz
produces in East London.
DurbanMAN and Toyota pro-
duce vehicles near the
coastal city of Durban.
JohannesburgMost of the automakers
are located in the
Pretoria-Johannesburg
region. NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
SIMBABWE
SOUTH AFRICA LESOTHO
SWASILAND
Cape Town Port Elizabeth
East London
Durban
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Locations of BLG LOGISTICS
16 | 17
• IN
FOG
RA
PHIC
| r
ethi
nk
MOZAMBIQUE
75,000 cars in 2014 alone. In an interview with TV station CNBC
Jeff Smith, the Sub-Sahara head of the company, recently stated:
“We have been in South Africa for 91 years. That’s a long, proud
history, however, when you have a good product, you need good
economic conditions too. Only then is the recipe right.” He thus
cautiously expressed doubt about South Africa as an automobile
production location.
There are clear reasons for the emerging problems in the automo-
tive industry: higher wage costs, frequent strikes, currency fluc-
tuations, the insecure power supply throughout the country and
extremely high logistics costs.
Nevertheless, things are going well at the moment. Production of
the Ford Ranger in Silverton is expanding. Sales in South Africa are
booming. Ford wants to set up SKD and CKD assembly plants in
other African countries. Nigeria is at the top of the list. The parts
would then primarily be supplied from South Africa.
Automakers officially make assurances that they will continue to
invest in South Africa. However, confidence in the location has
suffered. This has had consequences: corporate headquarters are
awarding contracts for new model lines to other locations. The
first suppliers are pulling out, such as the Automotive Leather
Company (ALC), which moved to Lesotho.
In the past South Africa was competitive mainly because of low
unit wage costs. In the last two and a half years, however, these
costs have risen by nearly a third. “The eight-week strike in 2013
and the four week strike last year had an enormous impact on
our sector,” says Alisea Chetty, spokeswoman for Ford South
Africa. Reliable wage settlements are one of the most impor-
tant factors for future investments, she adds. “The labor force
in South Africa is willing and able to work, however, strikes have
become are part of everyday life here,” points out Chetty.
Not only the Automobile Industry is affected by strikes, platinum
and gold mine operators have even bigger problems. The arbi-
tration authority CCMA therefore received more extensive rights
to intervene in lengthy wage disputes. By and large, however, it
remains a toothless tiger. “The decisions of the CCMA are not
legally binding. That’s a matter of concern,” says Matt Genrich,
spokesman for Volkswagen South Africa. “The industrial tribunals
then have to make the decisions, which further delays the pro-
cess.” Recently the metalworker trade union NUMSA threatened
with new strikes among the suppliers for the automotive sector ▶
▶ Employee at Ford plant, Pretoria
of the parties involved welcome the considerations being given to
partial privatization of power utility Eskom. The only thing, however,
is that the power supply will not improve in the short term.
BMW South Africa meanwhile depicts the energy crisis as an “una-
voidable reality”: “Every country and every sector has its chal-
lenges. We have to find alternative ways of guaranteeing that
production runs without interruption,” says Edward Makwana,
spokesman for BMW in South Africa. For this reason the company
is focusing on a “green” strategy at the plant in Rosslyn, i.e. on
biogas, solar energy and waste reduction. BMW now consumes 28
percent less power and 50 percent less water at its South African
location. Nevertheless, Eskom naturally remains the primary supplier.
Jeff Nemeth, President of the Ford Motor Company South Africa,
recounts what he said to Barack Obama on the latter’s visit to the
country in response to the question of what the biggest chal-
lenges are for Ford in Africa: “Rails, ports, shipments, actually the
entire infrastructure.” And then he reports on the calculations he
worked out for several South African ministers recently. “In Detroit
the competitiveness of the international Ford locations is, of
course, very meticulously compared to one another,” states
Nemeth. For Ranger production South Africa has to measure itself
against Thailand. “In South Africa the material costs are six per-
cent higher, the personnel costs 20 percent higher than in
Thailand. However, the logistics costs in South Africa are eight
times the costs that what is achieved in Thailand. Toyota has very
similar results in its comparison of the location costs between
South Africa and the Philippines.
For many people Transnet, the state-run South African corpora-
tion that owns the rail network, the railway company, all ports
and South African Airways, is evidence of how unerringly mono-
polistic structures lead to inefficiency. The carmakers in the
Johannesburg / Pretoria region complain that there are not enough
trains running to their plants to take the cars to the ports.
