A Message from the Consul

We have decided to publish a quarterly newsletter from the Swedish and Norwegian Consulate in Cape Town. The idea is to give our subscribers relevant information from the two countries towards living in Cape Town and doing business in South Africa. If you do not wish to receive more newsletter from us, please choose the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.

It is exciting times in South Africa with the National election coming ever closer. Shortly after is the EU election, where Swedish citizens can take part by casting their votes at our consulate in Cape Town. 

Nordic Utility Days will be arranged in Cape Town in conjunction with the African Utility Week in mid-May. Here high profile Nordic decisionmakers will discuss the way forward in the African energy market with a focus on sustainability. Click to read more about it here.  

The Norwegian Constitution Day on 17th of May will be celebrated in the De Waal Park as usual. If you would like to attend, please go to the website of the Norwegian Society for more information. Click here to see one of the former celebrations!

I would like to remind you about our telephone number which can be transferred 24 hours a day to the Norwegian and Swedish Crisis Centers. The number is +27 21 2008199.

Geir Tellefsen

Honorary Consul for Norway and Sweden in Cape Town

NORDIC FUN FACT

The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund has invested more than R58 billion in

South Africa.

Around 7000 participants from nearly 80 countries are expected in Cape Town. The aim of Nordic Utility Days is to position the Nordics and to create maximum exposure for companies interested in doing business in Africa. This event will focus on speaker engagements, B2B meetings, a Nordic Technical Hub Session, a Nordic Conference with panel discussions, branding and networking engagements.  

For more information contact Beverley.lewis@innovationnorway.no

Interesting Business Opportunities within Smart Ports 

South Africa.  

Norway’s expertise can help solve challenges within the ocean space in South Africa.

South African ports will be going through extensive upgrading, which will entail interesting opportunities for implementing smart technologies. South Africa’s location is ideal as a global harbour, and the country is currently experiencing increasing port activities. There is however a huge challenge concerning the efficiency of the ports, thus smart port solutions are sought after.

Opportunities for Norwegian companies include:– aerial and subsea drones for surveillance, operational efficiency and environmental and security purposes– alternative sources of energy to power the ports– provision and use of LNG and other alternative marine fuels, including hydrogen– development of broadband, use of robots, automation and smart sensors– smart logistics solutions– waste management technology.

Innovation Norway in Cape Town is at present recruiting for a Global Growth programme on smart ports. This will include a market visit for Norwegian companies during Q2 and participation in the African Ports conference organised in Durban in October 2019. 

If you like to find out more please contact andre.kruger@innovationnorway.no

Please bear in mind that the Consulate will not be able to facilitate collections or applications during voting days.

The dates and times for voting at the Consulate will be as follows:

Tuesday 7th of May: 10am - 1pm

Wednesday 8th of May: 10am - 1pm

Thursday 9th of May: 10am - 6pm

Please ensure that you bring your röstkort with you on the day, along with your valid Swedish passport, drivers licence or Swedish ID card. We will be able to print duplicate voting cards if your röstkort has not yet arrived from Sweden.

For those who are unable to attend, we have 'brevröst' materials available for collection at the Consulate. If you intend to go the postal vote route, please hand your completed brevröst envelope in at the Consulate before the 7th of May. This will allow us enough time to ensure that your vote arrive in Sweden in time to be counted.

For more information on the elections and what is involved please see the links and video below:

• https://www.swedenabroad.se/sv/utlandsmyndigheter/sydafrika-pretoria/aktuellt/kalendarium/val-till-europaparlamentet-2019/
• https://www.val.se/att-rosta/var-rostar-jag/rosta-fran-utlandet.html

By doing so you will be registering your contact details and location with the Norwegian Foreign Ministry. This is particularly important when travelling overseas.

In the event of a crisis, the Foreign Ministry will notify you of the incident and provide you with information. They will do so either by email or SMS.

By registering your trip in advance you will assist the UD with their crisis management.

Reiseregistrering.no allows you to register details for multiple trips. Information relating to each trip will expire 30 days after your journey is completed.

It is also strongly advised that Norwegians always have valid travel insurance when travelling and check the UD's travel advice page (Reiseråd) in advance of their trip.

See the following links for further information:

https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/utenrikssaker/reiseinformasjon/id2413163/#

https://www.facebook.com/Reiseklar-med-UD-339354599524118/ 

Those who have lost their Norwegian citizenship under the existing rules will be able to reclaim it.

The new rules will not enter into force for at least a year. Until then, the existing rules regarding dual citizenship still apply.  

The Directorate of Immigration (UDI) is the central agency in the Norwegian immigration administration and can answer questions about the citizenship rules.

Here is the contact info for the UDI. The Directorate also published a news article on dual citizenship after the resolution was adopted by the Storting.

Any official updates regarding this will be published on the Embassy website:

https://www.norway.no/en/south-africa/

It is strongly advised that Norwegian citizens wait until they have received confirmation from the Embassy's website that the new regulations are in full effect before applying for a second citizenship.

If interested in applying for South African citizenship please see the relevant guidelines on the Home Affairs or Western Cape Government's websites.

My job is a dream – to strengthen ties between Sweden and South Africa through co-operation and exchanges in culture, media and the arts.

We are working with old and new contacts, and some of my work is also regional, in conjunction with the SADC (Southern African Development Community).

I hope to see you all at our events and activities. Last year we co-hosted concerts with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Cape Town Opera, we had Swedish writers (Jonas Bonnier and Athena Farrokhzad) appear at Open Book Festival and jazz musicians performing in Stellenbosch, just to name a few.

This year has already seen the launch of IKEA’s African Collection ÖVERALLT at Design Indaba. Two of the ten designers were from Cape Town, Renée Roussow and Sindiso Khumalo – pictured here with me (in Sindiso's design) at the launch. (photo by Yoav Dagan).

Swedish artists are yearly in residence at Greatmore Studios since 2018.

News of upcoming events will be in the next newsletter.

Warmly,

Hedda Krausz, Counsellor for Cultural Affairs, Embassy of Sweden Pretoria

• http://blogg.kulturdep.se/kulturradsbloggen/category/stader/pretoria/

If you would like to vote in Cape Town, please use the link to the Consulate's booking page to make an appointment. You will be required to bring valid Norwegian photo ID with you to the appointment.

See Valgdirektoratet's regulations regarding photo ID here.

Votes will be sent from the Consulate to the relevant electoral committe in Norway.

For further information please visit https://valg.no/

O U R  L O C A T I O N