On 9 April, the FW de Klerk Foundation hosted a breakfast briefing for representatives of various chambers of commerce and business including those from the Western Cape, the AHI Western Cape, Canada, China, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey at its office in Cape Town.
Elita de Klerk, the Foundation’s Chairperson, welcomed the attendees and briefed them about the Foundation’s rationale and objectives, in particular to promote, safeguard and enforce the Constitution.
Christo van der Rheede, the Foundation’s Executive Director, outlined the Foundation’s various programmes and encouraged further interaction and collaboration between the represented businesses in the interests of South Africa’s economic future.
Christina Teichmann, the Foundation’s Vice Chairperson, emphasized the need to be familiar with South Africa’s past in order to develop a better understanding of the current socio-political as well as economic challenges the country is facing. She invited the participants to take a tour through the Foundation’s newly established Centre for the Constitutional Transformation of South Africa (CCTSA) to learn more about South Africa’s greatest political success story- the peaceful transition to a constitutional democracy.
Thank you to:
Dr Willie Cilliers and Mr Albert Geldenhuys from Afrikaanse Handelsintituut (AHI Western Cape)
Ms Rebecca Harvie from the Canadian Chamber of Business and Citadel Wealth
Mr Marc Willmers from the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Mr Yongben Jiao and Mr Royce Jiao from the National Leads SA – Chinese Treasury
Mr Photios Tzellios and Mrs Georgina Protoulis from the Hellenic Community of Cape Town
Mr Jean Christian Bergsma and Mrs Clarisse Bergsma from the Netherlands Chamber of Business
Mr Andrew da Costa and Ms Gorette Doria from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce
Mr Juan Cano from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Cainmani
Mr Abubekir Salim from the Turkey Council and Anatrika
Ms Giorgia Nicolo from the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Western Cape office)