According to Transnet, this is due to congestion caused by an
excessive passenger volume. As Jeff Nemeth put it, Ford’s reply
was: “Perfect, we work in three shifts; bring the trains to the plant
between 2 and 5 o’clock in the morning when there’s no pas-
senger traffic on the rails, and what does Transnet answer: ‘We
don’t operate at night!’” BMW and Ford have therefore started ▶
▶ Power failure plan in local press, Johannesburg
18 | 19
Apparently there’s trouble ahead rather than an easing of the ten-
sion. In addition, the South African currency, the rand, is subject
to hefty fluctuations. Swings of up to twenty percent within a year
make planning security difficult for companies. The only remain-
ing option is financial security through the corporation itself or the
banks. Both are costly for the companies concerned.
“Future foreign investments in South Africa largely depend on the
prevalence of Labour strikes e.g. wage disputes, however, the provi-
sion of a constant power supply is even more important,” says
Shane Gerber, Managing Director of BLG Logistics in South Africa.
This is because the extremely unstable power supply is currently
the greatest problem for big business in the Republic. Eskom, the
state power utility, and “load shedding”, i.e. power cuts, are touchy
subjects in the country at the moment. The utility can no longer
cover South Africa’s energy needs and power outages, which are
now decreed on a daily basis, take place all over the country.
South Africa’s power stations have not been maintained for dec-
ades. Now some of them are so ailing that they have to be shut
down for months to carry out repairs and maintenance. This applies
especially to the energy-intensive automotive sector. Thus far, Volks-
wagen has not had any difficulties, but all other carmakers are
affected by the often unannounced power cuts. “We work
closely together with the authorities to cope with the risks of
power failures,” says Mercedes spokesman Matthias Krust. “Up
to now the coordination has been good, but a medium- or long-
term stabilization of the power supply is decisive for further
development of the economy.”
Unannounced power outages are a massive problem for highly
automated production lines since they cannot simply be turned
on again. In some cases it may take up to three hours until pro-
duction starts up again. Suppliers are the hardest hit by power
cuts. They have less influence on power utility Eskom and sus-
tain much more downtime. “It’s almost impossible to make up
for what we lose during a power failure. The entire sector suffers
from this,” says BLG South Africa head Gerber. “The worst thing is
that in spite of the warning signals, Eskom didn’t respond in time
and put off maintenance and now the country is paying the
price.”
In a government statement South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma
announced the construction of a new nuclear power plant. Many
▶ Painted cooling towers, Johannesburg
• PH
OTO
| p
ictu
re a
llian
ce /
Arc
o Im
ages
· Fo
tog
raf:
P.
Schi
cker
t
• PH
OTO
| p
ictu
re-a
llian
ce /
Ber
nd W
eiß
bro
d
▶ Employees at BMW plant Rosslyn, Pretoria
20 | 21
making initial passenger car shipments via the road to the signifi-
cantly more labuorious port of Maputo in Mozambique.
“I don’t know how long the headquarters in Munich, Wolfsburg,
Stuttgart and Detroit will continue to stand by and watch,” says
Matthias Boddenberg, Chief Executive of the German Chamber of
Industry and Commerce for Southern Africa. “The question of
which production site is the best will be decided in the next invita-
tion to tender for a new model. Why choose South Africa if there
are other more reliable locations?”
Up to now South Africa has been an important location for the
Auto Industry, particularly in strategic terms. “Compared to the
global market, the Automobile Industry here is small,” says
Volkswagen spokesman Matt Genrich. “The country produces only
one percent of the cars in the world.” All Automakers represented
in South Africa use the country as a springboard for the growing
markets in other parts of Africa. After all, the economies on this
continent are growing at an average annual rate of six to seven
percent.
In the medium term, however, Boddenberg expects that jobs in
the South African Automotive Industry will decline. “New pro-
duction centers have come into being in other parts of the
world. Competition is fierce. South Africa still has a slight edge
over other locations, but this edge is dwindling,” states
Boddenberg.
Jeff Nemeth from Ford puts it even more clearly. “I was in Detroit
in January and had to answer all these questions there: ‘How will
things go on with the power supply?’ – ‘What do the trade
unions want?’ – ‘What about the logistics costs?’”
Like all other carmakers in the country, Nemeth would like to sell
South Africa’s strengths. It hasn’t exactly been easy for him to
do so. “The people here have to finally realize how uncompeti-
tive they are.”
South Africa’s trading partners° Good business with the Chinese
South Africa is not only the most important nation on the African
continent economically, but also solidly integrated into the global
market: South Africa generates over half its gross domestic product
through imports and exports.
China is becoming an increasingly important trading partner. Last
year the Chinese became South Africa’s most important trading
partners by far.
