in LA begun a STEM journey with

Prof. Hildreth ―Hal‖ Walker in June

2012. This journey later brought in

the Superintendent-General of Ed-

ucation in KZN, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi

in December 2012. It has culminat-

ed with the roping in of the sole-

surviving Astronaut, Dr Edwin

―Buzz’ Aldrin, the second man to

walk on the face of the moon from

one of the most successful projects

ever launched by the US, the Apol-

lo XI project in June 1969. Prof. Hal

Walker played a critical role in the

launch of Apollo XI, so critical was

his input that without it, Apollo XI

wouldn’t have taken off. His role

was never recognized because of

his colour until President Obama

did so publicly after assuming the

Presidency of the US.

As South Africa inches closer to the

end of its second decade of our

Freedom, it has at no other time in

its history had the value of an edu-

cational system based on Science,

Technology, Engineering and Math-

ematics (STEM). This need remains

greater and desirable. We, as a na-

tion, have reached a critical stage in

our young Democracy to face a

challenge of producing a workforce

equipped with qualifications and

expertise in STEM disciplines if we

are to compete with the rest of the

world and succeed on the global

stage. STEM opportunities world-

wide abound yet our country is pro-

ducing fewer and fewer under-

graduates and post-graduates in

these gateway disciplines. As a

country, we come nowhere near

the likes of Singapore, China,

France and South Korea who pro-

duce 67%, 50%,47% and 38% STEM

-related under-graduates respective-

ly in the previous decade.

With the above in mind, the Mission

Los Angeles

Prof. Walker is no stranger to

South Africa. He, his wife Dr Bettye

Walker and a group of young stu-

dents from minority groups in the

US were granted an audience by

the then President Nelson Man-

dela in 1998 ―the Year of Science

and Technology in RSA‖. Madiba

requested the Walkers’ who run

an A-MAN STEM Academy in LA,

to factor in their plans the exten-

sion of STEM Education to the ma-

jority of pupils from previously dis-

advantaged students. From then

on, the Walkers have never looked

back and have extended their pro-

jects to Mamelodi, Gugulethu and

Khayelitsha. They are now part of

this Mission’s move in conjunction

with the KZN Department of Edu-

cation to help establish a KZN

STEM Centre in the Province.

2013 3rd Quarter

l-r : Mr. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin,

Consul General Cyril Ndaba

l-r : Mr. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin,

Prof. Hal Walker

Energy & Ports P. 2

FILM & OSCARS P. 4/5

Community P. 6

From the Desk of the

Consul General P. 3

Arts & Tourism P. 7

The Mission has successfully linked Distrib-

uted Renewable Energy and Technologies

(DRET), a company operating from the city

of Huntington Beach, California with South

Africa’s Mzesi Energy Solutions. DRET is a

manufacturer of vertical axis wind turbines

which harness kinetic energy in the wind

and converts it to mechanical power. These stackable tur-

bines are efficient, and with the use of a generator the me-

chanical power can be converted to electricity. Relations

between the two companies commenced more than a year

ago and the Mission is happy to announce that DRET has

now formed a joint venture company in South Africa called

DRET SA. This company was registered during a recent visit

by DRET executives, Messrs, Bob Pandya and Jim Moore. This

endeavour will lead to crucial technology transfer as well as

job creation for the people of South Africa.

Consul-General Ndaba was privileged to visit DRET’s Manu-

facturing facility to see first hand the vertical axis wind tur-

bines in October of 2013.

dock at the Port of Richards Bay.

The Mayor of Portland will be attend-

ing the C40 Mayors Summit in Johan-

nesburg next year and other key de-

partments are looking towards South

Africa’s National Development Plan

(NDP) in an effort to share best practic-

es, skills and education in the year

2014.

(l-r) Consul-General

Ndaba, Mr. Bob

Pandya, President &

CEO of DRET in

front of a small

vertical axis wind

turbine

(l-r) Consul-General Ndaba,

Mr. Bob Pandya, President &

CEO of DRET in front of a

medium sized vertical axis

wind turbine

Consul General Ndaba recently visit-

ed the City of Portland, Seattle and

the Port of Portland. The Port of Port-

land generates 96% of the city’s reve-

nues. This visit was necessitated by

the need to establish partnerships

between South African businesses

and those in Portland.

