CAPE TOWN – In 1995, Ms Christina Tan and her business partner made a seemingly preposterous decision: They would go to South Africa to sell high-end luxury goods such as designer handbags and fine Swiss watches.
The country had just held its first democratic election that brought Mr Nelson Mandela to power, marking the end of the apartheid era, and Ms Tan felt the timing was propitious for their new business venture.
Fast forward 28 years, and the chief executive of Johannesburg-based GMT Investcorp said business continues to be brisk for the brands it represents, which include watchmaker Patek Philippe.
Ms Tan was among some 60 Singaporeans whom Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met at a reception on Sunday evening, the same day he landed in Cape Town for a six-day visit to South Africa and Kenya. About half of them are based in South Africa and the region.
“To a certain extent, Covid-19 actually brought us a lot more business – because we were all locked down, we got a lot more local customers,” said Ms Tan, 57. “So business has boomed... I would just say it has more than doubled.”
At the reception, PM Lee said he was happy to finally be on his first official visit to South Africa, a trip he wanted to make many years ago.
“I am here because South Africa is an important country in the world, because we have many friends in South Africa,” he said. “It is important for us to keep in touch with them, to grow our friendship with them, and our growing economic ties with them as well.”
Like Ms Tan, many of those who attended the reception were Singaporeans based in South African cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg.
But some had flown in for the occasion from places like Harare, Gaborone and Kigali, said Singapore’s High Commissioner to South Africa Zainal Arif Mantaha. These are the capitals of Zimbabwe, Botswana and Rwanda respectively.
While Singapore’s ties with the African continent have historically not been intense, there are actually many bright spots and opportunities for those looking to seize them, said PM Lee.
There is a lot of vibrancy and, increasingly, “business being done and Singaporeans going there; some staying there, and blazing new paths in new areas and starting things”, he said.
The Prime Minister said this energy was evident when he was in Rwanda in June 2022, where he met, among other people, Ms Lam Shumei, a Singaporean who had started a modern chicken farm there.
This is happening all over Africa, in countries and cities big and small, PM Lee noted.
While some are with Singapore firms or have sunk new roots due to marriage, others are out there starting something new, he said.
Among their number is Mr Sam Wong, who is the head chef of Willoughby and Co, a Japanese restaurant in Cape Town that is popular for its sashimi and sushi.
Others include Mrs Chloe Duthie, 31, who moved from Singapore to Cape Town after tying the knot with her South African husband. She was soon bitten by the entrepreneurship bug due to “the thriving culture here, which is very creative and competitive”.
Mrs Duthie started her own jewellery and accessories brand, called Voyager, in 2022 after witnessing an e-commerce boom there sparked by the pandemic. A new mother – her 11-week-old daughter Emma was the youngest Singaporean at Sunday’s reception – Mrs Duthie said she is now looking to start a mother-and-child app that can track a baby’s growth, akin to a digital version of Singapore’s health booklet for children.
PM Lee said he has always looked forward to meeting Singaporeans overseas, and thanked those who were present.
“Know that we greatly appreciate you being overseas flying the flag high, and making the world know about Singapore and making us proud to be Singaporeans,” he said.