Imports to South Africa Exports from South Africa
12,7 %
7,2 %5,8 %
15,3 %
10,3 %
7,8 %
Germany USASaudi Arabia JapanChina China
22 | 23
Por
t El
izab
eth
°
BLG LOGISTICS OF SOUTH AFRICA HEAD OFFICE
In operation since: 2001
Clients: General Motors SA, GUMA, Tata Steel, THB, Orion Carbons
Number of employees: 185
Activities: VCDC-Operations, Yard Management, Door to Door Logistics, Ships Agency, Port Operations
Nice to know: Port Elizabeth now named the Nelson Mandela Bay, also known as per nickname the friendly
city or the windy city, is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape.
❺
• PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
24 | 25
Pre
tori
a°
In operation since: 2001
Clients: Ford, Land Rover, BAW, Mazda, MW
Managing Director: Shane Gerber
Number of employees: 106
Activities: import and export, customs clearance, technical centers (PDI/VPC/VCDC), automotive
logistics (production related services), seaport logistics, freight forwarding, perishable
export solutions
Nice to know: Pretoria is one of the country’s three capital cities, serving as the executive (administrative)
and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and
Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.
Du
rban
°
In operation since: 2001
Clients: Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Capespan, Metspan, Seaboard, Group five
Managing Director: Shane Gerber
Number of employees: 37
Activities: import and export, customs clearance, technical centers (PDI/VPC/ VCDC), automotive
logistics (production related services), seaport logistics, freight forwarding, perishable export
solutions.
Nice to know: Durban is the busiest container port in Africa.
• PH
OTO
| M
arcu
s M
eyer
Pho
tog
rap
hy
26 | 27
Cap
e To
wn
° In operation since: 2001
Clients: Atlantis Foundries, Ford, Family Dollar, Perry Eliis, Bealls, Haverty, One Step up, Hidary,
I&J, Trink Cape Town, Burmeisters, Capespan
Managing Director: Shane Gerber
Number of employees: 7
Activities: import and export, customs clearance, technical centers (PDI/VPC/VCDC), automotive
logistics (production related services), seaport logistics, freight forwarding, perishable
export solutions
Nice to know: Cape Town was first developed by the Dutch East India Company as a victualing (supply)
station for Dutch ships sailing to East Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival
on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa.
East
Lon
don
°In operation since: 2001
Clients: DaimlerChrysler, Mercedes-Benz
Managing Director: Shane Gerber
Number of employees: 33
Activities: customs clearing of export containers for Mercedes Benz, scrab and metal collection,
warehousing, baling and exporting.
Nice to know: East London is the second largest industrial center in the province. The motor industry is
the dominant employer. A major Daimler plant is located next to the harbor, manufacturing
Mercedes-Benz and other vehicles for the local market, as well as exporting to the United
States and Brazil.
28 | 29
❻The Suit°
He is the director for theater’s finest moments – the great
magician of the stage. Following his grandiose guest produc-
tion of “The Magic Flute” in 2011, Peter Brook made his second
guest appearance as part of the Bremen Music Festival at BLG-
Forum, which, for “The Suit”, proved once again to be a congen-
ial venue for this incomparable director and rewarded Bremen
with an unforgettable evening of great theater.
The play is simple; too simple for some. “The Suit” is based on
a short story by the black South African author Can Themba
(1924–1968), who prophesied to his wife that publication of
this book would change their life. How right he was! “The Suit”
was banned by South Africa’s apartheid regime shortly after its
publication; its author was forced into exile in Swaziland, where
he died alone in alcohol-drenched sorrow in 1968.
The story of “The Suit” portrays the longing of a relatively well-
established black middle class to lead a dignified and fulfilled
life within and in spite of South Africa’s apartheid system – a real
life in a false situation, so to speak. The play takes place in
Sophiatown, a township in Johannesburg. Philemon and Matilda
are married and, in the eyes of the husband, a happy couple.
Every morning, before setting off for the law office where he
works as an attorney, he brings his wonderful wife her breakfast
in bed. And in the evening she welcomes him home again with
open arms. The domestic happiness is his oasis in a realm of
despotism and injustice. But one day on the way to work, Philemon learns from a
friend, no longer able to keep the secret to himself, that every morning, when her
husband has left the house, Matilda is visited by a lover. The news which his friend
struggles to utter strikes Philemon like a thunderbolt. His life is ripped apart. Driven
as if by shock, he immediately turns on his heel and goes back home, creeps into
the house and finds his wife in flagranti with her lover. The lover – wearing only his
socks – flees from the situation through a window, leaving behind his neatly-hang-
ing suit as a symbolic placeholder for adultery – “The Suit”.