In the Consul Generals keynote ad-

dress on South Africa and Africa, he

stressed the importance of the Port of

Durban and the Port of Richards Bay.

Emerging possibilities are on the hori-

zon which include the interest shown

by the Portland Port Authority and

Vigor Industrial, a private company

which specializes in Ship Fabrication

and Repair. The Port of Portland is

warming up to the idea of establish-

ing a Port Alliance with the Port of

Richards Bay, while Vigor Industrial

has expressed an interest in a dry

(l-r) Consul-General Ndaba, Mr. Barry

Horowitz consultant for the Port of

Portland and Vigor Industrial (VI)

(l-r) Consul-General Ndaba,

Mr. Jim Moore, Vice President

of DRET in front of a medium

sized vertical axis wind turbine

(l-r) Mr. Piscatello, Vice President: Business

Development at Vigor Industrial (VI), Consul-

General Ndaba at (VI) Complex and Yard

In its objective to promote Arts

and Culture through the Crea-

tive Industry, the Mission recent-

ly attended the Premiere of Man-

dela: A Long Walk to Freedom

to pay tribute to Elder Statesman

Nelson Mandela at this truly his-

toric event.

A long term goal is to promote

the presence of the Los Angeles

Mission as the solitary point of

contact for all those that wish to

film in South Africa, gain

knowledge about South Africa’s

Film Industry , and for those that

wish to assist in taking South Afri-

ca’s Film Industry to the next level

through skills transfer and educa-

tion.

A Long Walk to Freedom’s Premiere

took place on November 11 in Los

Angeles at the Arclight Cinerama

Theater in Hollywood , California.

The movie hit theatres in Los Ange-

les on November 29, 2013.

Produced by the Weinstein Company

this movie features Idris Elba who

plays the role of Nelson Mandela, Na-

omie Harris who plays Winnie Man-

dela along with Tammy Pheto as Eve-

lyn Mase, Riaad Moosa, as Ahmed

Katarday and Tony Korgoge as Walter

Sisulu among others.

A L O N G W A L K T O F R E E D O M

MANDELA In the Movies...In the Movies...In the Movies...

The last quarter of 2013 was

dominated by the events around

Arts and Culture, Film and Crea-

tive Industries . A group of13

South African independent film–

makers, producers and directors

visited Los Angeles to showcase

their productions . During their

short visit they were exposed to

the American Film Market. The

Mission in Los Angeles deemed

it appropriate to link them with

other important independent

film-makers from around the

world.

The Transfer of Science and Tech-

nological skills from the North to

the South also took center stage

during this period. The sole surviv-

ing astronaut of the ―Apollo 11

Project‖ committed himself to

walk the S.T.E.M walk with the

envisaged KZN S.T.E.M Center in

2014.

These important events were

however, overshadowed in the

latter part of this quarter by the

sad tidings of the passing of the

Founding Father of the South

ConsulConsul GeneralGeneral

African Nation and Former Presi-

dent Nelson Mandela. We will,

however, produce an exclusive

newsletter covering the memorial

events in the key cities of California;

i.e. Berkeley, Los Angeles, Oakland,

Sacramento and San Francisco,

where the anti-apartheid move-

ment and the divestment move-

ment were the strongest in the

United States.

Best Regards,

Ndaba

Consul General Cyril Ndaba

FilmFilm editing, crown simulation. Stere-

oscoping, special effects and

much more.

Mr. Sarangapani’s group is cur-

rently seeking international pro-

duction and co-production ven-

tures with South African entities.

As the South African Film Indus-

try continues to grow, the Los

Angeles Mission is committed to

making connections and building

relationships to foster new devel-

opments and bring enhanced

skills to the industry.

S outh African film-makers,

producers and directors

visited Los Angeles to

attend the American Film

Market (AFM) and min-

gled with some of the key players in

the industry. During their presence the

Mission arranged for the group to

meet with Mr. Ram Sarangapani, Man-

aging Director of the CRIYA Group,

and Actor Bill Cobbs.

CRIYA Group is a well respected name

in Australia's Film Industry which spe-

cializes in 2D &3D animation. The

Group, which also has offices in Chen-

nai, India offers services in digital

paint, character design, storyboarding,

Photo 1:

(Front Row) Roxanne Harris: Director

Olive Films, Asivhanzhi Mathaba: Exec.

