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11 September 2005

South Africa will participate officially by means of a national pavilion at the Defence Services and Equipment International exhibition that will be staged in London, UK, from 13-16 September 2005.

This defence and related products and systems exhibition has grown bigger every year and it has now emerged as one of the premier exhibitions of this nature in the world.

The South African participation to this prestigious international exhibition is organised by the South African Department of Trade and Industry, together with Armscor, and will include the participation of 18 South African defence-related companies exhibiting leading technologies, products and systems.

This will be the forth time that a South African pavilion will showcase indigenously designed systems extremely suitable for the harsh environmental conditions experienced by a large number of international defence forces.

DSEi will feature many aspects of defence technologies covering land, avionics as well as maritime systems as produced by leading international manufacturers. Some 850 exhibitors from 42 counties and regions, including major defence manufacturing companies such as Denel, together with larger country group pavilions of more than 30 countries and regions are expected to exhibit.

The following South African companies will exhibit and demonstrate their unique technologies and systems at the South African Pavilion at DSEi:
Charnaud Speciality Coatings, Armscor Business, Canvas and Tent, Cochrane Steel Products, Field Wear, Fuchs Electronics, Global Armour, Grintek Communication Systems, Hermanus Magnetic Observatory, Imperial Armour, Night Vision Optics, Protechnik, RDI Communications, Reutech Radar Systems, SafetyXpress Stromberg, Sirdicks The Uniform Company, Tellumat and the South African Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD)

Participation at DSEi in considered a priority by South African captains of industry as this defence exhibition attracts many senior decision makers and trade visitors. In addition, the opportunity to meet and network with international exhibitors to explore joint ventures is conducive to creating a mutually beneficial business environment. Another objective is to encourage black economic empowerment (BEE) that will lead to local job creation, skills development and enhanced exports from South Africa.

The South African delegation will comprise of the CEO of Armscor, Mr Sipho Thomo, Chief of the South African National Defence Force, Gen Ngwenya and the Chief of the SA Army Lt Gen Shoke. The delegation will further be bolstered with the presence of various captains of industry.

This South African participation is indicative of the commitment of the South African government to assist the local industry where possible to open doors and gain a foothold in the international marketplace. The transparent manner in which the South African defence-related industry operates complies with local and internationally accepted standards and protocol.

Enquiries:
Billy Nell (Armscor)
Tel: (012) 428 3613

Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
11 September 2005