A terrible game of psychological warfare begins. The suit becomes the mark of Cain
for female misconduct, an ever-present memorial to adultery. Philemon compels his
wife to treat the suit like a guest in their daily home life and offer it every hospital-
ity. Thus the suit sits with them at the table at mealtimes, and a Sunday stroll
through the neighborhood becomes unthinkable without it. Philemon celebrates his
sadness in the jealous terror of the ever-present suit.
Interwoven with this human story and all-too-human elements, we hear about
reports on the life of blacks in the era of arbitrary rule and discrimination under
South Africa’s apartheid regime. We hear of the everyday harassments, of the dif-
ficulties for a black man trying to enter a white Christian church, of arbitrary police
killings, and of suicides by those made desperate by the circumstances around
them. But all these things are not conveyed with the fanfare of a political protest ▶
▶ German premiere in Bremen
▶ Peter Brook
• PH
OTO
| Jo
han
Pers
son
A row of chairs, a table and two rolling garment racks. These
scanty furnishings are the playthings with which the actors conjure
up a wide spectrum of different places, ranging from a cozy home
to a subway station. The Sophiatown setting thus comes to life
purely in the imagination of the viewers, conveyed by the voices
of the cast leading them sometimes here and sometimes there.
Four actors and three musicians, who also repeatedly mix actively
into the play, make up this evening’s ensemble. You don’t want to
miss a single sound, because every syllable, every tone – however
banal its content may seem – carries an emotion, an impulse of
the player. And so, scene by scene, a great round-dance unfolds in
which you can sense the entire panorama of sentiments in human
existence. We experience hope and desperation, love and lone-
liness, sorrow and joy on the margins of life and death.
The Suit°at BLG-Forum
30 | 31
play, but rather with the tiptoe footsteps of sorrow for the impos-
sibility of living a life in human dignity. In brief: ideal material for
Peter Brook, whose theater has always dispensed with all the
superficial pomp of an elaborately appointed stage, with every-
thing that shocks with its loudness and shrillness, because his
theater of “empty space” has always relied on just one thing, his
actors and the moving power of their performance.
By the theatrical sorrow of the actors we can measure the sad
condition of our world. That is true political theater, speaking in
the language of the people, with sensuality and sensitivity. And in
the ups and downs of the theatrical narrative we see the flickering
of what keeps a person alive in serious situations – hope.
In the same way that all great painters conceive their paintings in
the language of color alone, Peter Brook bases his work solely on
the many voices of his actors and the keyboard of human exist-
ence. The miracle that he creates is as simple as it is complex. The
focal point of his theater is always on people, with all of their fail-
ings, all of their capabilities, all of their desperation and all of their
hopes.
And finally, although it is difficult to single out one protagonist
from this great ensemble: Nonhlanhla Kheswa is the name of the
actress who plays Matilda. Her singing this evening even surpassed
her acting – with her voice she gave this glorious piece of theater
its deep, human note. She was the most moving contribution to a
brilliant evening of theater.
The focus must be°
the music and the people
• PH
OTO
| Jo
han
Pers
son
• PH
OTO
S |
Joha
n Pe
rsso
n
• AUTHOR: | CARSTEN AHRENS, Direktor der Weserburg | Director of Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen
▶ Nonhlanhla Kheswa
The location in a natural harbor on the Indian Ocean and the fact that the former British colonial rulers were actively
engaged in maritime trade made Durban the most important port in southern Africa. Sugar cane, cotton and fruits
were the main goods shipped; today they additionally include ore and steel products.
The place at which the medieval port used to be located in the center of Bremen is now an attraction for tourists
seeking to enjoy life on the river. The really big ships no longer sail up the Weser, but dock in Bremerhaven – the site
of Europe’s biggest automobile transshipment terminal and the longest continuous container quay on the continent,
5 kilometers long.
Du
rban
°B
rem
en°
• PH
OTO
| Je
ns H
agen
s · H
ill |
Med
ia•
PHO
TO |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
One is older, the other larger. A largely dry, continental climate predominates in one,
while the other is bathed in moist, sub-tropical air. They have in common a location
by the sea and a significance that grew out of their role as a port and trading city.
What started in 1998 with a visit by German President Roman Herzog and Mayor
Henning Scherf and was continued one year later with the founding of the association
Partnership Bremen-Durban flowered into an official city partnership in 2011 with the
signing of a framework agreement. And it is one that is more than simply window
dressing – with commercial relations and church cooperation projects, with sports and
cultural projects and a promising development partnership for climate protection.
