Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's two-day working visit to the United Kingdom, gets underway today with a focus on strengthening both political and economic ties with that country.
The working visit, which is expected to strengthen the North-South cooperation, will see meetings between Motlanthe and his counterpart, Nick Clegg and new Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham.
Issues expected to top the agenda include developments on the African continent and the promotion of the African Agenda as a cornerstone of South Africa's foreign policy. He will also aim to re-kindle the interest shown by the British industry to invest in South Africa, which was raised during President Jacob Zuma's recent visit.
While in the country, Motlanthe is also expected to address the Economist's Emerging Markets Conference which provides an opportunity for business leaders to gain authoritative analysis into the current climate for operating in high-growth markets, looking at trade opportunities and investment returns.
He is expected to give the conference a glimpse of South Africa's plans to grow the economy through amongst others, attracting foreign investment.
Motlanthe is joined by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and International Relations and Co-operation Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim who will also have their own engagements during the visit.
Gordhan is expected to participate in a panel discussion entitled: "The New BRICS - Who is climbing the economic ladder?" and meet with a few investors, while Shabangu will meet key stakeholders in the mining sector to outline South Africa's mining laws.