Producer Asi-B Films, Julie Coetzee:

Director Fly Piggy Fly Ent., Tshego

Molete: Producer Brown Babies ATPT,

Dominique Jossr: Director Imbiza Ent.,

Martine Jean: CEO Melange Media,

Tracey-Lee Dearham: Exec. Producer

Stilleto Ent.

(Back Row) Daryne Joshua: Director

Gambit Films, Khabo Mhlanga: DTI,

Mayenzeke Baza: Exec. Producefr Man-

dela Bay Pictures, Hon. Cyril Ndaba

Photo 2: (l-r) Ray Sarangapani

MD: CRIYA Group of Compa-

nies

Photo 3: ( l-r) Guests, Mr. Bill

Cobbs, Consul-General Ndaba

Photo 4: (l-r)Mr. Bill Cobbs,

Consul-General Ndaba

1 2 3 4

(l-r) Tracey-Lee Dearham: Exec. Pro-

ducer Stilleto Ent.,Julie Coetzee: Di-

rector Fly Piggy Fly Ent., Actress

Terry Pheto,Tshego Molete: Producer

Brown Babies ATPT,Dominique

Jossr: Director Imbiza Ent., Martine

Jean: CEO Melange Media

(l-r) Ms. Terry Pheto with SA

Producers, Directors and Film-

(l-r) Ms. Martine Jean, CEO of

Melange Media, Consul General

Ndaba

(l-r) Ms. Julie Coetzee: Director Fly Piggy Fly Ent., Consul General Ndaba

Lead actor Brandon Daniels plays a

compelling role in the film and was

joined at the screening by Director

Gavin Hood, Genevieve Hofmeyer,

Retired Constitutional Court Justice,

Professor Albie Sachs, Senior Execu-

tive: Global Media & Entertainment

at Ernst & Young, Sylvia Ahi Vosloo,

Actor, Danny Glover and others.

Mr. Danny Glover immediately be-

gan showing his support of the film

by tweeting a very positive message

after the screening was completed.

The film has several additional

screenings remaining and Mr. Gabri-

el is hopeful to gain the support

needed for the film to make it

through to the next round of voting.

N o m i n e e

This film is extremely impressive in

that the budget was a mere $1 mil-

lion (R10 million) which was raised

within the country by local entities.

A film of this calibre would generally

cost much more.

The Consulate continues to support

South African films and assists

those that have an interest in filming

in South Africa. We’ve posted a flyer

on our website for your viewing.

Show your SupportShow your Support www.fourcornersthe movie.comwww.fourcornersthe movie.com

www.vimeo.com/fourcornersmovie/trailerwww.vimeo.com/fourcornersmovie/trailer

www.facebook.com/fourcornersmoviewww.facebook.com/fourcornersmovie

(l-r) Actor, Brandon Daniels,

Actor Danny Glover, Film

Director Ian Gabriel and

Consul General Ndaba

(l-r) Retired Constitutional

Court justice Albie Sachs and

Consul General Ndaba

South Africa, has yet another offi-

cial submission for the Academy

Awards.

Nominated by the International

Press Academy, this Ian Gabriel Film

is representing South Africa in the

category for ‖ Best Foreign Lan-

guage Film.‖

Consul—General Ndaba was recent-

ly invited to attend a private screen-

ing of the film in Los Angeles.

Four Corners is a film full of sus-

pense, its setting takes place in the

gang war areas of the Cape Flats.

This intense film depicts the strug-

gle to protect turf between sec-

tions 26 and 28 prison gangs both

inside and outside the prison walls.

(l-r) Robert Gossett, Lou Gossett

and Consul General Ndaba

E. J. Jackson, of Jackson Limousine Service

graciously invited Consul General Ndaba

to be a part of a momentous occasion, the

Jackson Foundation’s 31st Annual Turkey

Dinner give away.

Mr. Jacskon has been giving away turkeys

with all the fixings to thousands of fami-

lies for over 30 years. The Jackson Foun-

dation has estimated that they have fed

over 206, 000 families, giving away a total

of 415, 000 turkeys! This year was no different as the Consul

General rolled up his sleeves and helped to distribute some

10, 000 turkeys.

Mr. Jackson saw the need within the Los

Angeles community for families to have a

nourishing meal for the Thanksgiving sea-

son. The Jackson Foundation has truly

given many families much to be thankful

for.