• PH
OTO
| M
arcu
s M
eyer
Pho
tog
rap
hy
Ports°and traders …Partner cities Durban and Bremen❼
32 | 33
Durban is a special place. Hot and humid. Lined with beaches. Decorated with palms and guarded by lions. Shaped by
Indians – Mahatma Gandhi being the most famous of them.
Bremen’s most famous animals are the four Town Musicians. Donkey, dog, cat and rooster. They can be found at the his-
toric Market Square, next to the 600-year-old Town Hall, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Back in the Middle
Ages the city was an important member of the Hanseatic League. Down to today Bremen has been characterized by trade
and shipping. It’s the home of Mercedes’ second largest production plant in the world and numbers among the major
logistics locations in Germany.
Du
rban
°B
rem
en°
• PH
OTO
| Je
ns H
agen
s · H
ill |
Med
ia•
PHO
TO |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
34 | 35
The Germans have a painful memory of Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. This is where Spain defeated the
German team 1:0 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer semifinals. By contrast, Durban has very fond memo-
ries of Marco Bode. The former German national soccer player and current Supervisory Board Chairman of
the Bundesliga team Werder Bremen is a co-founder of the One Nation Cup, a worldwide soccer tourna-
ment for under-15 boys’ and girls’ teams. First held prior to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, it came to
Durban in 2008. “That was a fantastic tournament,” recalls Marco Bode, “pleasant people and a very excit-
ing port city.”
Du
rban
°B
rem
en°
• PH
OTO
| Je
ns H
agen
s · H
ill |
Med
ia•
PHO
TO |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
The 25,000 hectare Shamwari National Park is located in Eastern Cape Province between East London and Port Elizabeth. It contains African savannah, countless thorn bushes, untold termite mounds and 25 kilometers of rivers. Home to all creatures great and small in southern Africa.
Lions, rhinos, buffalo, leopards, cheetahs, elephants and giraffes. Zebras, crows, waterbuck, springbok, warthogs, kudus,
jackals, green monkeys and antelopes. And, of course, the most dangerous animals on the African continent. After all,
no other species has as many human lives on its conscience as the hippopotamus. We met up with Roger Harrison, who
is 43 and has been a ranger at the Shamwari National Park for 18 years.
A day in the life …°of ranger Roger Harrison
T6.45 am
It’s getting light, but the sun is not out. The thick clouds are a
blessing for us. The animals are still active and do not withdraw
into the protection of the shade. Big herds of antelopes, spring-
bok and zebras move together in the reserve in one direction.
Roger says their body language suggests they are very nervous.
He suspects the two male cheetahs are lurking nearby. ▶
s5.30 am
Every morning, throughout the year. The guests for today's game
drive meet at the Victorian style Shamwari main building. Time for
tea.
g6.00 am
The Toyota Land Cruiser is ready to go. Open, but covered. Side
panels crash-proof. Roger checks the gun. Elephant ammunition,
but he has never used it.
36 | 37
❽
▶ Ranger Roger Harrison, Shamwari-Nationalpark
• PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
M01.10 pm
Two rhinos again. A mother and calf fighting. Roger interprets for
us. The little one, which is actually pretty big, wants to nurse from
its mother. But the mother rejects it, making it clear to her off-
spring that it’s time to stand on its own four feet. The horn of the
adult white rhinoceros is powerful. Roger estimates it weighs 20
kilos. A kilogram currently fetches 50,000 US dollars on the black
market. This means the trusting, unsuspecting female rhino is walk-
ing around with a price of 1 million dollars on her head. Roger
believes that there will be no rhinos left in Africa in 20 years if the
Asians don’t stop their madness.
M01.13 pm – e04.00 pm
A quick hello to the security people. We wouldn't have noticed
them. The rhinos are being watched over. 24 hours a day. The
elephants, too. There have been no incidents of poaching in the
Shamwari Reserve in recent years. There’s something else special
the rangers have to offer: a walk through the bush, followed by a
sunset barbecue. This is the end of Roger's working day.
M11.48 am
We drive slowly though an avenue of thorn bushes. Suddenly Roger
stops. To the left of us, about five meters away, is a grazing bull
elephant. He is impressively big. "Still young," says Roger, "maybe 25
to 30 years old." He says they don't reach full size until 45. This is
the first animal who does not accept us as part of its natural envi-
ronment. He’s coming towards us. Looking for a fight. It’s definitely
nerve-racking. But instead of driving away, Roger steers towards him
and snarls at him. "You need to confront him," says the ranger,
"otherwise, they think it’s a game, think they are superior and tip
the car over." Roger's ploy pays off. The bull elephant wanders away.
M12.48 pm
We cross a river. Roger stops on the bridge and points to a spot on
the bank. Bubbles under a bush. A hippopotamus. The animal that
even the most experienced ranger is careful of. Because no matter
what happens, it always attacks first without thinking and only with-
draws later.
• PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
38 | 39
M7.20 am
In the middle of a large herd of grazing zebras. And, indeed, all the
animals have their very own pattern of stripes, almost like a bar-
code. This is how the foals recognize their mothers.
v8.30 am
There they are, two young lionesses. Ten meters away from one
another, both breathing heavily. "They have just been chasing wart-
hogs around," says Roger. And adds: "If you want to watch animals,
lions are the most boring. They sleep for 18 hours a day."
j9.00 am
A short break at the Shamwari main building. Time for breakfast.
Breakfast with a view.
M11.03 am
We are on a rise in the Land Cruiser and can see nothing. But
Roger can. He suddenly and very frantically grabs his binoculars,
putting the car into gear at the same time. He is clearly excited
as he explains it’s something he has seen only very rarely in his
eighteen years as a ranger. Two rhinos mating. We are skeptical,
surely they will be long finished by the time we get there. Not at
all, explains Roger, that’s the problem. The mating can take up to
an hour, hence the erroneous belief by men in Asia that a small
extract from the animal's horn could give them similar potency.
M11.17 am
The male white rhinoceros weighs two tons. This weight largely
rests on the female rhino. She is still relatively young, says Roger,
perhaps totally inexperienced when it comes to what is happen-
ing in front of our eyes. She takes a couple of cautious steps
forward, with him on her back and his two back legs on the
ground following her. "This is the future for our rhinos," explains
Roger happily, "a calf will be born in 22 months."
MAS: Since the great change in 1994, we’ve not only held elections
every four to five years, but we have also developed a participatory
democracy in South Africa. With respect to democratic social struc-
tures, South Africa is certainly the most highly developed nation in
Africa. Financially as well, South Africa is extremely stable; it is one
of the countries in the world that affords the greatest protection for
foreign investments. I can’t say where Germany stands, but Germany
is certainly ranked far behind us.
FD: That’s true. I believe all of Europe lags far behind South Africa.
This has mainly to do with the crisis in Europe.
MAS: Yes, and I think this is important because we as a developing
nation are dependent on international investment initiatives, so
we want to offer our investors security. This is a huge responsibility
and I’m glad that we can actually do this. On the macroeconomic
level we’re in very good shape. On the microeconomic level, how-
ever, we have problems. We’re active in such important under-
takings as housing construction, supplying clean water and electri-
fication of villages, but there is still work to do. I remember when
President Mandela and I visited several villages during the 1994
election campaign. He told the farmers: “We’ll bring electricity
and clean water to the villages.” They didn’t believe him, and
said, “This old man was in prison too long. Has there ever been
electricity in the villages?” But it’s reality, not in all villages yet, but
in most of them. It’s been a hard struggle, and it’s still not over.
We’ve built more homes in South Africa in the last 20 years than
in the 300 years before. But there are still gaps. And we need
to create more employment opportunities. Otherwise, poverty
and unemployment will endanger our social stability. We need
to improve the quality of our education. We need to gear our
education to qualifications and innovation. We still have great
challenges to overcome.
▶
▶ Botschafter Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile (li.) und Frank Dreeke (re.)▶ Ambassador Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile (l.) and Frank Dreeke (r.)
40 | 41•
PHO
TO |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
Interview° Frank Dreeke – AmbassadorMakhenkesi Arnold Stofile
FD: When I look at South Africa today, I see one of the most
stable democracies and one of the most economically success-
ful countries in Africa. Looking back over the last 20 years, it
seems to me that South Africa has made great strides in every
respect.
❾
FD: From the outside, we see South Africa as the motor of the
African continent. So we in Europe wonder why South Africa
doesn’t simply assume leadership for the whole continent.
MAS: That’s a philosophical question that we’ve been discussing
since 1994. President Mandela shared the Europeans’ view that
South Africa is politically and economically strong, so we have to
move Africa in this direction. However, the majority of South Africa’s
leadership was of the opinion that we shouldn’t do this. You need
to consider that at that time we were the youngest democracy.
South Africa doesn’t want to be the Big Brother of the African con-
tinent.
FD: China is South Africa’s most important trading partner
today. Did China do something entirely different from the
Europeans in political and economic terms, or does China simply
have more money and is thus more attractive for the South
African economy?
MAS: You need to understand that China and South Africa – not
today’s South Africa but China and the African National Congress,
the governing party – have been friends for decades. China was
the first country in the world to train our freedom fighters. China
under Mao Tse Tung was generous; China trained young people
and provided logistics and financing. So we and China have trave-
led a long road together. China gave us development programs
for our veterans who could no longer fight in the wars, and pro-
vided education to the young people who had left South Africa
without a school certificate. Back then, most of the schools were
made of clay and wood. China and Japan spent a lot of money to
build the brick schools that we have today.
You also need to understand that during apartheid the Chinese
were discriminated against just as much as we were. They were
also victims of apartheid. If I recall correctly, our parliament and
our government determined in 1997/1998 that the Chinese were
one of the disadvantaged groups who should receive preferential
treatment in business. They are also among those for whom special
programs exist as part of our antidiscrimination measures.
FD: Let’s talk a little about economic issues. We as a European
enterprise like to do business with South Africa, and we’re also
very active in South Africa. South Africa is the heart of automo-
bile production on the African continent. That’s good, that’s
positive, but we hear from carmakers that South Africa is no
longer competitive with terms of its infrastructure and logistics
costs. State monopolies like Transnet or power utility Eskom
have become a drag on economic development because they
act much too slowly.
MAS: I agree with you that South Africa is the center of the auto-
motive industry on the African continent. That’s why we encour-
age our ministers to come to Germany so they can see how
logistics is done here. I also agree that our infrastructure devel-
opment is proceeding extremely slowly. I don’t know how we
can accelerate that. As I see it, we’re bound by democratic
processes, so we have to follow all legally required steps. The
premier of my home province once told me, “You know, when
I think about the fact that our average bridge is 50 years old, I
can’t sleep at night.” But he can’t simply wake up and build a
bridge; he has to follow the entire procedure, with requests for
tenders, environmental studies and all the rest. That’s just
democracy. Then we also have to wait to see how the courts
decide and what comes next. That takes up a lot of our time.
But I also believe that we’ll find shortcuts, as in the case of the
soccer stadiums for the World Cup. We passed special laws for
that so that we didn’t have to follow every silly little regulation.
About power supply: Last night I spoke with my wife. She was at
home. I think it was around 7:30 pm in Germany, so 8:30 in South
Africa. I asked her, “What are you doing?” She answered, “Well,
I’m sleeping because the power’s out.” You know, they shut off
the power. In Addis, where we live, the power is switched on at
four in the morning and shut off at four in the afternoon. In other
words, there is no reliable power supply. Eskom was created as
a monopoly and I suspect that was also a very good idea at the
time, but today it doesn’t work anymore at all. Eskom consumes
a lot of public money because the company is subsidized by the
government.
FD: For over a year now, South Africa has had to carry on with-
out Nelson Mandela. I consider him one of the most impres-
sive personalities of the last centuries. Do you think there’s a
big difference between South Africa with and without Nelson
Mandela, or is everything built on the achievements of this
one man?
MAS: That’s a good question. Let’s put it this way: When we
came to power in 1994, I was Nelson Mandela’s treasurer in the
governing party. So I know a little about things from the inside.
And I can tell you today that even back in 1994 – or even 1993
– Thabo Mbeki was the one who determined the government
line. He headed the discussions on this. Naturally he exercised
his leadership role within the context of the goals we were all
committed to. Besides Nelson Mandela, there was a very large
group of leaders who also had a defining influence. When
Madiba became President of South Africa, he became the con-
science of the nation, both black and white, yes, literally black
and white. You should hear the way many white South Africans
say that, he was truly the father of our nation in this process. But
Madiba is not only the father of our nation, he is the father ▶
42 | 43 •
PHO
TO |
CC
BY-
SA 3
.0 ·
PHPa
rson
s (o
wn
wor
k) ·
com
mon
s.w
ikim
edia
.org
/wik
i/File
:The
_Fre
edom
_Cha
rter
_wro
te_o
n_th
e_w
all_
Pala
ce_o
f_Ju
stic
e_(S
_Wie
rda)
_190
2_C
hurc
h_Sq
uare
_Pre
toria
_05
4.jp
g
▶ The Freedom Charter written on the wall of the Palace of Justice, Pretoria
▶ Ambassador Makhenkesi Arnold Stofile
• PH
OTO
| M
arcu
s M
eyer
Pho
tog
rap
hy
44 | 45
of the whole world, the leader of the entire society, he’s not lim-
ited to South Africa, his impact extends far beyond. Now he is no
more. Many people believed, and I don’t know why, but they be-
lieved that chaos would break out after his death and everything
would break down, but that didn’t happen. You know, we come
out of a truly horrible, terrible past. I still have nightmares. You
wake up thinking that there are people there who want to murder
you. South Africa is not healed of these things. A great part of our
healing process is still ahead of us. Well, we see that some of these
wounds are opening up, we see movement forward, but we also
see that certain elements of South African society are again mov-
ing in the direction of polarization. But South Africa’s progress is
fraught with many problems. One of the greatest problems is cor-
ruption. Our former finance minister always said that corruption is
like tango, it takes two: not just the corrupt minister or depart-
ment head, but also the corrupt members of civil society or cor-
rupt businesses. We need to work on that and I’m happy that we
are working on it. We have an extremely active Public Protector,
Thuli Madonsela. She’s a star. Last year she received an award, a
medal, here in Berlin honoring her commitment to justice and
human rights. She’s fantastic and proceeds entirely impartially. If
she has to investigate the President on account of the renovation
of his private home, then she does it. If she has to investigate his
chief of staff, she does it. It’s true, South Africa lost a great
leader in Madiba, South Africa misses him, but his spirit …
FD: … is still very much alive.
