South Africa’s Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA; Hall 5, F216), the body responsible for promoting trade, investment, and development projects in the conurbation around the capital, Pretoria, is attending the Paris Air Show this week to market domestic aerospace concerns. Also on its promotion list is Wonderboom Airport, the host site for a new general aviation show, Aero South Africa (Aero SA), set to take place early next month.
“One of TEDA’s key strategic objectives is to facilitate and promote viable foreign and local investments into the city of Tshwane,” Paseka Rakosa, TEDA’s senior manager, marketing, and communication, told AIN. “[We participate in the Paris show because it] is attended by world-leading aerospace manufacturers of components, and OEMs like Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Safran, General Electric, and Airbus.
“TEDA, together with other leading South African companies, participated at the previous [Paris] show, which resulted in Safran's vice president for Africa and Middle East visiting South Africa,” he said. “The visit assisted TEDA in its quest to attract investors into the aerospace sector, while at the same time promoting Tshwane as a leading investment destination in the aerospace industry.”
As putative indigenous capital, Tshwane, which revolves around the colonial seat of Pretoria, accounted over the past 15 years for 10 percent of South Africa’s GDP and 48 percent of its research and development. With seven research centers and four universities, it focuses on economic development and investment and claims to be the intellectual hub, not only of the nation, but of the continent.
State-owned TEDA was established as an entity of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in 2006. Tshwane is home to leading aerospace companies such as Denel, a state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate set up in 1992; Aerosud, an established supplier of aerostructures and aircraft interiors to Safran and Pilatus, among other OEMs; Electrothread, an electrical wiring systems, harnesses, and cable assemblies specialist; and the multi-role Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft (AHRLAC) project.
“Leading South African companies, including Tshwane based-companies like Aerosud and Denel, [are] exporting high-tech parts and components to leading OEMs like Airbus and Boeing, as well as Tier 1 and 2 companies, to the value of more than ZAR3 billion [€186.8 million/$208 million] per annum,” Rakosa said.
“These types of concerns are often based in the ‘aerospace triangle’ between Wonderboom Airport, Centurion Aerospace Village, and the CSIR [Council for Scientific and Industrial Research].”
Some 90 percent of South Africa’s aviation activities are shared between Western Cape and Gauteng; and the sector employs more than 3,000 highly skilled workers. Its aerospace, marine, and defense industries have a combined 15,000 employees, with exports worth €1.3 billion ($1.46 billion). Its aerospace industry is known for innovative products and applications in commercial aviation, as well as defense.
Wonderboom Airport will host a new event, the Aero SA general aviation show, next month (July 4 to 6), as a platform for the latest developments in the industry in South Africa. The event will feature several aspects of aviation, from ultralights and gliders to business jets, helicopters, remotely piloted and electric aircraft, as well as avionics and maintenance.
Aero SA is arranged in cooperation with Messe Friedrichshafen, organizer of a major German trade show that attracts 35,000 visitors from 60 different countries. Other Aero SA partners are the city of Tshwane, Wonderboom Airport, and the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa (CAASA).
