The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa, which holds the Chair of the ASEAN Pretoria Committee (APC), held a conference themed “2014 General Election in South Africa and the country’s post-election situation in sequential years”, in the country’s capital on April 24.

Participants shared opinions on the preparations of South Africa’s political parties before the election, which is slated for May 7.

Prof. Roland Henwood, a lecturer from the University of Pretoria, along with many other scholars in South Africa, predicted that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) will win the upcoming election and play a crucial role in raising the country’s voice in the continent and the international arena.

In the coming time, South Africa will focus on implementing its National Development Plan (NDP) with a vision towards 2030, further boosting cooperation and partnership with traditional trade partners, including the South-South Cooperation, Prof. Henwood told Vietnam News Agency reporters in Pretoria.

The country strives to strengthen its involvement in international organisations such as the African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), BRICS (an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and the United Nations, he added.

Presiding over the workshop, APC President Ambassador Le Huy Hoang stressed that this is a good opportunity to foster collaboration between ASEAN member countries and local universities and institutes.-VNA