SA opens pavilion at Shanghai expo

Paul Cockburn Independent Foreign Service

SHANGHAI: Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has officially invited the world into South Africa's rondavel at the spectacular Shanghai 2010 World Expo.

More than 200 invited guests attended her official opening of the South African pavilion. These are not easy things to manage, especially in a round space. Nonetheless, it's a cool and homely South African space.

The guests drank South African wine and listened to a roster of speakers praising the important and growing links between China and South Africa.

Nkoana-Mashabane was perhaps a bit on the modest side when she praised her hosts for their achievements in staging "this billion-dollar event". The expo is estimated to have cost some $59 billion (R450bn).