Senator Roderick Wright, of the 35th Sen-

ate District and Actor Lou Gossett were

also in a attendance along with many oth-

ers to lend their support to E. J. Jackson

and the Jackson Foundation.

takes

the

Turkey Dinner G I V E A W AY

(l-r) Senator Wright,

Consul General Ndaba

(l-r) Guest, E.J.

Jackson, Consul

General Ndaba

METROKIDZMETROKIDZ Christmas Toys for In July the Mission volun-

teered in honor of Nelson

Mandela Day to support the

MetroKidz Organization of

Los Angeles. Servicing local

communities weekly, the chil-

dren have grown to know

and love the Metrokidz staff.

Many of the families are un-

derserved and do what they

can to make ends meet.

It was out of hearts of compas-

sion that the Consulate Staff

donated out of their own

means to help Metrokidz to

provide Christmas toys for the

local families. The Metrokidz

Christmas party will take place

on December 19th where

they will be expecting some

250 children and their families

to gather.

Consul Johan Klopper took the opportunity to

support South African Olympic Cyclist, Bernard

Esterhuizen on 23 November 2013. Mr. Ester-

huizen competed in the Los Angeles Grand

Prix (LAGP).

The Los Angeles Grand Prix (LAGP) served as a

point accumulation opportunity for cyclists to

qualify for the UCI World Cups later in the year.

In addition to hosting domestic and interna-

tional elite competitors, the race also integrated

adaptive sport by running events that made up

the 2013 US Paralympic National Champion-

ships.

The South African Cyclist ended up taking silver

in the races which gives him a promising out-

look for the UCI World Cups.

(l-r) Bernard Esterhuizen , Consul

Johan Klopper, Mrs. Elma Klopper

TENTATIVE TRIP ITINERARY

Day 1 - Depart for South Africa – 21st March 2014 • De-part from USA to Johannesburg

Day 2 - Flight connection to Johannesburg – 22nd March 2014 Day 3 - Arrive in Johannesburg and welcome dinner – 23rd March 2014 • Arrive in Johannesburg • Meet & Greet and Transfer to Hotel • Welcome Dinner Day 4 - Apartheid Museum and Soweto Tour – 24th March 2014 • Soweto and Apartheid Museum Tour Day 5 – Road transfer to Bakubung Safari Lodge – 25th

March 2014 • Depart for Pilanesburg National Park • Welcome 4x4 Game Drive Day 6 - Full Day 4x4 Game Drive – 26th March 2014 Day 7 - Transfer to Johannesburg Airport for the flight to Cape Town – 27th March 2014 Meet & Greet and Transfer to the Hotel • Jazz Safari and welcome Dinner in the local community

Day 8 - Cape Town City Tour and evening at the Cape Town Jazz Festival – 28th March 2014 Day 9 – Cape Town Winelands tour and Cape Town Jazz Festival – 29th March 2014 Day 10 - Cape Peninsula Tour – 30th March 2014 Day 11 - Last minute shopping and transfer to airport and flight back home – 31st March 2014 Depart for the USA

Optional Victoria Falls Add On

Day 11 – Transfer to Cape Town International and flight to Victoria Falls – 31st March 2014

• View the Victoria Falls • Accommodation at Zambezi Sun

Day 12 – Victoria Falls Day activities – 1st April 2014 thru 5 April 2014

During a chance meeting at the Jackson Limousine Turkey Giveaway the Consul Gen-eral met Mr. Gregory Johnson, Director of Marketing of KJLH Radio Station. KJLH has served the Los Angeles Community since

1965 and since 1979 has been owned by

international music superstar Stevie Wonder.

As a result of that meeting, Mr. Gregory later informed the Consul General of plans for the radio station’s second South African Jazz tour . It is the goal of KJLH to provide their listeners with the quality listening experiences

that one can only get through immersion.

This tour promotes the arts as well as tourism. According to Mr. Johnson, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival will be the center-

piece of the tour.

Future discussions are in the works with the Consul General and Mr. Johnson for the South African Jazz Tour, the 20th Anniversary of Freedom Day , and how KJLH can most effectively commemorate the Life and Lega-

cy of Nelson Mandela.

(l-r) Gregory Johnson, Mar-

keting Director for KJLH,

Consul General Ndaba

South African Consulate-General, Los Angeles

6300 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 600

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Phone: 323.651.0902

― Social equality is the only basis for human happiness.‖― Social equality is the only basis for human happiness.‖

Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela