Dear Members and Partners
It is with a sense of pride and gratitude that I acknowledge the generosity of you, our SACANCHAM members and partners, who responded so magnificently to our “call to action” to support the communities in KZN who were affected by the looting and unrest during July this year.
The High Commission of Canada has recognized your efforts and I am pleased to share with you below an excerpt from a note received from the High Commissioner:
“Dear Mike
On behalf of the High Commission of Canada, I would like to take the opportunity to express our sincerest gratitude to you for your remarkable efforts in quickly mobilizing and coordinating donations from various members of the Southern Africa Canada Chamber of Commerce to assist with the recovery efforts as a result of the recent unrest in KZN and Gauteng. We also would like to express our thanks to all the organizations that made donations – their substantial contributions are assisting those most affected by the violence.
High Commissioner Cooter requested that I share a copy of the diplomatic note verbal we sent DIRCO earlier today, which I have attached.
The SACANCHAM, from its inception in 2017, and the Trade Office of the High Commission of Canada in South Africa have collaborated on a number of initiatives to help promote and increase bilateral trade and investment within Southern Africa. This most recent collaboration is another example of the strong and growing partnership we are fortunate to share.
Again, we thank you, the SACANCHAM and its members for the extraordinary efforts demonstrated during these challenging times”
Note: at the time the diplomatic note was drafted, the final contribution from Hatch was not known and I can now confirm that the amount received was R63 000.
The Honourable Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor responded to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Mr Marc Garneau and I am pleased to share a copy of her response (see below) with you.
We will hopefully soon be able to engage in face-to-face networking sessions and in the meantime, I look forward to hosting you at our upcoming virtual events.
Warm regards
Mike Morgan
CEO, SACANCHAM
Click on the images below to view the full documents
