Representative Seraki Matsebe of the Liaison Office of South Africa visited Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che at the City Hall on March 22. This is Matsebe’s first visit with the Mayor since the Representative took office. The two parties talked about potential trade and investment partnerships and smart city collaborations between Tainan and South Africa. Economic Development Bureau Director-General Chen Kai-ling and Department of Information and International Relations Director-General Su En-en were also present.
Mayor Huang welcomed Representative Matsebe to Tainan and expressed that this oldest city in Taiwan has rich culture and history. He then invited Representative Matsebe to take part in Tainan City’s 400th anniversary events in 2024.
Huang also mentioned that Tainan has a wide variety of agricultural products and produces different types of fruits year-round. During his visit, Representative Matsebe was offered some fresh pineapples which he greatly enjoyed. Mr. Matsebe remarked that from agricultural produce and products to local snacks, Tainan’s bountiful delicacies are truly unforgettable.
The Mayor pointed out that Tainan’s development in the technology field is also very impressive. Shalun Green Energy Science City, Southern Taiwan Science Park, the Academia Sinica, and Industrial Technology Research institute are either located or have branch institutions here in Tainan. Building on the city’s existing foundation, the city government aims to transform Tainan into a flourishing, livable smart city by further developing semiconductor, biotech, autonomous vehicles, and AI industries. Huang suggested that solar power and green energy could be an area for future collaborations between Tainan and South Africa since both places have abundant sunshine and are ideal environments for related technology developments.
Representative Matsebe shared that he has fond memories of Tainan as he has visited the city many times before. He also mentioned that Tainan shares a similar history with the city of Cape Town, also known as the Mother of South Africa. Mr. Matsebe expressed that he hopes Tainan and Cape Town can establish connections in the future and that he will continue to seek more partnership opportunities between Tainan and South Africa in terms of economics and trade or smart city developments.
Tainan City became sister cities with Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in 1982. The Liaison Office of South Africa is the representative office of the South African government in Taiwan. Representative Seraki Matsebe began his term in Taiwan in August 2017. He organized the SaffaFest event at Hutoupi Scenic Area in Tainan City in March 2019 to promote South African culture.