Mr. Ambassador, you will be leaving political Berlin at the
end of the year. Will you go back into politics when you
return to South Africa?
MAS: No, I won’t. I’m 70 years and some months old now. When
I was on the executive committee of the ANC, I advocated that
everyone over 70 should make way for the younger generation. I
be-lieve that my generation’s mission was to fight and defeat
apartheid. We have faced and overcome this trial with flying
colors; but our generation cannot – as we expected – build the
democratic, peaceful South Africa without racial barriers we
always dreamed about. That is the next generation’s mission. I
won’t assume any further political office, but I will do volunteer
work locally and in our province. I still want to contribute to the
success of our joint endeavor.
FD: I wish you strength and success in that. And thank you
very much for this interview.
was born in Adelaide, South Africa on December 7, 1944 as one of seven children in a farm worker family in rural South Africa. He
later studied theology and in 2001 earned a doctorate in philosophy from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Makhenkesi A.
Stofile was a lecturer at Fort Hare University, became Premier of Eastern Cape Province and in 2010 played a key role in the organi-
zation of the World Cup soccer tournament in his country as Minister of Sport. Over the course of his life he was imprisoned many
times for his political activism. From 1994 to 1997 he was parliamentary floor leader and Finance Director of the African National
Congress (ANC) under President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Makhenkesi A. Stofile has been Ambassador of the Republic of South
Africa in Berlin since 2011. A married father of two daughters and a son, now deceased, Makhenkesi A. Stofile speaks six languages
and additionally reads Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
Makhenkesi Arnold°Stofile
46 | 47
▶ Cubata, Port Elizabeth
❿ Once it was clear where the new stadium for the World Cup was to be built in Port Elizabeth, José Nobrega, a cheerful man of mixed Portuguese and Angolan heritage, just wanted to be in the right place at the right time. In 2005 he opened a 20-square-meter restaurant right across
from the future construction site, a tiny shack with the Angolan-
Portuguese name “Cubata”. But he never got around to serving
the construction workers. His place was overrun from day one, and
he added an additional 120 square meters to Cubata at the first
opportunity. The furniture: long wooden tables, equally long wooden
benches, Spartan. Menu: none. Selection: minimal.
On offer: chicken wings, spare ribs and shrimp. If it occurs to you
to order something like French fries on the side, it’s your own fault.
And if you don’t eat with your fingers, you don’t “get” Cubata.
Now José Nobrega sells four to five tons of spare ribs every month,
and up to 2,000 shrimp per day. Numerous guests are willing to
swear that you won’t find better anywhere else.
His secret: firstly, good ingredients. He buys his shrimp fresh-
caught in Mozambique. First-class white meat. Secondly, the
broth in which they’re boiled, in which butter and lime are essen-
tial. The other ingredients are, indeed, a secret. And thirdly, says
José, “You need to understand the shrimp, you need to have a
feeling for when they open up and suck up the broth. The secret
is timing.”
CUBATA Cnr Stebonheath and Arthur Street, Sydenham 6001, Port Elizabeth, Südafrika. Tel: +27 41 487 3737
Cubata° in Port Elizabeth
▶ José Nobrega and wife
• PH
OTO
S |
Mar
cus
Mey
er P
hoto
gra
phy
• PH
OTO
| M
arcu
s M
eyer
Pho
tog
rap
hy
