If you're planning to take over the government, this weekend would be a good time. President Mbeki and half his cabinet will be in Germany.
They will not just be watching the World Cup soccer final, of course. They will also be working. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad, expressing regret that he would not be among them, was at pains on Tuesday to point that out.
Mbeki and his delegation of eight ministers and one deputy will receive the baton from Germany during a handover ceremony where SA artists will perform and also launch the logo for the 2010 World Cup in SA.
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But Mbeki will also hold official talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Horst Koehler. SA officials said it would be Mbeki's first official meeting with Merkel, who took over as chancellor in 2005.
| Business would be asking Germany for help |
Most of Mbeki's official business would be about asking Germany for help in addressing African development, they said.
In 2007 Germany will chair both the G8 group of industrialised nations and the European Union, which are key vehicles for boosting international support for Africa.
The department of foreign affairs said Mbeki's delegation would include Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, as well as members of the 2010 organising committee - including ministers Sydney Mufamadi, Essop Pahad, Jeff Radebe, Charles Nqakula, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, and Deputy Minister Jabu Moleketi.
Pahad said Mbeki would also discuss SA's preparations for its hosting of the cup with Merkel and Koehler, noting that Germany had played a major role in helping SA win the bid for the Cup and to prepare for it.
On Tuesday, on his way to Germany, Mbeki arrived in Niger for a two-day visit to strengthen two-way trade.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on July 05, 2006
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