Scource: http://www.lowvelder.co.za/

German delegation on fact-finding mission
by: Mariana Balt
2/19/2004 2:42:00 PM  

WHITE RIVER - A delegation of about 20 members of the Mpumalanga Forum in North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) in Germany, is visiting Mpumalanga, its twin province, this week on a fact-finding mission. The delegates from parliament, government, business, education and NGOs, will stay in the Legogote Lodge in town and will leave for Germany on Sunday.

From left are Mr Volker Schmidt, Mr Bernhard von Gruenberg and Dr Thomas Fues.

The delegation is headed by Dr Thomas Fues, (NRW government representative of One-World issues) and accompanied by Mr Bernhard von Gruenberg, a member of parliament of NRW, and several leaders in the private sector.

They were welcomed at a jazz festival hosted by the Mpumalanga Speaker of Parliament in the botanical garden on Saturday evening and started their activities on Sunday with a cultural tour to Lake Matshamo in Nkomazi, hosted by the HOD of the Department of Finance, Economic Affairs and Tourism.

On Monday they visited the government buildings, starting off with a working breakfast with the premier. The afternoon was dedicated to a workshop with theme “Transformation SA 1994-2004” from the viewpoint of the Mpumalanga Government and German Co-operation Organisation (ODA) and in the evening they met the mayor of Mbombela at a cocktail reception.

On Tuesday they visited schools in Kamagugu, Kabokweni and KaNyamazane to learn about the school system in South Africa, integrated environmental education and special projects like school gardens, partnerships and the role of teachers’ unions. The day concluded with a wine tasting treat and dinner at Legogote Lodge. On Wednesday various groups within the delegation visited different places, with the focus on rural, social and economic develop-ment, people with disabilities, health, HIV/Aids and orphans

On Thursday the entire group had a meeting with the departments of social services and health before visiting Lydenburg, Pilgrim’s Rest, Graskop, God’s Window and Sabie.

Today the groups will meet with the Mpumalanga Parks Board, the Lowveld Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, the Department of Sport, Recrea-tion, Arts and Culture, Ecolink, BirdLifeSA and visit projects at Witbank and Middelburg, hospitals and home-based care projects and more schools, before attending a networking dinner at Greenway Woods, hosted by Fues on behalf of NRW. Tomorrow will be spent on evaluation of the week, identification of partnerships and projects and possible co-operation.

The Ministry of Environment and Nature Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (MUNLV) established the Mpumalanga Forum (MP Forum) in NRW in 2002/3 after the World Summit in Johannesburg and the newly signed agreement of co-operation between Mpumalanga and NRW.

The forum’s intention is to establish a network of civil society organisations in co-operation with government departments to promote sustainable development.

Minister Baerbel Hoehn and the MP Forum hosted Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu on his visit to North Rhine Westphalia in March 2003. Project proposals and links addressed then were followed up during the present visit.

Von Gruenberg, member of parliament for the Social Democratic Party (SPD), escorted the forum to monitor and evaluate the political relevance of the visit.